Lockdown: What to do at Home
(April 17, 2020)
My dear respected brothers and sisters! Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. It is nearly a month now that we have been observing lockdown, and in all likelihood this will go on for a further period in time. This situation is unprecedented in modern history. Never before did the world see humanity being constrained to remain shutdown in their houses all over the world for such a long period of time. We all know that this is attributed to the current COVID-19 pandemic,
This state of affairs of isolation and social distancing has brought to the forefront an important issue, and that is how to manage ourselves and what to do while we are locked down in our houses. It is this topic about which I wish to share some thoughts with you, by way of reminder to myself and you.
Alhamdulillah! We are Muslims. We are believers. We believe in Allah (SWT) and we place our trust in Him. We believe in the institution of Prophethood and in the teachings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). We believe in the eternal life of the hereafter. Therefore the focus of my talk will be towards looking at the lockdown situation we are in from a purely Islamic perspective. The isolation and social distancing that we have to observe by remaining locked down in our houses does not mean to be cut away from everything and do nothing. There are a few things that come to mind that we can do very constructively in this situation.
First of all, while not ignoring the reality on the ground, we should not be overwhelmed with fear to the point that we get obsessed by it. It’s true that we are living in a stressful time. It’s important to take care of our health, both physical and mental. While there is a whole lot of literature on how to manage our stress and anxiety, we as Muslims support ourselves spiritually in trying times by increasing our reliance on Allah. It is one of the best protections in a time of tribulation. We believe that life itself is a test. The life of this world is temporary and fleeting. After we die, we move on to the permanent and eternal life of the hereafter.
الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ
“He is the One Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds.” (al-Mulk, 67:2)
In order to test us, we are tested in different circumstances. We are tested is fear and hunger, in loss of wealth and property, in prosperity and adversity, in health and illness, and in many other situations. Our reactions and responses to these tests and trials are all being recorded every moment of our life. We will be judged on the Day of Judgment as to how we conducted ourselves during different situations in our worldly life.
Brothers and sisters! Our body is important and we must take care of it, and protect it from all harm, but our soul is still more important. The fleeting life of this world is important, but the eternal life of the hereafter is still more important. Our faith in this global crisis should strengthen our iman, and not weaken it. It is a test we are passing through. InshaAllah, Allah will take us out of it soon. Also, there are many positives linked with every difficult situation.
إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
“Surely, with every hardship there is ease.” (al-Inshirah, 94:6)
We have to make ourselves and our family members realize this universal truth that The Qur’an teaches us. We should pray to Allah to keep us steadfast on our deen, and bless us with the highest degrees of iman.
If every masjid has been locked down as a preventive measure against the spread of the pandemic, let us make every house into a masjid. In a hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said: “The whole earth has been made a masjid and a means of purification for me, so wherever a man of my ummah may be when the time for prayer comes, let him pray.” Try to pray in congregation at home. The family including the children can pray in a jama’ah. Given our limitations, we hope from Allah’s bounty that while praying in jama’ah at home, we’ll get the reward of praying in the masjid inshaAllah. In all humility and humbleness, we should seek Allah’s help through patience and prayer. Allah says:
وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ
“And seek help through patience, and prayer. It is a difficult thing, but not so for the humble.” (al-Baqarah, 2:45). Praying and exercising patience will become a blessing and a source of peace for the entire household inshaAllah. Also, we should turn towards Allah through dhikr, tawbah, and istighfar. Allah says:
فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ
“So remember Me, and I will remember you.” (al-Baqarah. 2:152)
Don’t we want Allah to remember us, to help us, to support us, to protect us in every difficulty that we face, and to change our feeling of fear and anxiety into a feeling of peace, security, and tranquility? Let us remember Allah in our hearts, through our own supplications, and especially through the supplications and invocations taught to us by the best of creation – Muhammad (SAW). Recite the Qur’an and ponder upon its meaning. It is shifa; it is healing and cure. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“O mankind! Surely, a teaching has come to you from your Lord, and a cure for what is in your hearts, and guidance and mercy for the believers.” (Yunus, 10:57). If we want our hearts to be at rest and if we want healing, let us recite the Qur’an in our homes. It is the medium of connecting with Allah.
