Conversations on Affliction and Epidemics

Hadiths on Affliction

There are several hadiths that address the topic of affliction, including the following:

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Amazing is the affair of the believer, for all of his affairs are good. This is only for the believer. If he faces a blessing, he shows gratitude, and that is good for him; and if he faces a hardship, he remains patient, and that is good for him.”
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: “A believer, whether male or female, will continue to face afflictions in their body, wealth, and soul until they meet Allah, and there shall be no sins upon them.”
Narrated by `Uqbah ibn `Amir, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If you see that Allah grants a servant from this world despite their sins, that is merely a gradual entrapment. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited: ‘So when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We opened to them the gates of all things, until when they rejoiced in what they had been given, We seized them suddenly, and behold, they were in despair.'”

Several hadiths also discuss the issue of plague, including the following:

Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), reported that she asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about the plague. He informed her that it was a form of punishment that Allah sends upon whomever He wills, but Allah made it a mercy for the believers. There is no servant who encounters the plague and remains in his land patiently, knowing that nothing will befall him except what has been decreed by Allah, except that he will have the reward of a martyr.
According to `Abdur-Rahman ibn `Awf (may Allah be pleased with him), when `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) traveled to the Levant and reached Sargh, he learned that plague had broken out there. He was informed that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “If you hear of it in a land, do not approach it. If it breaks out in a land where you are, do not flee from it.” Thus, `Umar turned back from Sargh.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The plague is a sign of divine punishment. Allah has tested some of His servants with it, so if you hear of it, do not enter that land. If it occurs in a land where you are, do not flee from it.”

The following Quranic verses discuss affliction and patience in response to it:

Allah, the Almighty, says: “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits; but give good tidings to the patient. Who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’ Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is those who are the rightly guided.”
Allah, the Almighty, states: “So when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We opened to them the gates of all things, until when they rejoiced in what they had been given, We seized them suddenly, and behold, they were in despair.”
Allah, the Almighty, emphasizes: “Do they think that We increase them in wealth and children that We are hastening to them in good things? Rather, they do not perceive.”
Allah, the Almighty, asserts: “We will gradually lead them to destruction from where they do not perceive. And I give them respite; indeed, My plan is firm.”
Allah, the Almighty, commands: “O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed and fear Allah that you may be successful.”