Friday Sermon: Keeping Life Amid Pandemic

By Ali Farkhan Tsani, Preacher of Al-Fatah Islamic Boarding School Cileungsi, Bogor

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِيْ أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ لِيُخْرِجَ النَّاسَ بِهَا مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّوْرِ
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ
اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ
أَيـُّهَا النَّاسُ، اتَّقُوا اللهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوْتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُوْنَ
أَمَّا بَعْدُ

Ladies and women who are glorified by Allah

Let us always try to draw closer to Allah with the practice of piety, especially when pandemic takes place in our midst.

The practice emergency protocols, such as being more at home, wearing masks, social distancing to protect us and others from Coronaviruse.

Thus, the teachings of Islam are good and benefit for mankind. Islam is an easy religion, a religion of cleanliness, protection and brotherhood. At the same time Islam is a religion that puts forward preventive measures.

So, if we wear a mask, it looks simple indeed. However, if it is intended to worship, protect yourself and others from life-threatening viruses, you will get the reward of goodness for it.

On the contrary, underestimating it in the midst of the plague, can be bad for himself and for others. And that is enough sin for him.

Also Read: Friday Sermon: Living Noble With Tawhidullah

Therefore, Islamic Sharia is very beneficial for humans and the natural surroundings, because it commands every good, and vice versa prohibits any evil.

Every command of Islam must contain benefits and goodness, and vice versa every prohibition of Islam must contain harm and ugliness.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Islamic Sharia is established to safeguard and preserve five important and fundamental things for humanity and life, namely: protecting religion, life, descent, intellect and property. All of these constitute five urgent matters of human life (Adh-Dharuriyat al-Khamsu). So that anyone who violates one of these problems will get the consequences of the violation.

In terms of guarding the soul, Islam strictly forbids killing, namely the spilling of the blood of Muslims. Including prohibiting the killing of unbelievers who coexist peacefully with Muslims as well as the blood of unbelievers who bind a peace treaty with the Islamic Ummah with certain conditions (mu’ahid).

For those who shed blood on purpose, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala condemned with a very strong threat in his word:

وَمَن يَقۡتُلۡ مُؤۡمِنً۬ا مُّتَعَمِّدً۬ا فَجَزَآؤُهُ ۥ جَهَنَّمُ خَـٰلِدً۬ا فِيہَا وَغَضِبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِ وَلَعَنَهُ ۥ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ ۥ عَذَابًا عَظِيمً۬ا

It means: “And whoever kills a believer intentionally, then the reward is hell, eternal he is in it and Allah is angry with him, and curses him and provides a great punishment for him.” (Surah An-Nisa [4]: 93)

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In another verse it says:

من أجل ذٲلك ڪتبنا على بنى إسرٲءيل أنه من قتل نفسا بغير نفس أو فساد فى ٱلأرض فڪأنما قتل ٱلناس جميعا و أحياها فڪأنمآ أحيا ٱلنا جميعا ولقد جآءتهم رسلنا بٱلبينت ثم إن كثيرا منهم بعد ذٲلك فى ٱلأرض لمسرفون

It means: “Therefore we have established [a law] for the Children of Israel, that: whoever kills a human being, not because that person [kills] another person [1] or not because of making mischief on earth, as if he had kill humans entirely. [2] And whoever preserves the life of a human being, it is as if he has preserved the lives of all people. And indeed came to them our apostles with [carrying] clear statements, then many of them after that, truly exceeded the limits in doing damage on earth. (Surah Al-Maidah [5]: 32).

Muslims are blessed by Allah

As a form of guarding the mind, Islam has forbidden alcohol (khamer) and drugs with various types, such as cannabis, heroin, cocaine, opium, ecstasy and so on.

Allh forbids them because in their accumulated various damage, can destroy personalities, kill reason and destroy property with no use and kill life.