Al’lah’s Envoy (cpth) said, “Truly, Al’lah never made a cure for my people in what He had forbidden to them.”
A crucial period and a terrible disaster… the spectre of painful death spread over most of the families in Damascus, Syria: its citizens were afflicted with a far- reaching cholera epidemic.
It seemed as though a black, evil spirit had spread over the city, causing great alarm amongst all its people; their hearts were overcome at its terrible spectre as they felt its dark apparition lurking in every shadow. This was the grave and terrible calamity which befell the people of Damascus at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the cholera epidemic circulated and spread without mercy all over the city.
There could be no hope or discrimination where the disease was concerned; indeed no-one could know if or when the infection might reach him, and if it did he would surely be dead within a few days.
The catastrophe intensified till the average daily mortality figure resulting from this infection was nearly five hundred people a day, which is a large number if compared with the total population of Damascus at that time.
One day during this critical period, Officer M. A. Sheikho, who held a responsible position in the government house (the centre of the Home Office nowadays), left his house, as usual, in the early morning and headed for his office. While he was sitting there reviewing some records, a great weakness seemed to overcome his body and he realised that he was feeling quite unwell. He thought it very strange for he was usually in the best of health! ‘What’s wrong with me?’ he wondered.
Within a few moments, his discomfort increased till he became sure that he was afflicted with some sickness… then, suddenly, he felt overwhelming dizziness and nausea accompanied by a strong colic in his stomach. ‘Could it be cholera? Oh, my Provider! What shall I do?’ Minutes later he began to vomit severely… it was so unnerving for him as this was the first time that he had vomited so forcibly, and the griping pains in his intestines showed no signs of easing.
Yes, indeed! Cholera had struck Mohammad Amin, the officer! Having noticed what had affected Aslan,[71] their strong, courageous leader, the other officers who worked with him became terrified as they thought the alarm bell was ringing for them too so, like cowards, they did nothing to help him and ran out of government house leaving their colleague to his fate. They feared the possibility of being infected and the prospect of a painful and undignified death which hovered closely around every citizen in Damascus.
‘Oh, my Provider! What should I do? Please guide me… I had better go home at once before the diarrhea begins so no-one sees me in this state,’ thought Officer Mohammad Amin.
With this aim in mind, he hurried from his office to his house which was in Sarujah, (one of the old quarters of Damascus) but he was forced to slow his customary fast pace as he was doubled over with the excruciating pain in his abdomen.
As, eventually, he neared his home a man in the street noticed him and stopped him saying, ‘Take this bottle Sir, and drink the contents, for it fortifies the body.’ Officer Mohammad Amin asked, ‘What is this bottle? What’s in it to strengthen my body against the deadly cholera disease?’
‘It’s arrack [72]Sir!’ the man replied.
As soon as he heard what the bottle contained he knocked it from the man’s hand so it fell to the ground and smashed, and he said to the man, ‘Shame on you! Do you want me to drink alcohol and get drunk to meet my Provider in that state?’
He put his trust in Almighty Al’lah and then continued on his way, desperate to reach his house before the symptoms worsened. A few days later the Almighty God did indeed oblige him with a cure, whereby his immune system began to recover and was able to overcome this terrible, infectious illness.
It is clear that if a man’s lifetime has not been decreed to be ended yet, he would not die whatever disease might afflict him. Even if the essence of man is strong and his truthfulness in obeying God is displayed, if in fearing for his ephemeral mortal life he rushes to use medicine even it is forbidden and entails disobeying Al’lah… he would fail and lose his way. Does he not know about the saying of Al’lah’s Envoy (cpth) who is the doctor of all humanity, “Truly, Al’lah never made a cure for my people in what He had forbidden to them.”
Yet, on the contrary, if he excludes from his life all that is forbidden by Al’lah he will succeed and win, since he whose life is not preordained to be over, will not be killed by a catastrophe however severe it may be.