Corona Virus: Did the power of faith and prayer protect Pakistan from Corona?

 Mangha, a small town two hours from the federal capital Islamabad, is part of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. After decades of violent extremism, the area is now relatively peaceful. It is now much easier to get to Mangha because of the motorway. After a distance of one and a half hours, when the vehicle got off the motorway, green fields were in front. There are small shops along the road with children playing outside. Rainy men wearing turbans were seen sitting on tea stalls without any masks or social distance. But no woman was seen on the way to Mangha. Saadat Khan, 55, a resident of Mangha, went on Umrah in February this year. He was one of the last groups to enter Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah before the border closed due to the coronavirus. When Saadat Khan returned to Islamabad on March 9 after spending three weeks in Saudi Arabia, about a dozen members of his family were at the airport to greet him. I have come to meet Nawaz Khan, the son of Saadat Khan. Nawaz has been running his pharmacy since his father's death. Nawaz Khan: My younger nephew was sitting on his lap, my father was fine, he just had a slight fever and flu.

Saadat Khan's son Nawaz Khan said he was driving on the way back from the airport and his father was sitting in the front seat with him. "My little nephew was sitting on his lap. My father was fine. He just had a slight fever and flu. But anyone who returns from Hajj or Umrah usually has these symptoms.

When he reached home, he was greeted by Saadat Khan's wife, daughters and grandchildren. A few days later, in the joy of performing Umrah, Saat Khan arranged a big feast for the needy and relatives at his home, which was attended by about a thousand people from Mangha and surrounding areas. Eleven days later, Saadat Khan passed away. And after his death, he was diagnosed with the coronavirus. Saadat Khan was the first person in Pakistan to lose his life at the hands of Corona. After his death, 39 of the 46 tests performed on his family members tested positive. Nawaz, his mother, wife, sisters and even their children were confirmed to have coronavirus. Authorities panicked and the manga was cordoned off and police checkpoints were set up around the affected area and troops began patrolling the streets. Nawaz Khan showed the room where his father had spent his last days. In the simplest room, there was only a wooden bed and table with the names of Allah and the Prophet of Islam written on the wall, while there was a place of prayer in another corner. "My father was a very religious man," Nawaz said. He spent his whole life in this place of prayer. His faith was strong and he was not afraid of death.  According to Nawaz Khan, his father always wanted him to die during the Hajj so that he could be buried in the holy land of Saudi Arabia. "My father is a martyr. We are just thankful that he came back to Pakistan and we were able to meet him before he passed away.

Nawaz has no regrets that his father went to Mecca during the Corona epidemic and paid the price with his life. Nawaz is satisfied that his father was free from sins before he went on his last journey (before his death). Nawaz says that pilgrims performing Umrah are protected from all kinds of impurity for forty days. "If someone's time is up, we can't change anyone's destiny, we can't extend the time, we can't bring anyone back. My father's time was up. '

A complete lockdown of the incident was announced in Pakistan and religious gatherings were banned, among other security measures, but people across the country refused to attend Friday prayers at home. The government also issued fatwas from Al-Azhar University and the Fatwa Council of the United Arab Emirates to make people understand, but to no avail. That is why when Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey closed the holiest places during Ramadan, it was decided to keep mosques open in Pakistan. Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri says the government was very clear on the issue that people would not be kept away from mosques by force. "These days I received a video from Egypt in which the police were chasing a mosque imam and he was running ahead to avoid arrest," he said. His crime was that he led Friday prayers in the mosque during the lockdown. ”Noorulhaq Qadri says he also shared the video with Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Ali. Eid

"We were clear on the issue that we would not force religious people. We will not use our police and army to stop people from going to mosques. It was important for us that these institutions be used to prevent the Corona epidemic and not against our own people. "Following the reaction from the public and religious circles, the government signed an agreement with the Ulema and set up some SOPs, but there was no system in place to implement these SOPs in millions of mosques across the country. Any application of punishment for their violation. After Ramadan, the number of corona viruses in Pakistan began to increase rapidly. Since Saadat's death, four major religious festivals have been celebrated in Pakistan, including Muharram. Gul Zahra Rizvi serves as a volunteer in Muharram gatherings to ensure security and social distance during gatherings. She says that when it comes to faith, people in Pakistan listen to emotions more than logic. He explained that the meetings were already limited due to the Corona epidemic. But according to Gul Zehra, the requirements of Muharram traditions cannot be fulfilled by sitting at home, although this year people are trying to mourn as much as their families by staying at home, but sitting alone thinking or listening to Karbala. Does not serve the purpose. "The battle of Karbala, which was a battle of truth and falsehood, a symbol of rising up against tyranny, can only be kept alive through gatherings," she said.

Gul Zehra believes that religion is a source of strength in this hour of trial.

"Imam Hussein's name is a ray of hope for the people in the economic and social crisis. Now that people are feeling lonely, Imam Hussain's name assures people that no matter how dark the situation, there will be light. ”Like Nawaz Khan and Gul Zehra, a large majority in Pakistan believe that the epidemic Religion is a source of strength for them, and religious gatherings and worship are more important than ever in this crisis. But it is also surprising to the world that despite the negligence of the people and the leniency of the government, the spread of Corona in Pakistan remained very limited. The world is trying to figure out how this happened. So far no concrete scientific justification has been found and a new wave of epidemics is on the horizon but the people of Pakistan believe that it is the power of faith and prayer that has kept Pakistan relatively safe from Corona.