Combining the hadith "There is no 'adwa (contagion)" with the story of 'Umar regarding the plague

The Shaykh:
Regarding ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no harm in ruqyah as long as it does not involve shirk (associating partners with Allah)." Also, regarding whether one should pray over him, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ruqyah, and ruqyah was performed over him (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.

The questioner:
We request clarification of the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), "There is no 'adwa (contagion), no 'atirah (bad omen), and so on," and how this can be reconciled with the statement of 'Umar when he was asked about fleeing from the plague: "Do you flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah?" How can the transmission of the germ from a sick person to another be interpreted? Is this considered 'adwa (contagion), or what? And what can be said in response to such claims?

The Shaykh:
This has been indicated by Shu'bah al-Rahman, who explained some of what the questioner mentioned. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no 'adwa (contagion), no qahr (oppression), no hamah (evil spirit), no safar (the month of Safar), and no dam (blood)." By its nature, it does not transfer from one to another without the will of Allah, nor does it transfer immediately to a healthy person without prior qada' wa qadar (divine decree and destiny). Therefore, when the questioner said, "O Messenger of Allah, camels are in such and such a place, and there is a camel with scab, and all of them get scab," the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Who infected the first one?" The man said, "O Messenger of Allah! The scab appears on the skin of the camel among many camels, and they all get scab." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Who infected the first one? Who infected the first one?" Meaning, who brought the scab to the first one? It was not something that happened before; it is Allah who decreed it. The One who brought the scab to the first one is the One who brought it to the rest. However, this does not mean that mixing is not a cause. Mixing is a cause, and the condition of the scabbed one with the healthy one is a cause. But the germ itself does not select itself, nor does it act by its own will. No. Rather, this is by the permission of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. If Allah wills, He transfers it, and if He wills, He does not transfer it. It is the custom and the sunnah of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, among His servants that much of the scab, if it is in healthy camels, spreads to them. But this is not necessary; it may be that the healthy ones do not get scab and remain safe. Yes. This returns to His command, permission, and will, Exalted and Majestic is He. Therefore, in the authentic hadith, it is said: "Do not drive a herd of camels to a water source where there are sick camels." Meaning, if a person has camels sick with scab or the like, he should not drive them to the water source with the healthy camels. Rather, these should be driven at one time and these at another time, in order to avoid the causes of evil, and in order to take the means, and in order to cut off the whispers and the entanglement of Shaytan. For if Shaytan sees them all driven together, he comes to them and says, "I will infect you, I will afflict them, I will confuse them." So if they separate them, and these are driven at one time and these at another, it is closer to safety, and it involves taking the means of well-being. And so is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "Flee from the leper, as you would flee from a lion," because leprosy may be contagious, but not by his permission or will, rather by the permission of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. Therefore, it is prescribed in the authentic hadith not to touch the leper directly, and not to eat with the leper, in order to avoid evil. It was reported to him (peace and blessings be upon him) that one day a leper came to pledge allegiance to him, and he said, "Go back, we have already taken your pledge," and he did not shake hands with him (peace and blessings be upon him). In another hadith, he brought him and ate with him and said, "Eat in the name of Allah, trust in Allah, and rely upon Him," to let people know that matters are in the hand of Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He, and that there is no harm on one who mixes with the sick and relies on Allah, to let people know that the matter is in His hand. And if the causes of evil are avoided and the conditions are observed, that is safer, better, and more in accordance with what Allah and His Messenger ordered regarding taking the means. As for the story of 'Umar, this is clear. When the plague occurred in Sham, and he had come to Sham and the people informed him that the plague had occurred there, he consulted the people. He consulted the early Muhajireen, and they differed with him. Then he consulted the Ansar, and they differed with him. Then he consulted the Muslims who had embraced Islam in the year of the Conquest, those whose Islam was delayed, and they all agreed that he should return and avoid the evil of the plague, and not expose the Muslims to a land where the plague is. So he resolved to depart and return to Madinah. Some people said to him, "Are you fleeing from the decree of Allah?" He said, "No, but we flee from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah. Do you see if you had camels, and you had two banks, one fertile and the other barren, and you saw your camels on the fertile bank, are you doing good or bad?" He said, "Rather, I am doing good, for I have fled from one bank to the fertile bank, and all of it is by the decree of Allah and among the beloved causes." So the land where the plague is, we do not enter it, rather we leave it and do not enter it. While he was with the Muslims in this meaning, and he had seen the agreement to return, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, al-Zuhri, one of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), came to him and said, "O Commander of the Faithful, I have heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'If you hear of it in a land, do not enter it,' meaning the plague; if you hear of it in a land, do not enter it. And if it occurs where you are, do not flee from it." He said, "Praise be to Allah." So his opinion and the opinion of the Companions matched what came in the hadith regarding not entering it. That indicates that if the plague occurs in a land, one should not enter it, because this is a matter of destruction and falling into the causes of danger. Therefore, Allah has prescribed for us not to enter the land where the plague is. But if it occurs and we are in the land, we do not flee from it. As for if we leave for another reason other than fleeing, there is no harm. As for a person leaving to flee from the plague while he is in the land, no. But if he leaves for other reasons, because his travel time has come, or for other reasons other than fleeing, there is no harm in that. This is the answer to the questioner's last question. Yes.