Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome
AIDS
Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a serious overwhelming danger that threatens the entire world and spreads enormously. There is no way to prevent this danger except by observing Allah's true Religion and His Straight Path, which He has ordained for His servants.
Allah, the Almighty, says: "Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned that He may let them taste some of that which they have done" [XXX; 41]
Allah's Make is infinitely accurate, cohesive, and perfect. To this effect, Allah, All-Mighty, says: "( It is ) the Make of Allah, Who has made every thing perfectly." [XXVII; 88] He, All-Wise, also says: "(It is He) Who has created seven heavens one above another, you do not see in the creation of the Most Gracious (Allah) any imperfection. Then look again, can you see any flaw?" [LXVIII; 3]
In fact, Perfection of the Creator, as well as His Infinite Divine Knowledge, Might, and Wisdom appear through the perfection of His creation.
As for corruption, it can be defined as "lack of perfection of qualities and characteristics". Perfection qualities of water, for instance, are that it has no color, taste, or smell. Corruption of water is its being contaminated by alien elements and fatal microbes. The same thing applies to the corruption of air, moral values, and relationships among people. In other words, corruption is the state of lacking elements or qualities of perfection.
Corruption is impossible to exist in the origin of Allah's Creation, because Perfection of Allah is Absolute; but it is possible to be found in man, into whom desires are put so that he may get elevated by them, through being patient or thankful to the Lord of all worlds. Corruption is possible in man, who has been given the freedom of choice whereby his work is evaluated, and for whom a precise system has been ordained, so that if he works accordingly, Allah will protect him from deception and suffering. Allah, Most Gracious, says: "Whosoever follows My guidance, shall not go astray nor (shall he) fall into misery." [XX; 123]
But when man fails to know his own reality and, hence, goes astray from his Lord, All-Mighty, he makes his desires an ultimate end and a god which he worships rather than his Lord. Allah, Most Merciful, says: "Have you seen him who has taken his caprice to be his god? Will you then be a guardian over him?" [XXV; 43] He also understands freedom as going beyond all bounds. Allah says: "They are nothing but as cattle; nay, they are farther astray from the way." [XXV; 44]. Moreover, he neglects Allah's Religion, which He revealed to His Messenger, (PBUH). Allah, All-Wise, says: "The Messenger says: 'O my Lord! my people have taken this Quran as a forsaken thing'." [XXV; 30], "Have you seen him who has taken his caprice to be his god, and Allah has left him astray out of knowledge, and set a seal upon his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight? Who, then, shall guide him after Allah? Will you not then receive admonition?" [XLIV; 23]
Such are reasons for corruption: a creature who deviates from his Lord's Religion, uses his freedom of choice to do whatever he desires and makes his caprices a god which he worships rather than Allah.
One of the inevitable results of following caprices without guidance from Allah is that the straying man does wrong to himself and makes himself miserable; he does wrong to his society and brings corruption and misery thereto; and he does wrong to his environment and contaminates it. In this context, Allah, All-High, says, "Then who is further astray than he who follows his own caprice without guidance from Allah? Surely Allah does not guide the unjust people" [XXVIII; 50]
This fact is reiterated by Abraham, (PBUH), who is quoted in the Holy Quran as saying, "(It is) He (Allah) Who created me, and (it is) He Who guides me. And (it is) He Who feeds me and waters me. And when I am sick, (it is) He Who cures me. (It is He) Who will cause me to die, and then to live. And (it is He) Who, I hope, will forgive me my sins on the Day of Judgment." [XXVI; 78-82]
In the above Verse, Abraham (PBUH) attributes creation, guidance and provision to his Lord, Allah, Most Gracious; but he (PBUH) does not attribute sickness to Allah but rather to man himself due to his deviation from Allah's Religion: "(It is) He (Allah) Who created me, and (it is) He Who guides me. And (it is He) Who feeds me and waters me. And when I am sick, (it is) He Who cures me. (It is He) Who will cause me to die, and then to live. And (it is He) Who, I hope, will forgive me my sins on the Day of Judgment." [XXVI; 78-82]
Moreover, all disasters and catastrophes befall humanity only because of their leaving Divine Guidance. Allah, All-Mighty, says: "Whatever affliction happens to you is because of what your hands have earned. And He forgives much" [XLII; 30]
Corruption can not possibly be found in the origin of creation. It is rather something that is effected by man due to his deviation from his Lord's Religion and Guidance. The following Verse confirms this fact: "Corruption has appeared in the land and sea because of what men's hands have earned, may that He let them taste some of that which they have done, so that they may return." [XXX; 41].
