This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahi Fazail Amaal.
Our Master Yunus bin Qais (peace be upon him) was sent as a prophet to the people of Nineveh in the region of "Mosul," to invite the people to the Oneness of Allah, justice, fairness, and good morals. However, they did not accept his invitation; rather, their mischief increased day by day. Eventually, fed up with their disbelief, he warned them that if they did not believe, the punishment of Allah would surely befall them.
◈ When the punishment descended upon the people of Yunus, they sought refuge in repentance:
When those people became convinced that the Prophet did not lie, and saw the signs and causes of the punishment, they took their children, cattle, and livestock and went towards the desert, turning to Allah, pleading with Him, imploring and beseeching Him, saying: O Allah! Remove this punishment about which their Prophet warned them. Accepting this repentance and seeking forgiveness, Allah had mercy on their condition and removed the punishment from them:
﴿فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ آمَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَا إِيمَانُهَا إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّا آمَنُوا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ الْخِزْيِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَاهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ﴾
So why was there no city that believed before them and thus benefited from its faith, except the people of Yunus? When the people of Yunus believed, We removed from them the disgraceful punishment in worldly life and gave them respite for a time.
Reference: (10-Yunus:98)
Imam Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that there was no other nation besides the people of Yunus who first disbelieved, then after seeing the divine punishment believed and were spared, and whose faith benefited them. When the people of Yunus saw that their Prophet was not present and the divine punishment was near, Allah placed in their hearts that there was no solution for them except repentance. So they wore torn old clothes, separated the animals from their children, and for forty days they kept pleading before Allah. When Allah knew that these people were sincerely repenting and expressing remorse to make up for their previous shortcomings, He removed the punishment that was looming over them.
Reference: Tafsir al-Tabari: 11/221-223 - Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 3/258-259, Dar al-Salam edition.
◈ Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) Boarding the Ship:
Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) left from there and came to Jerusalem. Then he set out towards "Jaffa" and boarded a ship heading to Tarshish. By the will of Allah, a strong storm began to blow, and the ship was in danger. The people threw their cargo into the sea to lighten the ship, but the danger did not subside. Then they thought that there must be someone on the ship because of whom the danger had arisen. So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him):
وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ﴿١٣٩﴾ إِذْ أَبَقَ إِلَى الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ ﴿١٤٠﴾ فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُدْحَضِينَ ﴿١٤١﴾
"And Yunus was among the messengers. When he ran away to the laden ship, then he drew lots and was among the losers."
Reference: (37-As-Saffat:139 to 141)
◈ Being Swallowed by the Fish:
So when the people threw him into the sea, the storm ceased. Allah sent a fish that swallowed him. He remained in the belly of the fish for a few days. It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) that Allah Almighty revealed to the fish through revelation that you should not eat the flesh of Yunus nor harm his bones because Yunus is not your sustenance, rather your belly is merely a prison for him.
Reference: Tafseer Ibn Kathir: 4/137 – Tafseer Ibn Abi Hatim: 8/2463, 2464, from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them).
◈ Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) reciting the Tasbeeh:
So he prayed with utmost humility and submission, first calling himself unjust and then declaring the sanctity of Allah Almighty. Allah, the Lord of Glory, accepted his prayer and the fish came to the shore and threw him out of its belly:
لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿٨٧﴾ فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُنجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٨٨﴾
“There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.”
Reference: (21-Al-Anbiya:87, 88)
◈ In hardships and difficulties, rely on this prayer:
In hardships and difficulties, one should seek the support of this prayer. Especially in difficult situations, recite this prayer. It is narrated from Sayyiduna Saad bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The prayer of Yunus in the belly of the fish was ﴿لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِين﴾. Whenever a Muslim prays this prayer to his Lord for any need, it will be accepted."
Reference: Musnad Ahmad: 1/170 - Sunan Tirmidhi, Book of Supplications, No: 3505 - Al-Sunan al-Kubra by Al-Nasa’i, Chapter on the mention of the supplication of Dhu al-Nun: 6/168, No: 10492, 10491
- Allama Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it "Sahih".Sayyiduna Dawood (peace be upon him) was a strong prophet and one who frequently turned to his Lord:
﴿وَاذْكُرْ عَبْدَنَا دَاوُودَ ذَا الْأَيْدِ ۖ إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ﴾
"And remember Our servant Dawood, the possessor of strength; indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned [to Allah]."
