Abu Fauzi
Elite Member
- Messages
- 307
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- Male
- Religion
- Islam
As-Salaam alaikum,
When Prophet Yunus, alaihi Salaat Was-Salaam, left his people out of sorrow and frustration when they didn't respond to his Da'awa/call, he boarded a ship or a boat. The ship faced a raging storm; the captain and passengers, noting that the storm was extraordinary, decided that lots would be cast. And whosoever name emerged from the lot must leave the ship. The name of Sayyadina Yunus emerged; he was therefore thrown into the sea/ocean; he was swallowed by a whale by the Command of Almighty Allah.
Imam al-Qushayri, may Allah be Merciful to him, wrote in his 'Risalat Fi-Tasawwuf....Epistle on Sufism', that ''the darkness of the night; the darkness of the ocean; and the darkness of the whale's belly surrounded Yunus, alaihi Salaam. Yet he turned inward to the Light of Allah. This is the way of the Awliya: when surrounded by layers of darkness, they seek the Light within.''
In the depth of that darkness, Prophet Yunus recited: ''LA-ILAHA ILLA ANTA, SUBHANAKA, INNI KUNTU MINAZ-ZALIMEEN (There is no deity but You. Indee, I was among the wrongdoers)''.
Sheikh Abdulqadir al-Jilani, may Allah be Merciful to him, explains: ''His supplication was not asking for deliverance first, but an admission of his state before his Lord. Whoever acknowledges his own wrong and glorifies his Lord, deliverance is written for him.''
And Sheikh Ibn Arabi, may Allah be Merciful to him, interprets the whale as a manifestation of Divine Mercy: - ''The whale was not a punishment, but a means of protecting from drowning. Outwardly it was confinement; inwardly it was preservation.'' This teaches seekers that what appears as constriction in life may be a hidden protection from a greater drowning in heedlessness.
Lessons for the Seeker in this episode:
(1) Admit your wrongs without excuse.
(2) The prayer of Sayyadina Yunus contained no justification, only humility.
(3) Never despair of Allah's Mercy.
Sheikh Junaid al-Baghdadi, may Allah be Merciful to him, said: ''If Yunus had despaired, he would have remained in the whale until Judgement Day, but hope opened the door of mercy. And Sheikh Baha'uddin Naqshbandi, may Allah be Merciful to him, said: ''When Allah imprisons you in a situation, He is calling you to the secret of Yunus: LA ILAHA ILLA ANTA''. Though trapped, Prophet Yunus (a.s) found absolute freedom in the remembrance of Almighty Allah. After 3 days in the whale, he was cast upon the shore, weak and ill; and Allah caused a gourd plant to grow over him for shade and healing. He returned to his people to find them believers, demonstrating that the fruits of patience are always beyound imagination.
When Prophet Yunus, alaihi Salaat Was-Salaam, left his people out of sorrow and frustration when they didn't respond to his Da'awa/call, he boarded a ship or a boat. The ship faced a raging storm; the captain and passengers, noting that the storm was extraordinary, decided that lots would be cast. And whosoever name emerged from the lot must leave the ship. The name of Sayyadina Yunus emerged; he was therefore thrown into the sea/ocean; he was swallowed by a whale by the Command of Almighty Allah.
Imam al-Qushayri, may Allah be Merciful to him, wrote in his 'Risalat Fi-Tasawwuf....Epistle on Sufism', that ''the darkness of the night; the darkness of the ocean; and the darkness of the whale's belly surrounded Yunus, alaihi Salaam. Yet he turned inward to the Light of Allah. This is the way of the Awliya: when surrounded by layers of darkness, they seek the Light within.''
In the depth of that darkness, Prophet Yunus recited: ''LA-ILAHA ILLA ANTA, SUBHANAKA, INNI KUNTU MINAZ-ZALIMEEN (There is no deity but You. Indee, I was among the wrongdoers)''.
Sheikh Abdulqadir al-Jilani, may Allah be Merciful to him, explains: ''His supplication was not asking for deliverance first, but an admission of his state before his Lord. Whoever acknowledges his own wrong and glorifies his Lord, deliverance is written for him.''
And Sheikh Ibn Arabi, may Allah be Merciful to him, interprets the whale as a manifestation of Divine Mercy: - ''The whale was not a punishment, but a means of protecting from drowning. Outwardly it was confinement; inwardly it was preservation.'' This teaches seekers that what appears as constriction in life may be a hidden protection from a greater drowning in heedlessness.
Lessons for the Seeker in this episode:
(1) Admit your wrongs without excuse.
(2) The prayer of Sayyadina Yunus contained no justification, only humility.
(3) Never despair of Allah's Mercy.
Sheikh Junaid al-Baghdadi, may Allah be Merciful to him, said: ''If Yunus had despaired, he would have remained in the whale until Judgement Day, but hope opened the door of mercy. And Sheikh Baha'uddin Naqshbandi, may Allah be Merciful to him, said: ''When Allah imprisons you in a situation, He is calling you to the secret of Yunus: LA ILAHA ILLA ANTA''. Though trapped, Prophet Yunus (a.s) found absolute freedom in the remembrance of Almighty Allah. After 3 days in the whale, he was cast upon the shore, weak and ill; and Allah caused a gourd plant to grow over him for shade and healing. He returned to his people to find them believers, demonstrating that the fruits of patience are always beyound imagination.