Due to His Infinite Divine Wisdom, Allah, Glory to Him, made the relationship between sins and their consequences one of causation. In other words, each and every sin has the seeds of its own results. This beseems the Divine Legislation, the Legislation of the All-Knowing, which is actually the instructions of the Creator. Moreover, these are not the whole adverse results of sins, but some of them, as the wrong-doer loses not only the good things of the present world but also those of the Hereafter; and besides being tortured in this life, he will be tortured in the Hereafter. But in comparison with that of the Hereafter, the punishment of the present life is nothing. This is what the following verse refers to: "May that He let them taste some of that which they have done." [XXX; 41] Allah, All-Mighty, said "some of that which they have done", and He did not say: "all that which they have done". He, Most Gracious, does all that in order that we may go back to Him in the proper time and before it is too late. Allah, Most Merciful, says: "And indeed we will let them taste the nearer punishment before the greater punishment that they may return." [XXXII; 21]. In another Verse, He also says, "If they do not respond to you, then know that they follow their own caprices. And who is further astray than he who follows his own caprice without guidance from Allah? Surely Allah does not guide the unjust people" [XXVIII; 50].
Two kinds of motives stand behind man's deeds: those incited by man's mind and those stirred by his desires and caprices. In other words, in doing his deeds and actions, man is driven either by his moral values or physical needs; and he seeks to work either for the perishable ephemeral pleasures and enjoyments of the present world or for the ever-lasting ones of the world to come. He either strives to please his Lord, Allah, Most Gracious, or to satisfy his mundane desires and caprices. He is motivated either by good heavenly intentions or evil earthly ones. To this effect, Allah, Glory to Him, says: "If they do not respond to you, then know that they follow their caprices. And who is further astray than he who follows his caprice without guidance from Allah? Surely Allah does not guide the unjust people" [XXVIII; 50]
From the above Quranic Verse it can be understood that whosoever fulfills his own desires according to Allah's Guidance, Religion, and Legislation, attains happiness and prosperity in both abodes. Hence, it is lawful to satisfy one's sexual desire by getting married, because in so doing one fulfills one's sexual desire according to Allah's Guidance and Legislation, since marriage, as the Prophet, (PBUH), confirms, "more helpful for one to lower down one's gaze and guard one's private parts."
Also whosoever desires to possess money, which Allah, All-Wise, endeared to mankind, and follows legal ways in so doing, then it is lawful, because he fulfills his desire according to Allah's Guidance, Religion, and Legislation. Collapse of communities and human misery, however, both stem from following one's desires without guidance from Allah.
