Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 193
28 April 1905 193 feared. Some mullahs have given ghusl 1 to hundreds of people that died from the plague, and nothing happened to them. This is why the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has said that it is wrong to believe that one person’s disease afflicts another. During an epidemic, if it is the initial stage then you should leave the area, but when it is rampant, then do not run away. Hadrat Ya‘q u b [ Jacob], peace be on him, had directed his sons to enter through separate gates lest they are detained as spies. Precautions were taken, but no one could halt God’s decree. They entered through different gates but were caught. So remember that all grace come with faith; thus, strengthen your faith. The infringement of rights is a sin, and human life is not eternal. The precautions and distancing that has been dis- played is not logical or justified. Safeguard yourself from such matters that have been proven harmful through experience. God Almighty desires to make this Jam a ‘at a model, but it would be terribly bad if it, too, deteriorates to the state where there is no brotherhood and compassion among it. I would not have mentioned the other aspect, but since I have compassion for everyone, for those who have been afflicted with it and for those who are still safe, I considered it necessary to express it as well. I regret that I could not come myself, and the reason for this is that after the ‘A s r Prayer I [tend to] feel dizzy. Furthermore, I had no knowledge of this incident until they wrote to me. In any case, there must be mutual sympathy, and I pray that Allah the Exalted removes this plague from our Jam a ‘at. A m i n. 2 1. A ritual bathing of a corpse according to the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet s as. [Publisher] 2. Al- H akam, vol. 9, no. 15, p. 2, dated 30 April 1905; Badr, vol. 1, no. 5, p. 1, 2, dated 4 May 1905