BismillaahirRahmaanirRaheem

From ibn Kathir’s Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah:

The plague of ‘Amwaas afflicted the early Muslims in Syria in 18 H (640 CE) during the Caliphate of ‘Umar radiyAllaahu’anhu. Many Muslims died including a number of prominent Sahaabah such as Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarraah and Mu’aadh ibn Jabal radiyAllaahu’anhum.

‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas was then appointed governor and said that plagues are like fires, they spread more easily when people are crowded / close together. So he advised people to protect themselves and to disperse and spread out (and to go to the mountains). The people followed his advice and dispersed and as a result the plague died out.

News of this reached ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab radiyAllaahu’anhu who (tacitly) approved of his decision.

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Notes:

• Taking appropriate precautions during a time of epidemic/plague is something which the Companions radiyAllaahu’anhum understood and practised.
• They realised that crowding etc. exacerbates the spread of infection and therefore gave a general directive to keep apart (whether or not specific individuals were known to be ill and spreading the disease).
• This approach is in fact consistent with the understanding of modern day doctors and the scholars who follow their advice. The obvious example of this is the current guidance for COVID-19 which includes wearing a mask, keeping distance and avoiding enclosed spaces.
• Please beware of people who are neither qualified in medical matters nor in matters relating to Islam, who spread misinformation, quote statements out of context and try to belittle the advice of Muslim doctors and the scholars.
• Such misinformation causes harm. It is unfortunate that the Muslim community in the UK is disproportionately affected by COVID-19, having the highest death rates when compared to other groups, and misinformation and rumour may well be contributing to this, wAllaahulmusta’aan.

Dr Adnaan Ali
(Medical doctor)