EPIC Masjid, Shiekh, Allah is the ultimate savior.

The Story of Prophet Yunus: A Cry from the Depths

Imagine that you were thrown violently into a deep and extremely dark and tight container. And when you hit the bottom of that container, you started feeling a slimy, flesh-eating and awful-smelling chemicals. You start suffocating, gasping for air but helplessly.

And may Allah forbid, you die slowly. If you imagine this situation, you will have a feeling, a taste of what one of the prophets of Allah has experienced — that is Prophet Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam.

Prophet Yunus was sent to the people of Nineveh. And he called them to Allah. He restlessly did everything possible in order to present to them the evidence of the message of Allah. But they knowingly rebelled against the will of Allah and rejected his message. After trying several times, he warned them of an imminent punishment that was to come to them from Allah.

And then he angrily left the town. When he left the town, this was like a jolt that awakened them. Because they, deep in their hearts, knew that Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam, was a truthful messenger of Allah. And they knew that everything he told them was true — and therefore they believed in him. And their belief was recorded in the Book of Allah as an exception. Because in most cases, people have rejected their prophets.

And Allah said in the Qur'an:

There has not been a single town that believed and whose faith benefited them — except the people of Yunus. When they believed, Allah removed from them the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world, and allowed them to enjoy themselves for a while.

Cast into the Sea: The Belly of the Whale

Yunus, after he left his town and his people, boarded a boat. And when they were in the deep water, they faced a terrible storm and turbulence. Their boat started rocking — it seemed it was overloaded. And they decided that the only way for them to be safe was to throw one of their number into the sea. In order to be fair, they drew lots.

And the Mufassireen said that they did this three times, and in every single time Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam, lost the drawing. So he threw himself into the sea — into the belly of a whale. Immediately a whale came and swallowed Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam.

Just put yourself in this condition. Just imagine this state. This is a situation of certain death, extreme trauma and distress. If you were in his position, what would you do? What would you say? How would you react?

The Most Powerful Words: A Threefold Acknowledgment

Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam, said the right words — in the right time, in the most eloquent manner. He said, in the darkness of the belly of the whale, facing a certain and slow death:

These words, dear brothers and sisters, need a miracle. But they were said in the right state of mind and heart — by a prophet, the most knowledgeable about Allah, as all the prophets are.

First Acknowledgment: لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ

La ilaha illa ant — an acknowledgment of Tawheed. This is the dearest thing to Allah, when people recognize the oneness and uniqueness of Allah. It is an admission that in this situation, and in every situation, the resort and the refuge is Allah and only Allah. That supplication is due to Allah and Allah alone. Worship is due to Allah and Allah alone. And this is the shortest path, the shortest way, and the most loved by Allah.

Second Acknowledgment: سُبْحَانَكَ

Subhanaka — glory be to You, how perfect You are, O Allah. This implies acknowledgment of the justice of Allah and His generosity. Because when we say subhanAllah or subhanak, we are glorifying Allah from having any fault, any imperfection or defect, and we are attributing absolute perfection to Allah.

In this context it includes also this meaning: O Allah, You are glorified from placing any injustice upon me. Whatever I am in right now, it is because of me — it is not because of You. I am the guilty party. You are subhan, You are glorified. It is an acknowledgment of the justice of Allah.

Third Acknowledgment: إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

Inni kuntu min al-dhalimeen — I have wronged myself. An acknowledgment of one's shortcoming, limitation, and weakness before Allah. These are powerful words, dear brothers and sisters.

An acknowledgment, after an acknowledgment, after an acknowledgment — admission. This shows submission to Allah and humbleness before Allah. And this is something that Allah dearly loves. The meaning contrary to this is arrogance. And we need to take time and examine our condition, and ask ourselves: how do we become arrogant? Does arrogance stop us from advancing as an ummah? Does arrogance stop us from humbling ourselves to each other — from becoming close to each other, loving each other, caring for each other, putting our whims and desires aside and focusing on the plight of the Ummah of Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam?

The Instant Response of Allah

So what was the response from Allah?

We responded to his prayer, to his supplication, and We saved him from the distress. How long did this response take from Allah? It was instant, dear brothers and sisters. An instant response to a call of distress from Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam.

I say this and ask forgiveness from Allah.

Alhamdulillahi rabbil 'alamin. Wa salatu wa salamu 'ala Sayyidi al-mursaleen wa imami al-muttaqeen, Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah, wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi wa salam.

The Ummah in the Belly of the Whale

Dear brothers and sisters, we are talking about the story of Yunus. And we have seen how Allah saved him because of words that he uttered — powerful words that had behind them the backing of iman and knowledge in the heart of Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam.

Back to the present: have you ever been in distress before? Have you been in hardship? How did you react? How did you manage that hardship? Examine the condition of the ummah. Is any part of our ummah in the belly of a whale?

Remember what is happening in Burma today — it is in the belly of a whale. See what is happening in Syria: destruction, death. You stay at home, you die. You flee, you die. You get injured, you die. You tend to the injured, you die. You want to bury your father, you die. You follow a funeral, you die. You bury people, you die. That is destruction. This is part of the Ummah of Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

As a matter of fact, if you examine the whole of the ummah, you find many parts. We can see that the whole of the Ummah of Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is in the belly of a whale. And the exit is the same one.

