Baha’i Month: Jalal’/Glory 1, 177 B.E. (3/10/2020)

The Coronavirus: A Manifestation of Hell In Light of Qur’anic Prophecy
18 March 2020

God tests His servants in many ways to purify them and elevate their status. By understanding the reality and inner significance of what is happening in the world today with the Coronavirus, our eyes can be opened to the reality of God so that we may be able to see the Glory of God in our midst. The signs of the Glory of God are all around us but we need to have a true desire and make a sincere effort to see it.

This article will provide a prophetic explanation of a small passage of the Qur’an consisting of six verses, revealing how God had foretold the coronavirus 1400 years ago. It will also demonstrate that today we are living in the Day of Judgement when the Qur’anic prophecies for the Manifestation of Heaven and Hell have been fulfilled. Most importantly, God, the Lord of the worlds, has appeared with His angels in his Manifest Glory.

Verses 11-16 Surah Al-Furqan

“Nay, they deny the Hour (the Day of Resurrection), and for those who deny the Hour, We have prepared a flaming Fire (i.e. Hell). When it (Hell) sees them from a far place, they will hear its raging (Taghayyuz) and its exhalation (Zafeer). And when they shall be thrown into a narrow place thereof, chained together (Muqarraneen), they will exclaim therein for destruction. Exclaim not today for one destruction, but exclaim for many destructions. Say: (O Muhammad) “Is that (torment) better or the Paradise of Eternity promised to the Muttaqun (pious and righteous persons)?” It will be theirs as a reward and as a final destination. For them there will be therein all that they desire, and they will abide (there forever). It is a promise binding upon your Lord that must be fulfilled.”

(The Noble Quran Translated by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al- Hilali, Ph.D. & Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan – Bold Text Mine)

I believe that the above verses contain a prophecy linked to the Coronavirus. However, this is my own personal conclusion and not based on any classical commentaries of the Qur’an. Understanding it fully will require some knowledge of Arabic as it involves some discussion on the original words used in Arabic. However, those not familiar with Arabic will be able to get a basic idea. The verses address those who deny the Day of Judgement, warning them of the Fire of Hell, describing it as ‘a Blazing Fire’ (Sa’eer).

Hell is personified in these verses as if it were a living entity with eyes to see and a heavy breathing sound. In sum, the verse says that when Hell will see the disbelievers from far away, the disbelievers will be able to hear it raging and breathing in and out. It then says that these people will be cast into a narrow place in Hell where they will pray for destruction upon themselves. This shows the severity of Hell. They are told that they should not ask for one destruction but many destructions as this is what they deserved due to their evil actions.

Some may wonder how these verses can be related to the coronavirus while they are only related to Hell which happens in the afterlife. Muslims believe that people will enter either Heaven or Hell after the Day of Resurrection and this will happen after all of mankind have died. The answer is that Heaven and Hell and the Day of Judgement are spiritual realities which people can miss if they do not have proper spiritual understanding. However, they do have some physical and material dimensions too like the one I am about to explain here. This explanation will show that the verses are talking about the very situation we are suffering from today which is a manifestation of Hell in this very world.

The most essential word which reveals this verse to have a prophetic import is the word ‘Muqarraneen’, which has been translated above as ‘chained together’. It is the plural of Muqarran and when simply translated, it means ‘tied, bound or chained’. It is a subjective noun denoting a person on whom an action has been done or performed. The root letters of Muqarraneen are Q, R and N and they are phonetically equivalent to C, R and N which constitute the consonants in the word Corona in coronavirus. According to this prophetic explanation, Muqarraneen means ‘those who have been affected by corona’ i.e. the coronavirus.

The fact that the verse speaks about the narrow places into which the people are cast is further evidence that the verse is prophetic regarding the coronavirus. This is because the idea of narrow places is linked to quarantine which is a step taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus. As the Coronavirus is spreading further and further day by day, the lockdowns are increasing and mobility is being restricted and many people are self-isolating.

The literal meaning of the word ‘Muqarraneen’ which is ‘bound or tied’ also supports the prophetic meaning of Muqarraneen as ‘those affected with coronavirus’. This is because the idea of tying and binding conveys a sense of restriction which is true of quarantine. Quarantine also shares three phonetic consonants with the root of Muqarraneen. Muqarraneen can therefore also be prophetically translated as ‘quarantined’. The link between the two meanings, i.e., ‘affected by coronavirus’ and ‘quarantined’ is that the first (the coronavirus) is the cause while the other (quarantine) is the effect.

What further supports this conclusion is that the verses above also describe a symptom of the coronavirus, which is a respiratory tract infection that can lead to pneumonia, in which a person finds it difficult to breathe. The two words that describe this symptom are taghayyuz and zafeer. Taghayyuz classically means rage and extreme anger but in modern Arabic it means irritation and exasperation. Exasperation is the feeling of being annoyed, especially because you can do nothing to solve a problem. On the other hand, zafeer means exhalation, i.e., breathing out. It is the opposite of shaheeq which means inhaling i.e., breathing in. In another verse of the Qur’an, these two words have been used together to describe the condition of the people of Hell.