Reference: (38-Surah Sad:17)
◈ Observance of Fasting and Prayer:
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
أحب الصلاة إلى الله صلاة داود عليه السلام وأحب الصيام إلى الله صيام داود
"The most beloved prayer to Allah is the prayer of Dawood (peace be upon him), and the most beloved fasts to Allah are the fasts of Dawood (peace be upon him)."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Tahajjud, No: 1131.
◈ Recitation of the Zabur and Earning Lawful Livelihood:
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
خفف على داود عليه السلام القرآن فكان يأمر بدوابه فتسرج فيقرأ القرآن قبل أن تسرج دوابه ولا يأكل إلا من عمل يده
The recitation of the Quran (i.e., the Zabur) was made very easy for Dawud (peace be upon him), so much so that he would order a saddle to be placed on his mount and before the saddle was placed, he would finish reciting the entire Zabur. And he (peace be upon him) used to eat only from the earnings of his own hands."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of the Hadiths of the Prophets, No: 3417.
◈ The glorification of Allah and justice and fairness:
Allah Almighty had made the mountains subservient to them; they would glorify Him with them in the evening and morning. Birds would also gather around them and glorify Him; everyone was obedient to them. Allah had strengthened their dominion and granted them wisdom and eloquence to make decisions. Therefore, none of their words or actions were devoid of wisdom:
إِنَّا سَخَّرْنَا الْجِبَالَ مَعَهُ يُسَبِّحْنَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِشْرَاقِ ﴿١٨﴾ وَالطَّيْرَ مَحْشُورَةً ۖ كُلٌّ لَّهُ أَوَّابٌ ﴿١٩﴾ وَشَدَدْنَا مُلْكَهُ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحِكْمَةَ وَفَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ ﴿٢٠﴾
"We had made the mountains subservient to him, so they glorified with him in the evening and morning. And the flying birds gathered all under his command, and We had strengthened his kingdom and granted him wisdom and decisive speech."
Reference: (38-Surah:18 to 20)
The commentators write that Allah Almighty had given them the Zabur, which was a treasure of priceless wisdom, and they judged so rightly among the people that everyone loved them, and no one opposed them."
Reference: Reference: Taysir al-Rahman: 2/1276
◈ The story of two quarrelers, and the repentance and supplication of Sayyiduna Dawud (peace be upon him):
In Surah Sad, verses (21) to (25), Allah Almighty mentions a judgment made by Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) which reflects his wisdom, insight, and deep fear of Allah. The summary of these verses is that Allah addressed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said that one day two men entered the prayer niche where Dawud used to worship Allah, not through the door but by climbing over the wall. Seeing them suddenly in front of him, he was startled, but they said: Do not be afraid. There is a dispute between us; one of us has wronged the other. We have come to you so that you may judge between us with justice. Do not be unjust to either of us, and guide us to the right path. Then the man who considered himself wronged said: My brother has ninety-nine ewes, and I have only one ewe. He says, "Give me your ewe so I can add it to my ewes," and by his smooth talk and sweet words, he has overpowered me and taken my ewe.
Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) said: He has wronged you by asking for your ewe, because having ninety-nine ewes, he had no need to forcibly take your ewe.
He further said that many people do not uphold brotherhood and truthfulness in this way and commit injustice, even though brotherhood requires preferring one's brother over oneself. However, those who are filled with faith and piety do not commit such injustice, and such people are very few. After both men left, Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) realized that this case was a test from Allah, so he began to seek forgiveness from his Lord. Such was the overwhelming fear of Allah in his heart that he fell into prostration and wept, turning his entire attention to his Lord:
﴿فَاسْتَغْفَرَ رَبَّهُ وَخَرَّ رَاكِعًا وَأَنَابَ﴾
So he sought forgiveness of his Lord and fell down bowing (in prostration) and turned to Him in repentance.
Reference: (38-Sad:24)
It is narrated in the traditions:
أن داود نبي الله عليه السلام بكى من خطيئته حتى هاج ما حوله
"The Prophet of Allah, Dawud (peace be upon him), wept so much over his mistake that those around him also began to weep."
Reference: Kitab al-Zuhd, by Imam Waki’: 1/250, Hadith No: 24 -
All narrators of this tradition are trustworthy.◈ Allah's Forgiveness and Nearness:
Then Allah forgave them and granted them His nearness. Thus, the command of the Almighty is:
﴿فَغَفَرْنَا لَهُ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ وَإِنَّ لَهُ عِندَنَا لَزُلْفَىٰ وَحُسْنَ مَآبٍ﴾
"So We forgave them their mistake, and indeed they had a near access to Us, and their final abode is the best."
