153 - PROMINENT PROPHETS & MOTHERS OF BELIEVERS PROPHET YOUNUS (AS) ------------------------------------ The Prophet who stayed in the belly of a fish Prophet Younus (Jonah - or Dhun-Nun) is known as Sahib-e-Hoot (the friend of the whale fish). He came about 860 years before Prophet Isa (Jesus) as the messenger of Allah to the people of Nineveh - a city situated on the bank of River Euphrates towards north of Iraq and now called Musal. The people of Nineveh were unruly, arrogant and idol-worshipers, who lived a shameless life. Prophet Younus invited them to the message of Allah and asked them to worship Him and leave their evil doings. They refused to accept the Divine Message. When he could not change them he warned them of the punishment of Allah. They refused to believe him. Meanwhile, the King of Nineveh arrested several people of the Bani Israel. The people asked Prophet Younus to intercede with the King for their release. When Prophet Younus asked the King to release them, he said: ‘How come your Allah let the Bani Israel become my prisoners?’ He did not release them. Prophet Younus warned the King that Allah would send punishment on them. Allah told Younus not to be in a hurry for the punishment, as it would come at a given time. In disappointment, Prophet Younus left the city. He reached a river and boarded a passenger boat that hauled people to a city on the other side. When the boat reached the middle of the river, a storm overtook it and the boat began to rock to and fro, because of the weight. It looked as if it would sink any moment. The boatman told the passengers that someone would have to leave the boat to regain the balance; otherwise the boat would sink with all the passengers. They decided to have a draw. The draw came out in favor of Younus. The passengers objected to it because they knew Younus was a very noble and virtuous person. Everytime they made the draw, it mentioned Younus. ‘Take me up and cast me forth,’ said Prophet Younus offering himself. Having no choice, they threw Prophet Younus into the river and moved on. Allah ordered a huge whale to swallow Younus, but not to hurt him, as he was one of his beloved men. Prophet Younus went inside the fish’s belly, where it was dark. When Prophet Younus found himself alive inside the fish, he prayed to Allah: ‘La ilaha ila anta subhanaka ine kuntu minal zualimeen (There is no God but Allah. He is the only one worthy of praise and I’m the one who has put myself in trouble).’ It is said that the fish told Prophet Younus that it would keep him in its belly until Allah ordered otherwise. ‘My stomach is clean and I pray to Allah, all the time,’ conveyed the whale1. Accepting his fate and seeking the forgiveness of Allah, Prophet Younus prayed. The fish kept its mouth open at the command of Allah to provide fresh air to him. Here, it would be relevant to mention that Allah often tests His beloved ones. By sending him to the fish’s belly, Allah subjected Prophet Younus to a punishment, because he had left the city and its people without His permission. This became his test of steadfastness in that difficult time. He remained in the belly of the whale for three days, but never forgot Allah or complained to Him. During his absence from the city, Allah punished the people who did not listen to Prophet Younus. A fire appeared from the skies that kept hanging on their heads all the time, as if any moment it would strike and destroy them. The frightened people did not know what to do and how to get away from the looming punishment. They, including their King, eventually believed that Prophet Younus was the true messenger of Allah. At last, they gathered in an open place and kneeled down to seek forgiveness of Allah. They promised that henceforth they would listen to Prophet Younus. Allah answered their prayers and lifted the fire. As soon as the ‘hanging’ fire disappeared, they started looking for Prophet Younus and prayed to Allah to send him back to them. Allah commanded the fish to disgorge Younus at the bank of the river. Having stayed in the whale’s belly Prophet Younus had become very weak and could not even walk. He lay there, on the bank. Allah ordered a pumpkin tree to provide him shade from the sun and food to eat. Prophet Younus would eat the pumpkin, as it was the only food available there. After some time, when he regained some strength, he sought Allah’s forgiveness. Then Allah asked him to go again to his people in Nineveh and guide them. Seeing him enter the city, the people rejoiced and rushed towards him and sought his forgiveness for not listening to him. Together they offered a prayer of thanksgiving to Allah. They learned the Shariah from him for thirty-one years, and thereafter Prophet Younus left this world. __________________________________________________ 1. Surah al-Anbiya (Verse 87). (Taken from my book - PROMINENT PROPHETS & MOTHERS OF BELIEVERS, published by FEROZSONS, Lahore, 2011). Note: Salutations are mentioned in the beginning of the book. To keep the flow of the text they are not repeated all the time. However, I expect readers to say them for the Holy Prophet and sahaba when they read the story.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 08:09:35 +0000
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