When caprice becomes an individual's ultimate goal for which he strives to attain, his interests will certainly clash with those of other fellow humans. He will surely transgress against other fellow humans and their legitimate rights, wealth, and honor, which is most sinful and grievous. After having said, "Then who is further astray than he who follows his caprice without guidance from Allah?", Allah, Most Gracious, says, "Surely Allah does not guide the unjust people" [XXVIII; 50]
Undoubtedly, man stands between two opposite extremes; whenever he approaches one, he goes away from the other. If he approaches his caprices, then he goes away from Allah's Path; and if he approaches Allah's Path, then he goes away from his caprices. Allah, Most Merciful, says: "And do not follow caprice, for it will mislead you from the Path of Allah. Surely those who go astray from Allah's Path will have a severe punishment, for they have forgotten the Day of Judgment." [XXXVIII; 26]
Opposition of one's caprices is the price of Paradise, for which man was created, in which there are Blessings that no human eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no mind has ever imagined, and for whose dwellers the pleasures and enjoyments that have been prepared go beyond human imagination. Allah says: "But for him Who fears standing before his Lord and forbids the soul from its caprice: surely Paradise will be his abode." [LXXIX; 40-41]
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Man, the most complicated machine in the universe, is the supreme honored creature who has been entrusted with his Lord's Commandments and Religion. He has a most complicated, accurate, and proficient cells, tissues, organs, and apparatuses that make it impossible for the most versed physicians and anatomists to understand their structure and the system of their performance. Moreover, man has a soul in which feelings and sentiments clash, desires and values, needs and principles conflict; the thing which makes it impossible for the most versed psychologists to understand its characteristics. Also, man has a mind in which there are principles, postulates, and powers of recognition, analysis, and creativity; the thing which makes him the master of all other creatures.
Allah, Most Gracious, has favored man with extremely delicate defense apparatuses, the first of which is the skin, which is a shield that covers all man's body and repels microbes and other kinds of dangers. It is the first defense line. Allah, Great and Exalted, has also made for every organ, apparatus, and sense their own defense line. Every eye, for instance, has lashes, lids, and tears. These special organs and apparatuses are the second defense line.
The third defense line is blood and its soldiers, the leukocytes, whose number is 25 million at times of peace; but this number duplicates at times of danger, and it might become even hundreds of millions at times of fighting against invading bodies. These huge armies of leukocytes have special signal-code system which consists of some chemical materials, this system is considered as the means whereby they understand one another.
The plan by which the body's immunity system defends the body is incredibly accurate, coordinated, and effective. The white blood cells are very clever, as some scientists say, whether in their acting system, distributing the fighting roles among them, or accomplishing their missions. It is only in a few seconds' time, after any alien thing has overcome the first and second defense lines, that these leukocytes go towards the alien thing in an exploratory mission where they take the chemical code of this alien body and take it to the lymphy centers, the centers of manufacturing weapons; and here ends the mission of the first type of leukocytes. In the lymphy centers, some other leukocytes, namely the manufacturing immunized leukocytes, decipher the code of this alien body in order to make the necessary anti-plasma. These leukocytes are called "the manufacturing immunized" leukocytes, whose mission ends with making the anti-plasma. Then a third type of leukocytes, the fighter leukocytes, carry this anti-plasma and effective weapons and go to fight the alien body thereby. A battle breaks out between these leukocytes and this attacker enemy until it is defeated and their mission will thus end. Then the swallowing leukocytes come to clean the battle-field from the dead bodies.
In other words, there are different kinds of leukocytes: exploring, manufacturing, fighting, and cleaning. Nevertheless, the diameter of a leukocyte is no more than 15 microns; and in one cubic millimeter there are seven thousand leukocytes.
Allah, the Almighty, says: "We have indeed created man in the best stature. Then We rendered him the lowest of the low." [XCV; 4-5].
In other words, when man deviates from his Lord's Religion and follows his own desires and caprices without any mental or religious control, this defense system is rendered ineffective, and consequently, man dies for no valuable reason. The sinfully infected disease of AIDS is but a confirmation of this fact: "We have indeed created man in the best stature", but whosoever deviates from Allah's teachings, "then We rendered him the lowest of the low".
A person infected by this fatal disease, the AIDS, is lean and vulnerable:
Stammering in speech and confused,
Yet his breath is unceasing and incessant.
His eyes are held in a tunnel,
Like a half-burning light of a cottage.
His finger trembles like
The autumn leaves stricken by hail.
He sometimes spits out blood,
And on his handkerchief are pieces of his liver.
Pieces telling him "You shall die tomorrow",
And if they desire to be more lenient, they say "After tomorrow."
