Sūrat al-Baqarah
Section 39 of 59 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Those Who Fled the Plague
To finish, Allah (swt) gives two accounts, two incidents. One of them has a certain bearing upon our own circumstances, though there is not the time to enter upon it in detail; it begins at verse 243:
۞ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا۟ مِن دِيَـٰرِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ ٱلْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مُوتُوا۟ ثُمَّ أَحْيَـٰهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ
“Have you not seen those who left their homes, while they were in thousands, to escape death? So, Allah said to them, “Be dead.” Then He raised them alive. Surely, Allah is gracious to people, but most of the people are not grateful.” (2:243)
This is the account of a community struck by a true plague. These people were afflicted by a ṭāʿūn, and the condition in a ṭāʿūn is confinement. The ruling is a lockdown: do not go out. Yet these people took fright. They did not keep the ruling that they must remain where they were, but ran out and left — and they died. Allah (swt) then gave them death. Why did you do that? Keep, then, to the ruling one is bound by. Stay indoors; stay at home.