UNS — As a speaker in Kajian Ramadan 1442 H UNS on Wednesday (5/5/2021), Prof. Sutarno shared material on the Covid-19 pandemic from the Islamic perspective. Up to this day, the novel coronavirus found in 2019 has infected more than 146 million people and cause the death of three million people globally. As in Indonesia, Covid-19 has infected more than 106 million people and causes 44 thousand death.
The current study has shown that the virus continues to mutate like what occurred in India. Prof. Sutarno stated that a similar virus occurred during Rasulullah’s time. The outbreak was named tha’un and spread rapidly and claimed numerous lives. Therefore, as a prevention measure, Rasul ordered his people not to get close to those infected and enter the infected area.
“A hadith mentioned that ‘if you heard tha’un outbreak struck a country, then do not enter it. If that outbreak struck your country, then do not leave it,” Prof. Sutarno explained.
Covid-19 Pandemic according to Islamic View
Considering the similarity of tha’un and Covid-19 pandemic, Islamic scholars have a different way of reacting toward the event. Some Islamic scholars consider Covid-19 a punishment from Allah SWT, while others consider it a natural disaster caused by human activities that reduce the natural balance on earth. Prof. Sutarno explained that this is possible since the increasing demand for human settlements has forced people to overhaul and destroy the natural ecosystem. “Thus, disturbing the environmental balance around us,” he stated.
Some of the scholars also think that the pandemic is a test from Allah SWT to increase Muslim’s faith, and some others believe that it is Allah SWT love because it makes people aware of many gifts from God that they are not aware of. Therefore, all prevention efforts such as wearing a mask, washing hands, physical distancing, avoiding crowds, and reducing mobility, encouraged by the government, show Muslims’ struggle and patience in facing the pandemic.
“Under religious perspective, these efforts are syar’i and follow the existing research and science,” Prof. Sutarno added. He also stated that the implementation of these efforts could be a form of worship.
“To stop the spread, it is easy as long as we are disciplined. According to biology, a virus is not a living creature. Thus, once someone is infected and did not infect others, it will stop at that. If the immune system successfully eliminated it, it will end there,” he explained.
Religious Leader’s Role in Handling Covid-19
The pandemic demands religious leaders to combine faith and rationality to respond, which is why Muslims should not rely solely on rites but also apply preventive actions following the health experts. “There is a need to combine. Covid expert from healthcare combines their knowledge with how people should perform religious activities,” Prof. Sutarno stated.
Prof. Sutarno quoted research from Eman Supriyatna, which conclude that under Islamic perspective, the Covid-19 pandemic is a test from Allah to remind human that Allah is Almighty over everything in this world. Humas UNS
Reporter: Alinda Hardiantoro
Editor: Dwi Hastuti