The violent death is the inevitable end of every one who is profligate and, hence, infected by this disease.
The young man died, so they put him in a grave,
Desolated and deserted.
They wrote on his chamber of death, in blood,
A line which is a warning to him who has wisdom:
"This is someone killed by his caprice and an evil woman
So if you happen to pass by a woman like her, then keep away".
One of the evidences of the Prophecy of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is what Ibn Majah and Albaihaqi narrated on authority of Ibn Omar (may Allah be pleased with them), that the Prophet (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"O Emigrants! Five things: if you are afflicted with them, and if they befall you, I seek refuge with Allah that you shall never have any of them: Whenever adultery spreads among people and they show it, unknown diseases will spread among them; whenever they defraud in measures and scales, drought and lack of provisions will befall them; whenever they abstain from paying Zakat (obligatory alms), they will be deprived of rain from the sky; and whenever they break Allah's Covenant and His Prophet's covenant, Allah will empower upon them an external enemy, which will take some of what they possess."
An infectious epidemic has spread all over the world. The cause of this disease is a virus that was unknown previously. According to the statistical data of the International Health Organization, published six months ago, there are 24 million AIDS infected persons in the world. But many experts affirm that the actual number might be double the announced number. What makes this situation more harmful is the failure of the entire world – with all of its institutions, scientific organizations, and financial abilities – to make a vaccine against this epidemic. In most cases, this virus does not spread except by adultery, illegal sexual relations, drug addiction, and the spread of tourism for sex. In other words, due to Allah's Infinite Divine Wisdom, the AIDS is mainly related to individual conduct. A sharp paradox exists concerning this disease, namely that although it is so far incurable, as death is inevitable for those who are inflicted with it, precaution against it is fairly easy. Everyone can be completely protected from it by adherence to Allah's Religion, which prohibits adultery or illegal sexual relations and ensures decency and cleanliness. This is because Allah has made for each and every instinct that He has implanted in man a clean decent channel through which it can be fulfilled. And undoubtedly, Religious Commands guarantee safety and security to man and are by no means mere restrictions to his freedom.
The confusing thing about AIDS is that its virus can, at any moment, change its formula. Therefore, even if millions of Dollars were spent on scientific research for the production of a vaccine against it, it would be in vain. Moreover, this virus has several kinds of different generations; so whoever escapes from one kind will be killed by another. It is as if Allah, Glorified and Exalted, desires that the only way to be rescued from this disease is by decency and righteousness, not by vaccine or medicine. Allah, Most Gracious, says: "Corruption has appeared in the land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned that He may let them taste some of that which they have done" [XXX; 41]
Moreover, scientists hold that even if it were possible that in the next five years, scientists would discover an anti-vaccine to this virus, which is rather impossible, then the cost of medicating one infected person would be more than ten million Syrian Pounds. "Corruption has appeared in the land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned, that He may let them taste some of that which they have done" [XXX; 41]
In an accurate statistical research, which has been made in a country where this epidemic has become widely spread because of adultery and illegal sexual relations, it has been found out that every ten seconds, one man dies because of this disease. This research was broadcast on some international radio stations, confirming that this disease spreads in a geometric series. But it seems that a geometric series does not express adequately enough the incredible rate of its spread all over the world. It could be said that it is spreading according to a horrible explosive series. Some other statistical studies expect that in the year 2000 the number of infections will be 120 million, as was announced in a newspaper, published in Damascus. Some think that people who carry this disease may not be infected thereby; but it has been found out that those who carry the virus must necessarily be infected thereby, because it is still in the stage of incubation and its frightening symptoms will be soon showing. Therefore, it is senseless to differentiate between those who carry the disease and those who are infected thereby.
