It seems like the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been going on for over 3 months now and over the past few weeks, we've seen the situation worsen around the world. Besides lockdowns, travel and border restrictions, several countries around the world (including Singapore and Malaysia) have had to shut down mosques, among other public places.
With a lot of uncertainty and panic surrounding the outbreak, religious authorities have also issued fatwas on missing Friday/congregational prayers and the closing of mosques. And these fatwas were made based on religious textual evidence and hadiths of the Prophet.
Note: You can refer to the fatwas made by Singapore and Malaysia's religious authorities on their respective websites. If you're from elsewhere, do check with your local religious authorities on the situation.
While we pray and hope that the situation will get better, as Muslims, we can do our part to strengthen our faith by making du'a. That's in addition to taking necessary preventive measures and adhering to restrictions imposed upon us. Most importantly, it's vital to keep calm and remind ourselves that everything occurs by the will and divine wisdom of Allah s.w.t.
The beautiful thing is that Allah s.w.t. has promised to respond our call upon Him:
Your Lord has proclaimed, “Call upon Me, I will respond to you” (Surah Ghafir, 40:60)
Before we make du'a for ourselves, let's first make du'a for those who are sick. In a hadith, Rasulullah s.a.w. said,
“Whoever among you suffers some sickness, or his brother suffers some sickness, let him say: ‘Our Lord Allah Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your will is done in heaven and on earth; as Your mercy is in heaven, bestow it upon the earth. Forgive us of our sins. You are the Lord of the good. Send down some Your mercy and healing upon this pain,’ and he will be healed.”(Hadith by Imam Abu Daud)
Our beloved Prophet s.a.w. prayed to Allah s.w.t. whenever he faced adversities and here are 5 du'as that you can read for your well-being and protection from diseases.
P.S. We got these du'as and reminders from Muslim SG's article. Find out more articles on Islam on their website.
1. Du'a for protection against every kind of harm
Credit: Muslim SG
Transliteration: "Bismillahil-lazi la yadhurru ma’asmihi syai’un fil ardhi wa la fis-sama’i wa huwas-sami’ul aleem"
2. Du'a to seek forgiveness and for well-being
Credit: Muslim SG
Transliteration: "Allahumma inni as’alukal-’afwa wal ‘afiyah fid-dunya wal-akhirah"
3. Du'a for total protection
Credit: Muslim SG
Transliteration: "Allahummah-fazni min baini yadaiya, wa min khalfi, wa ‘an yameeni, wa ‘an syimali wa min fauqi, wa a’uzu bi’azomatika an ughtala min tahti"
4. Du'a for protection from every evil that brings harm
Credit: Muslim SG
Transliteration: "A’uzu bikalimatillahit-tammaati min syarri ma kholak"
5. Du'a for protection from diseases
Credit: Muslim SG
Transliteration: "Allahumma inni a’uzubika minal baros, wal junuun wal juzzam, wa min sayyi’il-asqam"
We hope these 5 prayers will help you in finding strength and guidance during this period ❤️ You're encouraged to read these prayers daily, especially in the morning and afternoon. If you're looking for more ways to get closer to Allah during this period, here are 10 easy ways to do so.
Besides these prayers, it is also the duty of every Muslim to be socially responsible and observe personal hygiene. Check out our round-up of 13 hygiene tips you should constantly practise!
May Allah s.w.t. protect us and our loved ones from harmful diseases and let's pray that the situation will get better, InsyaAllah. In the meantime, take care and stay safe ?
P.S. We got these du'as and reminders from Muslim SG's article. Find out more articles on Islam on their website.