“Those that are wretched will be in Hell, inhaling and exhaling.” (Surah Hud – 106)

Combining exasperation with breathing links the above verses to the coronavirus as coronavirus victims suffer from breathing difficulties due to the respiratory tract infection and the pneumonia that results from it in which the air sacs of the lungs become filled with pus.

The Qur’an personifies Hell as making these sounds although as we have seen in the above verse it is the people of Hell who make those sounds. If you can imagine Hell as a place where people are bound up together sighing, groaning and breathing heavily while expressing their total exasperation, you can understand why the Qur’an describes and personifies Hell itself as doing these things. This is because the sounds in fact come from Hell making it seem like they are produced by Hell itself.

Some classical commentators of the Qur’an have linked exhaling and inhaling in the above verse to the throat and the chest respectively while others have described one of the sounds as high-pitched and the other as low-itched. This shows that they have considered these words as relating to breathing.

The explanation given here shows that the Hell foretold in the Qur’an is manifested in this very world today before our very eyes. The coronavirus is a manifestation of Hell. It is raging in people’s hearts and bodies and narrowing their spaces and livelihoods through the economic and social crisis. The verses conclude by giving human beings a choice of either staying in the hellish state and condition of being tied up in narrow spaces both physically and spiritually or the Heaven of Eternity that God has promised them if they are righteous, where they can live forever and get whatever they desire.

Although the coronavirus can be considered a miniscule sample of Hell in this world, it should be borne in mind that the Hell of the hereafter is much greater. Also, the heaven of the hereafter is much greater than the Heaven of this world. We should not however judge anybody based on their being affected by coronavirus. This is because what reallydetermines a person’s state of being either in Heaven or Hell is their inner state. The spirit is the most important aspect of the human being. When it is strong, no amount of pain or suffering can overcome its joy and happiness. In fact, the disease as well as the lockdowns and the economic and financial crisis that that accompany it can be a blessing for the believers if they trust in God. This is like the Fire into which Abraham was cast by Nimrod but which became cool and tranquil for him as stated in the Qur’an.

Human beings have a choice today of either using the current situation to reflect on reality and turn to God or remain in darkness combined by suffering in the social and economic crisis that is resulting from the coronavirus. They should trust in God, that he will eventually bring them out of this crisis. God has the power to do everything.

Settling down in the world of COVID-19

An explanation of the spiritual reason for this pandemic and its ultimate purpose

19 March 2020

“Your Lord has come with the angels rank on rank.” (Qur’an – Surah Al-Fajr – 80:42)

“Above it are nineteen.” (Qur’an – Surah Al-Muddathir – 74:30)

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I had just finished writing my last article about COVID-19 early yesterday morning, having stayed up all night to do it. Usually, when I receive some inspiration, I write it down straight away as it loses its vigour if left too long. I had just written about the specific passage in the Qur’an which describes Covid-19 and its features in graphical and dramatic detail, showing that what we are experiencing in the world today is in fact Hell in this world. After I had written the article, I was sitting on my bed reclining on a pillow when suddenly a very sharp, intense feeling of utmost pain overtook my whole being which only lasted for a fraction of a second. Accompanying it was a bright ball of reddish light which I saw straight above me. The feeling was Hellish, so intensely horrifying but of a different nature to any pain I had ever experienced before. It seemed to originate from outside of the world. I immediately realised it was COVID-19.

I believe this pandemic has appeared for an important purpose. It is to draw our attention to the fact that God has come today with a Divine Revelation. The greatest blessing promised by God in the Qur’an to happen on the Day of Judgement is the advent of God and a vision of His Glory. The Qur’an has promised that God would come with the angels on the Day of Judgement.

“And Thy Lord shall come with angels rank on rank.”

(Qur’an – Surah Al-Fajr 80:42 – Pickthall Translation)

God cannot be seen by human eyes as He is beyond all limitations. Therefore, what is meant by His coming is the coming of His Light and Glory. This is supported by the Qur’an:

“The Earth will shine with the Glory of its Lord..”

(Surah Al-Zumar 39:69 Yusuf Ali Translation)

An example of this light and glory is the Radiant Fire Moses saw from the Burning Bush. From within the Fire, God spoke to him, saying:

“”Verily, I am God: There is no god but I!”

(Surah Taha 20:14 – Yusuf Ali Translation)

Today, the signs of such a revelation are all around us but the majority of mankind do not see it as they do not have spiritual eyes. So, they remain veiled from it as the Qur’an says:

“Verily, from (the Light of) their Lord, that Day, will they be veiled.”