We should also repent and seek forgiveness for our sins –minor or major, small or big, intentional or unintentional.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ
“O you who believe, turn to Allah in sincere repentance. Your Rabb may remove your sins.” (at-Tahrim, 66:8)
Since we are all in our homes, another thing that can be done is that all adult male members including grown up boys can help the ladies with their daily household chores. This is an opportunity to do a Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). He used to help his wives in their daily tasks at home. Following a Sunnah itself may become a source and a reason for showering of Allah’s blessings in our homes.
Because of the lockdown situation, and the closing of schools, our kids are with us all the time. It is an opportunity to attend to their upbringing or tarbiyyah. According to a hadith, “Every child is born in a state of fitrah; then his parents make him into a Jew or a Christian or a Magian.” Fitrah is the inborn natural disposition, which is inclined towards submission to One God. It is the pure and original state upon which God creates all human beings, and which is inclined towards that which is morally and spiritually pure, upright and wholesome. It falls upon the parents, therefore, to take care of their children in this respect. While we care for their worldly needs providing them with the best of food, clothing, shelter, and schooling, as best as we can afford, we must also take care of their religious and moral needs. It’s an opportunity to make ourselves and our children inclined towards the Qur’an, It’s an opportunity to memorize small surahs of the Qur’an. Check the correctness of the way you and they pray. Read to your young kids the stories of the prophets and stories of the sahaba.
In the free time made available to us in the lockdown, we have an opportunity to increase our knowledge of Islam. At the minimum, we should learn about the values that Islam teaches and promotes: respect for the earth and all creatures, care and compassion for those less fortunate, the importance of seeking knowledge, honesty and truthfulness in word and deed, and striving continuously to improve oneself and the world. MashaAllah, there are so many videos, lectures, seminars, and write-ups available to us on different aspects of our noble deen.
Besides offering our ritual prayers, there is so much opportunity now to offer social and humanitarian services to a multitude of people; to the poor and the needy, to the neighbors, to those who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, and to those who earn their wages on a daily basis and now they cannot because businesses are closed.
There is also an opportunity to participate in da’wah activities while locked down in our houses. We are from the ummah of the Prophet (SAW). Da’wah is our responsibility. Give da’wah to those in the house, and also to your relatives, loved ones and friends. If you didn’t have time before in doing all or any of these activities, you have more time now to do it.
This is also a time to improve your relationship with your kith and kin. Our deen has emphasized maintaining family ties and warned against breaking the ties. We should be connected with our family members in a way that takes care of their feelings. This attracts the mercy and blessings of Allah. Social distancing may mean distancing physically but it does not mean distancing spiritually. We may not have talked to some of our relatives and friends and neighbors for long periods of time. Now sitting at home, and having more time at our disposal, we may get in touch with them through social media and through phone. Almost everyone has a smart phone.
This is also a time to be generous with our donations; to pay our zakah and sadaqah. A hadith tells us:
إِنَّ الصَّدَقَةَ لَتُطْفِئُ غَضَبَ الرَّبِّ وَتَدْفَعُ مِيتَةَ السُّوءِ
“Indeed charity extinguishes the Lord’s anger and it protects against the evil death.” Another hadith tells us: “Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity.”
Brothers and sisters! Let us cease the opportunity of the free time that we have because of the lockdown situation. It will be very sad if we don’t utilize this time to ponder about the realities of life and death, and about doing as many good deeds as possible in the remaining moments of our life with full faith and sincerity. It is to our own benefit.
الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا
“Wealth and children are the adornment of this worldly life, but the everlasting good deeds are far better with your Lord in reward and in hope.” (al-Kahf, 18:46).
