Do you agree with the statement credited to the Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, that the cause of meningitis in Nigeria, particularly in the North, was as a result of God’s wrath against sins like fornication committed by people?
Firstly, it has to be stated that only Allah knows why He is taking a particular action. There is nobody who can speak for Him unless he reveals to us when he so wishes the reason for whatever he does.
Is there somewhere in the Quran which indicates that God can punish a nation for immorality?
Although the Holy Scripture contains references to people of the past who had been made to suffer calamities as a result of their disobedience and sins – that can be easily confirmed in the Quran, Chapter 42, and Verse 30. It says, ‘Whatever misfortune befalls you is a consequence of your own deeds. But much of it he forgives.’ Similarly, people (living in the days of) Prophets Nuh, Salih (his she-camels and Thamud people) and others were punished as a result of their sins. However, it has to be noted that the cause of all human afflictions, be they meningitis or any other disease, cannot be attributed to the anger of Allah. The verse in reference was directed at the people who were committing sins against humanity. It was also directed at who were committing sins against Allah and showed disobedience to the Almighty God.
Moreover, as to the believers, Allah’s law for them is different; whatever befalls them in form of calamity and hardship will eventually become a source of atonement for their sins, God willing. The holy Prophet reportedly said that ‘whatever sorrow and suffering, distress and grief, and affliction and worry that a Muslim experiences, even if it be a thorn prick, it is made an atonement by Allah for one or the other of his errors’. In fact, it will not only atone for their sins, it will also raise them in ranks with Allah.
Do you think it is appropriate for a state governor, who is a Muslim, to say that God struck poor people with meningitis because of fornication being rampant in the society?
It is not ideal for any individual to ascribe the epidemic – meningitis or any other disease outbreak – to Allah’s anger. If the position of the governor (of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari) was right, we could as well naively agree that the Ebola Virus Disease, as well as other epidemics that have broken out at different parts of the country at one time or the other, were direct consequences of the iniquities or sins of those communities. What the affected people deserve from us are prayer, care and utmost support. May Allah grant the afflicted quick cure and forgive those Muslims who had lost their lives.
Nigerians are said to be among the most religious people on earth, do you think they deserve the kind of governance they get from politicians?
Regarding the allusion to bad governance that Nigerians get from politicians in spite of their seeming religiosity, our great scholar, Ibn Al-Qayyim, has said that ‘people will get leaders which they deserve’ and truly looking at that assertion, since the people are bad, their leaders will not be from heaven. They will be chosen among the bad people (on the earth). Therefore, if the people are upright, their leaders will definitely be upright and vice versa. People’s actions will manifest in their rulers and kings.
However, people can get punished for the sins of individuals if, according to the noble prophet – peace be upon him – they see bad things and refuse to correct them when they have the power to do so. He said, ‘Allah does not punish the individuals for the sins of the community until they see the evil spreading among them, and while they have the power to stop it, do not do so’.
What is Nasrul Lahi l Fatih Society doing to help Muslims strike a balance between religion and modern realities?
Nasrul Lahi l Fatih Society Worldwide as an organisation keeps educating its teeming members on contemporary issues by employing the tools of Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, which include the Quran, hadith, cultures, and public interest without compromising Islamic values.
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