Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatu Allah,

Before I start I would like to ask Allah to remove this hardship from us, to make it easy for all of us during this difficult time we are facing.

Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah), this may be the first time in the history of Islam where all masajid in the Muslim Ummah, from the East to the West, have limited or removed access to the public.

Even for the haramain (Masjid al-Haram and Masjid Nabawi) & Masjid Al Aqsa, the 5 daily prayers and Jumuah prayers have limited access to the public.

This global situation is making us all feel emotional. There is emotional suffering from not being able to attend the prayers in congregation with your fellow brothers and sisters. There is sadness from not being able to sit within the masjid to pray, read Qur’an, seek knowledge, and perform other acts of worship.

The global health crisis we are dealing with is one of a kind in history.

We have to take this moment to reflect on ourselves, my dear brothers and sisters. We have to go back to Allah (SWT) and ask ourselves:

How is our relationship with Allah?

Have we repented from our sins?

Are we using this opportunity to increase our acts of worship (salah, dhikr, Qur’an)?

I want to share a verse with you from the Qur’an:

“And whatever strikes you of disaster – it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much.” [Chapter 42, verse 30]

Nothing happens in this world without the Will of Allah. We need to take a moment to reflect on our deeds. We need to go back to Allah in difficult times like this.

Despite the affliction we are dealing with locally and globally, this verse also tells us that He is the Most Forgiving. We ask Allah to forgive us for our sins. We ask Allah to remove this hardship from us.

We ask Allah to return us to the Houses of Allah and to worship in congregation again.

Let us use this opportunity for reflection and repentance.

Sincerely,

Shaykh Ismail