#SundayGathering with Shaykh Omar Khan A glimpse from the lives of the Prophets of Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon Them all) 24/02/19 – Sayyiduna Yunus (Peace be upon Him) www.SundayGathering.co.uk /AlMuhammadiyya | www.Al-Muhammadiyya.com
The Nation that rebelled but then repented • ‘So if only had there been one dwelling that believed and its belief would have benefited it – except the nation of Yunus! When they accepted faith, We removed the disgraceful punishment in the life of this world from them, and let them enjoy for a while. ’ Surah Yunus 10:98
The invitation by Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) • The nation of Sayyiduna Yunus resided in an area called Nineveh which was part of Mosul in Iraq. • This nation was embroiled in disbelief and polytheism. • Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) commanded them to believe in Allah the Almighty but the nation refused. • Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) warned the nation that it would be punished by Allah the Almighty if it did not accept his call.
Sayyiduna Yunus left the area • Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) left the area in which the nation resided due to being upset with the way in which they did not take heed of his calls. • The nation became terrified that it would now be punished severely as Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) had left the area.
The warning by Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) • Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) gave the nation a time limit within which they would be given a chance to accept faith and in which they could continue to enjoy worldly benefits. There are a number of narrations in relation to the amount of time given – some state that it was forty days (as is mentioned in At Tafseer Al Kabeer) whilst others state that it was three days (as is mentioned in Ruh ul Ma’ani)
Signs of punishment • It is mentioned in At Tafseer Al Kabeer that thirty five days passed and severely dark clouds covered the skies and the area was filled with smoke. • The people understood that the punishment in relation to which Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) had warned them was arriving. • They became terrified and fled away from the city to a jungle. • They all dispersed – they separated themselves from their children and wives to the extent that they even separated animals from their offspring. • They found this separation to be unbearable and began to scream out. • The sounds of the animals led to a terrifying scenario. • All the men, children and women began to express their humility in the Court of the Almighty.
The Nation proclaimed belief • The Nation supplicated in the Court of the Almighty, “O Allah, we believe in You and Your Prophet Yunus. We seek forgiveness from our sins. O Lord of all creation, forgive our sins and preserve us from punishment.” • They sought forgiveness from each other for any violation of each other’s rights and they returned items that they had previously oppressively taken to their rightful owners. • The firmness of their repentance was to the extent that those of them who had placed bricks in the foundations of their buildings without the permission of those who owned the bricks, removed the foundations in order to return those bricks.
The Acceptance of the nation’s repentance • When the nation proclaimed faith and repented from the depths of their hearts. Allah the Almighty showered mercy on this nation and furthered punishment away from them. • The day when their repentance was accepted was the day of ‘ Ashurah (10 th Muharram ul Haraam) and it was a Friday.
Why was their repentance accepted whilst Fir’awn’s was not? • Question – Fir’awn saw the punishment of the Almighty and repented yet his repentance was not accepted. Why was the repentance of Sayyiduna Yunus ’ nation accepted? • Answer – Fir’awn only repented once he had seen that the punishment had arrived. The nation of Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) repented before the arrival of the punishment. They had only seen the signs of the punishment when they repented. At Tafseer Al Kabeer
Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) in the stomach of the fish • When Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) left the nation displeased with their refusal to accept his call, the nation had repented in his absence. However Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) did not return to the nation. • Whilst Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) was travelling, he (peace be upon him) rode on a ship in order to cross a river. However the ship became stuck during the course of the journey. • At that time, it was perceived by the people that such events occurred when a slave fled from his master. They believed that the ship would not get across the river unless they extracted such a slave from the ship. • The people on this ship drew lots to decide which person should be removed from the ship. The name of Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) came out three times. • Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) jumped out of the ship himself so that the other people riding on the ship could reach the shore. • Allah the Almighty commanded a fish to swallow Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) whilst taking into consideration that Sayyiduna Yunus would only be a dweller in its stomach – the fish was not to eat Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him).
Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) in the stomach of the fish (cont’d) • Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) remained in the stomach of the fish in such a way that he was not harmed. • This was a test from Allah the Almighty and a reprimand by Allah the Almighty to His Beloved Prophet.
Dhun Noon and Saahib ul Hoot • Sayyiduna Yunus is known as Dhun Noon (the possessor of the fish) and Saahib ul Hoot (the Companion of the fish) • ‘And remember Dhun-Noon when he left in anger, assuming that We would not restrict him – he therefore called out in the realms of darkness, saying, “There is no God except You, Purity is to You; I have indeed committed a lapse. ” Surah Al Ambiyaa 21:87 • The word for “restrict” in the above Verse is from the root word “Al Qadr ” in the meaning of tightening and restricting as is the case in Surah Al Fajr 89:16 – “And if He tests him and restricts his livelihood.. ” There are also other Verses that are similar to this. Scholars of Tafseer (exegesis) such as Al Imam Fakhruddin Ar Raazi have condemned those who have misinterpreted this word to mean power coming from the root word “Al Qudrah. ” This is because the translation would then be that Sayyiduna Yunus left in anger, assuming that Allah would not have power over him. (Allah protect us from disbelief). Believing Allah to not possess power is disbelief and it is impossible for a Prophet of Allah to have ever held such a belief. At Tafseer Al Kabeer
Benefits of remembering and praising Allah the Almighty • ‘And indeed Yunus is one of the Noble Messengers. When he left towards the laden ship. Then lots were drawn and he became of those who were pushed into the sea. The fish then swallowed him and he blamed himself. And were he not one of those who praise. – He would have remained in its stomach till the day when all will be raised.’ Surah As Saaffaat 37:139-144 • The reason for being in the fish was a reprimand from Allah to His Beloved Prophet because Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) left when there was still time before the arrival of punishment and the nation still had time to accept faith – and the nation did accept faith during that time. At Tafseer Al Kabeer • Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) would remember and praise Allah the Almighty continuously prior to entering the fish and he continued to do so whilst in the fish. As is clear from Verse 143 and 144 of Surah As Saaffaat, it was the blessing of this praise in the Court of the Almighty that resulted in his being released from this stomach before the day of judgement.
The supplication of Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) whilst in the stomach of the fish • ‘...He therefore called out in the realms of darkness, saying, “There is no God except You, Purity is to You; I have indeed committed a lapse.” Surah Al Ambiyaa 21:87 • Realms of darkness – Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) was in the darkness of the fish, the darkness of the ocean and the darkness of the night. He expressed that it was a lapse to leave the nation prior to being commanded to do so by Allah the Almighty.
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