(Sura Al-Mutaffifeen 83:15 – Yusuf Ali Translation)

This is surely the Day of Judgement. According to the Qur’an, on the Day of Judgement both Heaven and Hell are brought forth. However, only those with pure vision can see them. What we are experiencing today with the coronavirus pandemic is Hell but we need to rise above it to enter Heaven where we can have a vision of our Lord. Indeed, our Lord has appeared with his angels, who are the righteous souls, obedient to him, who have been created through the light of His new revelation.

We have a choice either to stay in Hell or rise to Heaven. However, each and every one of us has to come face to face with Hell at some point as it has been promised in the Qur’an and this is what we are experiencing today.

“And there is none of you except he will come to it. This is upon your Lord an inevitability decreed. Then We will save those who feared Allah and leave the wrongdoers within it, on their knees.”

(Surah Maryam 19:71 – Sahih International Translation)

If we wish to enter the Heaven above, we need to purify ourselves and make ourselves worthy by living a good life and being kind to God’s creation. We should also recognise the new revelation of God that has been brought by Baha’u’llah, who is the Light and Glory of God foretold in the Qur’an. The name Baha’u’llah literally means the Glory of God. Baha’u’llah revealed God to us and from Him and his words we can hear the voice of God that Moses heard from the Burning Bush. The essence of the teachings of Baha’u’llah is the oneness of humanity. His teachings can be summed up in the following twelve basic principles which have the potential to transform the world of humanity into an earthly Heaven:

Just as Hell has been manifested for mankind today, so has Heaven and it is the beautiful Revelation of Baha’u’llah. The Davidic King, who is the president of God’s Universal Government and Kingdom is alive in the world today and he is a sign of God for the world. The revelation of Baha’u’llah and His spiritual government can guide the world today to peace and unity and solve all its problems.

The Qur’an has prophesied COVID-19 very clearly so that mankind can have certainty that this day is the day of Judgement, which is the day when Heaven and Hell are manifested. I have demonstrated in my last article how the Qur’an describes this pandemic when it describes the people of Hell as being bound and confined to narrow spaces while they are wailing and praying for destruction upon themselves. This is amidst the sounds of inhaling and exhaling in total rage and exasperation. All of this is a perfect description of the coronavirus pandemic and the quarantine that is necessary to prevent its spread. The Qur’aninterestingly uses the word ‘muqarraneen’ meaning bound or chained in that particular verse, a word whose root letters Q, R and N resemble ‘corona’ and ‘quarantine’. This shows that this pandemic is indeed the Hell foretold in the Qur’an.

Elsewhere the Qur’an has foretold the pandemic by the actual word ‘corona’.

“We destroyed the generations [Quroona] before you when they did wrong; and their messengers (from Allah) came unto them with clear proofs (of His Sovereignty) but they would not believe. Thus do We reward the guilty folk.”

(Surah Yunus 10:13 Marmaduke Pickthall Translation-bold text in parenthesis mine)

The above verse speaks of the earlier generations that were destroyed by God and the reason for their destruction, i.e., that they did wrong and did not believe in their messengers. The word Quroona in the verse stands as a prophecy for the coronavirus that is destroying many people today and the verse shows that the reason for this destruction is the same as that for the earlier generations, which is doing wrong and denying the messengers. In the following verses, the Qur’an clearly gives us the number that will help us identify the pandemic.

As we know, there have been other coronaviruses before. The Qur’an points out that there is the number 19 on Hell, showing that it is a prophecy for the particular virus which began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. COVID-19 is short for coronavirus disease 2019. The 19 stands for 2019 to mark the year when the disease began. This is foretold in the following verse:

“Him shall I fling unto the burning. Ah, what will convey unto thee what that burning is! It leaveth naught; it spareth naught. It shrivelleth the man. Above it are nineteen.”

(Surah Al-Muddathir 74:26-30 Marmaduke Pickthall Translation)

The verse translated as “Above it are nineteen” can also be translated as ‘On it is nineteen’ and this is a grammatically faithful translation. It is generally understood that the ‘nineteen’ refers to the nineteen angels who are the guardians of Hell and this is supported by the context. This is reflected in the first translation. However, the verse does not qualify the number of nineteen by explaining what it refers to but leaves it vague. This shows that it can have more than one interpretation, including a deeper meaning. COVID-19 is the manifestation of Hell in this world. After having the extraordinary personal experience with the vision of COVID-19 yesterday, I have become more convinced of this. The verse ‘On it, is 19’ is an exact prophecy for COVID-19 as it has the mark of the number 19 on it.

This great prophecy will help us understand that this current pandemic was in the knowledge of God long before it happened and marks an important event in history which was designed to purify mankind so they may enter Heaven and have the vision of God. This understanding makes it easy for us to cope with COVID-19. It enables us to accept this reality and settle down in our daily lives while carrying out our duty to God and to man. We should trust in God and work to improve our world to make it a better place where mankind can live in peace, security and comfort without any fear of war or further pandemics. And God is the Helper and Protector of all.

Whatsoever Is Possible Of Accomplishment In Human Government Will Be Effected Through These Principles

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