One of the sharp paradoxes is that the entire world, specially the materially advanced countries, with all its material and scientific capabilities can do nothing concerning the so-far weakest known virus of all. This virus kills millions of people who deviate from the Right Path of their Lord, Most Merciful; it is as if this virus is one of Allah's soldiers: and no one knows your Lord's soldiers except Him. Allah has made it an immediate punishment for those who corrupt their pure human nature, go astray and lead others astray, get corrupted and corrupt others. There is no way to be safe from AIDS except by going back to Allah's Right Religion and Straight Path. What confirms this fact and confuses scientists is that a mosquito sometimes inserts its proboscis in the body of an infected person and takes from his contaminated blood, then it goes to an uninfected person and insert its proboscis in his clean blood, where blood of the uninfected mixes with that of the infected, but the disease does not spread. Is not this a dazzling Divine Sign that proves that Allah, the Almighty, has made this deadly disease a punishment for people's indecent conduct, and He has not made it randomly infected?!
If the people in a town drink polluted water, then diseases and epidemics spread among them, is it wise to let this polluted water kill those people while we search for the anti-plasma and the remedial vaccine, bring physicians, and build hospitals?! Or is it wise to stop the contaminated water or purify it and, thus, we control the problem and confine it, and then we try to remedy the infected persons?!
It is regrettable that this does not happen all over the world. In other words, people do not deal with causes of the disease but rather with its symptoms. They do not know the English proverb that says, "Pre-warned is pre-armed", or the Arabic one, "One Dirhem of precaution is better than a Kantar of medicine." In this context, Allah, Most Gracious, says, "Have you seen him who has taken his caprice to be his god, and Allah has left him astray out of knowledge, and set a seal upon his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who, then, shall guide him after Allah? Will you not then receive admonition?" [XLV; 23]
A young man who looks for a job and a wife seems to search for self-sufficiency and satisfaction of his needs, but, in reality, he contributes to the building up of his nation, because a clean well-established family is the first cell of a righteous developed society. On the other hand, a young man who neglects his job, and satisfies his sexual needs illegally with indecent women, he actually contributes, willingly or unwillingly, knowingly or unknowingly, to the destruction of himself, his family, and his society. Can a nation be ever established without its upright, strong, and healthy young men and women?!
O builders of generation: fortify this building.
Protect the youth and guide them to rightness,
For they are the rich spring from which you get fresh water.
Protect all of the youth so that they illuminate like full moons
Facilitate marriage, and do not overcharge for dowry.
Beware of boasting of luxurious furniture and palaces,
For the fountain of happiness is latent in the hearts.
Beware of the Virus, for it is now a firebrand concealed under the ashes.
If we ignore the truth, one day the fire will surprise us and people will be burned.
Eliminate ignorance by knowledge; awake the people of their sleep.
Adorn knowledge by truthful chastity that is the pillar thereof.
Here comes the Virus to kill victims, visiting all countries,
But it is blind to the chaste youth who refuses corruption.
Chastity is fresh, pure, and cold water:
It extinguishes the firebrands and irrigates him who seeks lawful things.
Beware of the inattention of that which flies in the sky,
For poisons are transmitted through the air,
From enemy stations on small screens
Showing sex, indecently, day and night,
Seeding thorns in the way of decent marriage.
It is worth mentioning, however, that out of Allah's Favor upon us, and because of our society's adherence to the teachings of His Religion, this fatal disease, which is considered as the greatest disaster all over the world, is not considered as a problem in our country, where the number of infections with AIDS does not exceed one hundred, or perhaps a bit more; and most of these infections are of those who come from foreign countries. However, there are stern measures to prevent the spread of such fatal disease: Allah, Most Merciful, says: "Whosoever follows My Guidance shall not go astray nor (shall he) fall into misery." [XX; 123], and, "Whosoever follows My guidance, no fear shall be on them, nor shall they grieve." [II; 38] In other words, whosoever follows Allah's guidance, then his mind will never go astray, his soul will never be miserable, he will never regret what has passed, and he will never fear what is to come.
Dr. Muhammad Ratib An-Nabulsi
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