By: Samsul Nizar
Professor and Head of STAIN Bengkalis
Medically, viruses are tiny infectious agents that reproduce in living host cells. When infected, the host cell is forced to rapidly produce thousands of identical copies of the original virus. Viruses themselves do not have cells. The formation of new viruses takes place in the infected host cell. Viruses are parasitic and cannot live without a host. A viral infection occurs when a virus enters a person’s body. After entering the body, the virus then attacks healthy body cells, and reproduces rapidly and kills the body’s cells. Viruses will enter and damage the structure of the body when the body’s immune power is low. When the immune system is weak, the virus will easily grow and damage the human body. Thus the virus destroys the structure of the body when the immune system is weak or even paralyzed.
Viruses can actually be analogous to the devil. Devil will enter and affect humans when the immunity of faith is low, let alone lost faith which is defeated by the interests and greed of worldly rocks.
In Islam, the devil is a trait that describes the state of beings who are evil, rebellious, disobedient, like immoral, like to go against the rules, and disobedient. This trait is possessed by the devil (and its elements) and the kufr people. He will always lead humans (fellow humans) to violate Allah’s rules and accompany the devil and his cronies in hell.
In the era of the Covid-19 outbreak that hit the world, the existence of this virus has destroyed the joints of world civilization. The world economy is paralyzed. All humans are attacked by fear and anxiety. Although this is natural, but without realizing it also weakens the body’s immune system. Psychological attacks are natural, but if not anticipated will result in the emergence of paranoia that harms the strength of the physical body. Unfortunately, the fear of the virus attack is not comparable to the fear of the “devil” attack that attacks the immunity of human faith. In fact, faith is like software which is very vital to support the quality of hard ware work. It is only natural that the attack of the covid-19 virus is used by the devil to take advantage of conditions to encourage people whose immunity to faith is weak to take advantage of the situation to gain advantage and trickery over the Covid-19 outbreak.
Indeed, disaster or bad event must have been felt by every human being. To that end, Islam teaches to tolerate each other or help lighten the burden of others. However, there are also a few who are actually happy with the suffering of others and use it to gain benefits from the condition, either openly or secretly. This is an unjust behavior which is prohibited in Islam. Because of this bad nature, the Messenger of Allah reminded him through his words: “Do not show joy (use it * pen) because of the calamity that befell your brother. Because if so, Allah will have mercy on him and instead give you calamity” (HR Tirmidhi).
Such is the humiliation of humans who take advantage of disasters for their own or group interests. When this happens, it’s like the saying “dancing on your dead brother”. In fact, some kind of animal would never do such a thing. All of this is caused by the loss of the immune power of faith and humanity. This condition is used by devil to “close” all sides of humanity. The five senses only imagine the benefits that can be achieved over the unfortunate conditions that befall others.
Devil’s attacks never stop. The methods used by the devil include:
First, making something evil looks good and naming immoral acts with names that are liked. The excuse of plurality was echoed. The reason for the spirit of human rights is used. Various legal reasons are designed to legalize what is desired.
Second, devil influences people to name good deeds with names they don’t like, builds phobias and negative thinking, scares people with reasons of breaking the rules, dreams of poverty or suffering (even losing their position), does charity but always has strings attached, and supports people more and more, away from religious truth gradually. As a result, humans become ashamed to do good and proud to do bad things.
Third, devil awakens the human ego to take advantage of position, attributes, position, knowledge, material, and opportunities to take as much advantage as possible for himself and his “people” to build a “fortress” of evil. The “aji while” whisper is exhaled in mind and heart to justify all means to achieve the desired goal.
Apparently, viruses and demons have similarities. Both will enter the human body when the immune system is weak. However, virus attacks are more concerned with collectively and cost a lot of money. While the attacks of demons received less serious attention. If there are still a few who pay attention, but at a low cost, even free.
Indeed, Ramadan is the month of “devils in chains”. However, what actually binds devil is the “faith of the shaimin and shaimat” who fast because of faith. The rope of faith of the servant who is able to bind the devil and his elements. When the rope Faith is not able to shackle during Ramadan, so what about the next 11 months. Maybe humans who are shackled by Satan to follow his control are like “an ox being stabbed in the nose”. When this happens, humanity is lost, reason is destroyed, civilization collapses, guises flutter, flashy attributes or accessories are blinding the eyes of truth, and so on.
If the devil’s path of misguidance is not anticipated through strengthening the immune power of faith, then humans will be sidelined by a virus spread by Satan. If the domination of the devil is able to destroy the human side and the death of reason, then civilization and truth will be destroyed and extinct, like the extinction of the dinosaurs. Satan will create a fork in the road. To the left is the path of misguidance which has been successfully conjured by the devil with a beautiful view and to the right is the path of goodness which has been conjured by the devil to make it look full of creepy thorns.
For those who have faith, Ramadan is used to strengthen the immunity of their faith in order to fortify themselves from the influence of Satan in order to increase their faith in kaffah Islam. The former Ramadan that departs from faith to Islam, it will be seen in the post-Ramadan self-ihsan. If this is done, then lucky and safe yourself. However, for the owner of the vulnerability of faith, Ramadan is only present as a month of “penance” and “saving reward” as much as possible.
The presence of Ramadan is like heavy rain, but it doesn’t leave a mark after the rain stops. In fact, heavy rains bring winds that knock down the leaf litter that pollutes the universe. If this happens every Ramadan, then lose yourself. Like a snake’s fast that aims to replace the skin. After the skin peels off and changes to a new skin, the existence of a snake remains as a snake. Lucky is the servant who fasts like the fast of a worm. Caterpillars fast to turn into cocoons that turn into beautiful butterflies that color the world.
Then, how about the body’s immunity and faith that we have in Ramadhan 1443 H this time? Of course, only each self and Allah knows the quality of their immunity.
Wa Allahua’lam bi al-Shawwab.
Translated by Kurniati, M.Pd (Lecturer and Head of English Education Study Program of STAIN Bengkalis)
