To say that the newly emerged virus in China is a punishment of their oppression of the Uyghurs, Is this correct?

Question ID: 
1958
ais***@gmail.com asks:

Question

Assalamualaykum,
I have been quoted this Hadith

Aishah raḍyAllāhu 'anha (may Allāh be pleased with her) reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) about pestilence and he said, “It is a punishment which Allah sends upon whomsoever He wills, but Allah has made it as a mercy to the believers. Anyone who remains in a town which is plagued with pestilence maintaining patience expecting the reward from Allah, and knowing that nothing will befall him other than what Allah has foreordained for him, he would receive a reward of shaheed.”
[Al-Bukhari].

To say that the newly emerged virus in China is a punishment of their oppression of the Uyghurs,
Is this correct?

Answer

Wa alaikumus Salaam Warahmatullaahi wabarakaatuh

This corona virus maybe a punishment for the Chinese but we cannot say for sure. Normally, when Allah Ta'ala send a punishment, it is the people who committed the oppression who are the first to suffer. Thus, the entire Chinese police force and armies who committed that oppression should have suffered. Since this is not the case, rather the virus has spread to the Chinese public and thereafter to the world at large, we cannot say for sure that it is a punishment for the Chinese in particular.

Nevertheless, the hadith of Ibn-e-Maajah is clear that Allah Ta'ala will send punishment on those who practice zina and indecency openly, so here we may say without doubt that the cause of the plague is the spread of indecency in the world.