'Didn’t know what it was': Covid survivor Maulana Tariq Jameel’s heartfelt message

Renowned religious scholar likens the pandemic to 'calamity', says 'no one should ever step outside without a mask'

Days after recovering from Covid-19, renowned religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel, in a heartfelt message, appealed to the masses to adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs) to stem the spread of the lethal virus, responsible for taking lives of nearly 10,000 Pakistanis since its outbreak.

On December 13, Jameel was admitted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Rawalpindi after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

In a tweet, the religious scholar had said he had been feeling unwell for several days and after getting a positive result on his Covid-19 test, he was admitted in hospital.

السلام علیکم ورحمة الله
گذشتہ کچھ ایام سے طبعیت ناساز تھی، ٹیسٹ کروانے پر کورونا پازیٹو آیا ہے ،
اطبّاء کے مشورے سے ہسپتال داخل ہو گیا ہوں، تمام محبین سے خصوصی دعاؤں کی درخواست ہے۔#tariqjamil

— Tariq Jamil (@TariqJamilOFCL) December 13, 2020

 

"During the first wave of the coronavirus, I had uploaded a video [regarding the issue]. However, I did not know what it (virus) really was. This time I myself got infected but with the blessings of Allah, I have now recovered," he said in a video on his official YouTube channel.

During the course of video, Maulana Tariq Jameel — who is usually very fluent during his speeches and sermons — could be seen short of breath, a sign often associated with the patients who recover from a severe case of the contagion which has claimed over 1,750,000 and infected over 80 million across the globe.

"I cannot speak for very long," he said at one point during the video.

Terming the pandemic as a "calamity", he urged his followers to take extra precautions and said that "no one should ever step outside without a mask" and stressed on maintaining a distance of six feet at all times.

"I had to spend 10 days at a hospital. It is my appeal to everyone to follow SOPs. This a test from Allah," he added.

The renowned scholar said that when he was in hospital, he saw many people losing their lives but some also survived the deadly virus attack.

Jameel, who has over 4.6 million followers on his YouTube channel, is one of the most popular Islamic clerics in the country and belongs to the Tableeghi Jamaat.

His lectures focus on the subject of self-purification, avoidance of violence, observance of Allah’s orders and pursuing the way of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

He has been named among 500 most influential Muslims in the world by Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Jordan from 2013 to 2019.