Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 365
2 May 1908 365 ُ اَلطَّاعُوْن ُ المَوْت ُ اَلطَّاعُوْن ُ المَوْت [‘The Plague means death’]. It is the term that refers to all epidemic diseases. Smallpox, pleurisy, fever, tumours, vomiting, and loss of consciousness—all such diseases are included in it. It is pertinent to recall that a form of plague also broke out in the time of the Companions of the Holy Prophet s as and was in the form of a small pustule that would develop on the palm of the hand. Whereas during the current outbreak, it has been observed quite often that people pass away in a state of unconsciousness and numbness, some pass away while hearty and healthy. Some develop bloody diarrhoea. Some pass away while no one knows what happened to them. Ten men went to sleep one night all healthy and well, but not a single one woke alive. In short, there are many such instances which reveal that no one understands this disease and it has many variations. In fact, this pause—as misfortune would have it—is extremely dangerous, because people will now become more daring and commit sins audaciously. They will infer from this hiatus that it was merely one illness that is over and gone; it was neither a Sign for anyone nor a chastisement [from God]. In short, this is not an occasion for rejoicing. It is an occasion to be fearful. At the time when Divine wrath had befallen the world in the form of the plague, I had received the following revelation: ُ أَفْطِر ُ و َ أَصُوْم ُ أَفْطِر ُ و َ أَصُوْم [‘I shall break the fast and also observe it. ’] It was a metaphor meaning that at times this disease would intensify and at times there would be a pause in it.