نشریه پاسخ
پیاپی 19 (پاییز 1399)

The emergence of Coronavirus as well as the developments taking place throughout the world not only gave rise to problems in areas associated with human social interactions but also aroused a great many questions in a wide range of areas such as philosophical and religious thought. A number of these questions, which were occasionally accompanied with anti-religious intentions, challenged the underlying foundations of Muslims' religious thought as well as our religious society's beliefs. Therefore, various centers and academic figures affiliated with Islamic seminaries and universities went to great lengths to analyze and answer intellectual-scientific queries so that they can deal with the questions and doubts raised in society, thereby making a contribution to the intellectual development and religious growth of their community. Thus, the Center for Studying and Answering Misconceptions, affiliated with the Islamic Seminaries, has also taken steps towards eliminating such doubts in line with its primary objective, i.e. providing answers for people's religious doubts. In this regard, this center held a symposium in which three of the most prominent professors at both hawza and university addressed misconceptions regarding the problem of evil and its relationship with the foundations of religious belief. In this meeting, they discussed different aspects of the subject of symposium, i.e. "the theological analysis of the problem of evil with an emphasis on answering questions concerning Corona".

The outbreak of Coronavirus gave rise to tremendous changes across the world. Upon the outbreak of this disease and humans' failure in overcoming it, a number of questions came up. Is this disease a kind of Divine punishment? Is Coronavirus merely a natural phenomenon or a moral evil rooted in humans' deeds? Are the explanations provided by experimental sciences in contradiction with the unseen relationship between sins and calamities? And lastly, the main question is whether this pandemic is likely to be the result of the new sins committed by humankind. Drawing upon the Quranic verses and the traditions transmitted from the Infallible Imams (à) as well as applying an analytical and traditional approach, the present article aims to demonstrate that the new sins perpetrated by humankind definitely play a role in the emergence of new natural and unnatural calamities. There is no conflict between the justifications of experimental sciences and spiritual analyses, and modern sciences cannot deny the immaterial impact of human conduct on the emergence of some phenomena. Therefore, the impact of some new sins on the emergence of a new form of punishment cannot be exactly proven. Similarly, the outbreak of a new disaster or disease cannot be considered to be a definite result of an unprecedented sin.

The decline in communication outside families and the disruption in social activities due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus and staying at home more often (home quarantine) can give rise to lethargy and a decrease in the tolerance threshold of individuals. According to the studies conducted through library method, enhancing the sense of satisfaction, purposeful dialogues, humor and diversion, individual and collective acts of worship and spirituality in the household are some of the solutions that each and every family member could use in this unpleasant situation caused by Coronavirus in order to increase the happiness of themselves and their family members, enhancing the peaceful effect of family, which is its main function.

During the outbreak of the Coronavirus, various developments and changes occurred, one of the most important of which was the emergence or recurrence of religious questions and doubts. In an interview with Zeitoon website, Abdolkarim Soroush raised diverse fragmentary points regarding some political and religious teachings, most of which lack credibility in terms of their underlying foundation, scientific methodology as well as reference to authentic sources and data. Reviewing his claims and arguments the present research has utilized the descriptive-analytical research methodology and the collection of library data to provide an analysis, examination as well as a fundamental and methodological critique of his claims and proofs.

Admittedly, anxiety is the root cause of many diseases and it ruins humans' immune system. As for epidemic diseases such as the Coronavirus, medical doctors acknowledge that those whose immune system is not strong enough are more vulnerable to this disease. Therefore, whatever boosts the immune system to overcome this disease proves beneficial and valuable. Faith in God brings all bodies and souls the peacefulness they seek; paying attention to true spirituality makes humans more harmonious with their innate nature and helps them become closer to God, hence leading to their peace and tranquility. Likewise, eliminating mental doubts, which have a direct impact on humans' faith, has a significant effect on human's inner peace. The present article attempts to point out the empirical findings regarding the impact of spirituality on recovering from epidemics, thereby taking a step in promoting the idea of paying attention to spirituality in recovering from various diseases. Given the fact that Coronavirus disease has raised a larger number of doubts among faithful believers than other evils and has directly aimed their faith, this research has not only addressed true spirituality, but it has also shed light on how to eliminate doubts and strengthen human faith.