We do not need to despair. Because there is hope. Because the mercy of Allah reached to the belly of the whale and saved Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam — in the depth of the darkness of the night, and in the depth of the darkness of the sea, and in the depth of the darkness of the belly of the whale. The people of the cave — in the darkness of the cave — the mercy of Allah saved them.

A Priceless Treasure: The Du'a of Yunus for All of Us

Dear brothers and sisters, there is something priceless in this story — something extremely precious. You know how happy you feel if you learn that on one of your properties there is a hidden treasure, or that your property sits above a well of oil. How happy you become. Very happy.

Wallahi, if you hear the news that I am going to say right now, you should be even happier. Because in the conclusion of the story of Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam, Allah says:

And thus We save the believers. So the story of Yunus is not just history. It is not just a story told for entertainment. Rather, the lesson from it is this — and Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said:

(Referenced in Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3505; also reported by al-Hakim)

Shall I not tell you about something? If a calamity or distress befell one of you and he invoked it, Allah will save him from his distress and trouble. It is the supplication of Yunus.

And in another hadith, Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said that no Muslim will use this supplication in any matter except that Allah will respond to him — immediately respond to him.

So this is the lesson. If we really want to get out of the belly of the whale, brothers and sisters, we need to say these words — da'in, da'in, da'in. But these words are not just words. These words are based on the iman that needs to be felt. They are based on knowledge that needs to be felt. They require that we take our iman seriously and shift our priorities, making the da'in of Allah number one.

We say لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ and Yunus said it — but the effect is two different things. Not because Allah discriminates against us. No. It is because we must have the iman that drove Yunus to say it. And we must have the knowledge and understanding of the depth of these words.

Our Collective Responsibility as an Ummah

Dear brothers and sisters, our ummah is scattered and fragmented. And this is a responsibility on the shoulders of every one of us. When Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, passed away, he left behind a complete, whole and perfect message. And he left behind a whole body of an ummah that was healthy and good. Look at our condition today — examine the state of the ummah today and see the difference.

We are responsible. Every one of us is responsible. The change is a personal responsibility and a communal responsibility. All of us need to shoulder some of this responsibility and hold together, hold our hands together, stand — as Allah likes us to be:

The example of the believers in their love for one another, their sympathy towards one another, and their compassion is like one body. One body — if one part of it is afflicted, the whole body suffers.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 481; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2585)

The believer to another believer is like a well-structured building, the parts of which hold and support each other. If we want to be true believers, this is how we should be. Regardless — our brotherhood does not recognize any barriers. We are brothers regardless of our ethnicity, color, language or social status. We are brothers.

The believers are but brothers. And until we bring this meaning into reality — translated into the real world — we will not truly attain the support of Allah.

Why Does It Seem Our Prayers Are Not Answered?

Dear brothers and sisters, I conclude with a question we hear many times: We pray — but we don't see the response from Allah.

And the answer for this, dear brothers and sisters, is in the shining story of Yunus, alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam. Because Allah said in the Qur'an:

Had he not been among those who glorify Allah constantly and all the time, he would have stayed in the belly of the whale until the Day of Resurrection.

So what interceded for him? And when we speak about the Prophet and his seeking forgiveness and the shortcoming he admitted — this shortcoming is of a different kind than our own. The scholars say he did something where it would have been better for him to stay and continue calling to Allah rather than leaving. So he did something that was khilaf al-awla — it would have been better for him not to do it. But because Allah holds the Prophets to a higher standard — this is why this admission came from him, the son of the righteous.

So dear brothers and sisters, when we feel our prayers go unanswered, Allah is telling us: it was Yunus's constant glorification of Allah, his commitment to the deen, and his fulfillment of the commands of Allah that saved him. Otherwise he would have stayed in the belly of the whale until the Day of Resurrection.

This reminds us of a story of people who came to a righteous person from our predecessors and told him: We pray and pray, but we do not feel that Allah is responding to our prayers. And he told them — and this probably applies to our time — he told them:

You knew Allah but you do not obey Him. You read the Book of Allah but you do not practice upon it. You knew the enmity of Shaytan towards you but you agreed with him. You claim your love for the Prophet but you abandon his Sunnah. You claim your love for Jannah but you do not work for it. You claim your fear of the Hellfire but you do not abstain from sinning. You say that death is true but you do not prepare for it. You engage yourselves in the faults of people but you do not examine your own faults — you do not correct your own faults. You eat from the sustenance of Allah but you do not show gratitude, and you bury your dead but you do not take a lesson from it. How would you expect Allah to respond to you?

Allah Azza wa Jal said in the Qur'an:

When we respond to Allah and to the Qur'an of Allah, Allah will respond to us.

We ask Allah to save the Ummah of Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and to remove the hardship from every region that is suffering right now, and to alleviate the pain and suffering of all those people who are suffering in the Muslim Ummah.