Reference: (38-Surah:25)
Meaning, the mistakes committed by Sayyiduna Dawood (peace be upon him) were forgiven, which are of the kind about which it is said: إن حسنات الأبرار سيئات المقربين "The good deeds of the righteous are the sins of the near ones."
Reference: Tafsir Ibn Kathir: 5/191, Dar-us-Salam Publication, Lahore.
The commentators write that this decision of Sayyiduna Dawood (peace be upon him) indicates his wisdom, mature insight, and correctness in judgments, because he spoke the truth without favoring anyone, gave relief to the defendant, and the oppressor realized his oppression, and everyone understood that justice and fairness take precedence over everything, and this is a trait often found in people to oppress others."
Reference: Reference: Taysir al-Rahman, p. 1277.
◈ The Virtue of the Prostration in Surah Sad:
After reciting the above-mentioned verse, follow the beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) and perform prostration. Thus, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) says that this is not among the obligatory prostrations, however, I have seen the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performing this prostration."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Prostration of the Quran, No: 1069 - Musnad Ahmad: 1/360 - Musannif Abdul Razzaq, No: 5865 - Musnad Humaydi, No: 477 - Sunan Darimi, No: 1467 - Sunan Abu Dawood, No: 1409 - Sunan Tirmidhi, No: 577 - Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, No: 550.
This prostration is one of gratitude:
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما that indeed the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم prostrated in Surah (Sad) and said: سجدها داود توبة ونسجدها شكرا
Prophet Dawud عليه السلام performed this prostration as an act of repentance, and we perform this prostration as an act of gratitude.
Reference: Sunan an-Nasa'i, Kitab al-Iftitah, No: 907 - Sahih Sunan Abu Dawood, No: 147 - Al-Mishkat, No: 1038.
Imam Bukhari رحمه الله also narrated in the exegesis of this verse from Ikrimah رحمه الله that he asked Imam Mujahid about the prostration in Surah (Sad), and he said: I asked Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما about it, and he said: "Do you not recite these verses: ﴿وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ﴾
Reference: (6-Al-An'am:84)
and among his offspring are Dawud and Sulaiman ﴿أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ ۖ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ ۗ﴾
Reference: (Al-An'am:90)
. These are the people whom Allah guided, so you should follow their guidance, meaning Sayyiduna Dawud عليه السلام is among those prophets whom your Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم was commanded to follow. Dawud عليه السلام prostrated, so the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم also prostrated."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Kitab at-Tafsir, No: 4807.
On the Day of Judgment, Allah Almighty will honor them with His presence, and also grant them a noble status, that is, due to their repentance and complete justice in their kingdom, they will be granted high ranks in Paradise. As the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said:
إن المقسطين على منابر من نور عن يمين الرحمن عز وجل وكلتا يديه يمين الذين يعدلون فى حكمهم وأهليهم وما ولوا
"Indeed, those who act justly will be seated on pulpits of light on the right hand of the Most Merciful, and both of His hands are on the right. (Meaning) those who judge with justice in their decisions, with their family, and in entrusted matters."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Imarah, No: 1827.
◈ Wise Advices:
Among the wise and insightful sayings of Sayyiduna Dawood (peace be upon him) is this:
A wise person must not be heedless at four times:
● When he is confiding in his Lord.
● When he is holding himself accountable.
● When his brother is pointing out his faults and telling him the truth about himself.
● When he allows himself to enjoy lawful and good things because this last time supports the earlier times and soothes the heart.
And it is the right of a wise person to recognize his time, guard his tongue, and remain engaged in his work. It is obligatory upon the wise person not to travel for any purpose except three:
● Preparation for the Hereafter.
● Earning a livelihood.
● Enjoying lawful pleasures.
Reference: Al-Zuhd, Ibn al-Mubarak: 1/103,105.
◈ Prayer for Divine Love:
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Darda رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said that Sayyiduna Dawood عليه السلام used to supplicate: اللهم اجعل حبك أحب إلى من نفسي وأهلي ومن الماء البارد
"O Allah! I ask You for Your love, and the love of the one who loves You, and the deeds that will lead to Your love. O Allah! Make Your love more beloved to me than my own self, my family, and cold water."
Reference: Sunan Tirmidhi, Chapters of Supplications, No: 3490 - Mustadrak Hakim, No: 3673 - Silsilat al-Sahihah, No: 1707.
