Saturday, April 19, 2008

April 17th: Prophets Ayyub and Yunus

The stories of Prophets Ayyub (AS) and Yunus (AS)

Prophet Ayyub:
- Allah mentions the dawah of prophets Nuh, Hud, Saleh, etc. But He does not mention the dawah of Prophet Ayyub.
-The story of Prophet Ayyub is different, it's an incredible example of patience. It's mentioned twice in the Quran.
- His story became a proverb "The patience of Ayyub"
- Prophet Ayyub was a Roman, he was from the progeny of Prophet Ibrahim.
- He received revelation from Allah.
- His wife's name was Leah.
- Prophet Ayyub was blessed with alot of wealth, bodily strength, and many children.
-Suddenly, he lost EVERYTHING. He lost his wealth, his health and all of his children.
- He basically lost everything that a person loves in dunya.
- He had different kinds of diseases. No part or limb of his body was free from disease except for his tongue and his heart.
- Despite all of this he was patient and did not complain once.
- His illness continued for so long that even his relatives and friends deserted him.
- He was taken out of his town and thrown unto a trash dump.
- The only one who stayed by his side was his wife. She was also patient in the test of losing her children and wealth.
- She started working in order to feed herself and her husband.
- All these tests made Ayyub stronger in religion, patience, and gratitude to Allah.
- Hadith: "The people who are tested most severly are Prophets, then the righteous, and then the likes of them"
- The stronger you are in deen, the tougher the test.
- Hadith: "A man is put to trail according to the strength of his religion. If he was strong in his religion, his trial is increased"
- There's a difference of opinion in regards to how long prophet Ayyub suffered. Some scholars say it was 3 years, some say 7, and some say 18 years.
- His flesh started falling off of his body until nothing remained but his muscles and bones.
- His wife finally asked him to pray to Allah so He would relieve him from his suffering.
- He said: "I had lived for 70 years in a healthy condition, so could I not bear all this pratiently for Allah for another 70 years?"
- Eventually people no longer employed his wife out of fear of illness.
- She had to shave her head and sell her hair in order to buy food.
- When Prophet Ayyub saw this he finally made dua to Allah and Allah cured him.
- Not only did Allah cure him, but Allah doubled the wealth he lost and He also doubled the number of children he had.
- Ayyub's story is a lesson for all t hose who are afflicted in their bodies, wealth, or children.

Prophet Yunus:
-He was sent to the people of Ninawah in Iraq.
- They rejected his call and disbelieved.
- Yunus was irritated and agitated by their response. He thought he'd go make dawah somewhere else.
- He left his people in a state of anger and warned them of a punishment that would come to them.
- He went to the ocean and got on a ship with some people in order to get away from his town as far away as possible. While on the ship, there was a very bad storm and they had to throw away all of their luggage. Eventually they realized that they have to throw one of the people off the ship. They decided to draw lots and Prophet Yunus was chosen 3 times.
- Prophet Yunus realized that it was Allah decree for him to be thrown into the ocean and so he jumped in.
- Allah commanded a whale to swallow Yunus without harming him.
- He was unconsious. When he woke up he thought he was dead and in his grave.
- He started to feel around him and realized he was in the stomach of the whale.
- He prostrated to Allah and said "O Allah! I have made a place of prayer where no one has ever worshiped you before"
- While he was in the depths of the sea, he heard the whale and all other creatures of the ocean glorifying Allah.
- Prophet Yunus started making his famous supplication "There is no god but You, transcendent are You, indeed I have been one of the wrong doers"
- Hadith: "No Muslims will make any supplication with this call about anything, but Allah will accept from him"
- He made this dua in the darkness of the whale's stomach, in the darkness of the ocean, and in the darkness of the night.
- Angels see circles of remembrance of Allah just like we see the stars in the sky. They saw a light coming from the ocean and they recognized the voice of Yunus.
- The Angels asked Allah: "Isn't this the voice of your righteous servant who used to do good by day and night?"... The angels then made dua for Yunus that Allah would release him.
- Allah says: "If it wasn't for the fact that he used to remember us, he would have remained in the stomach of the whale until the day of judgment"
- We need to remember Allah in moments of goodness so He would remember us in our times of need.
-Hadith: "Know Allah in the times of comfort, Allah will know you in the time of your hardship"
- The angels said: "Oh Allah will you not bestow Your mercy upon him from this distress?"
- Allah then commanded the whale to throw Prophet Yunus onto the shore.
- Aya: "So We cast him out upon the bare shore..."
- Allah sent Yunus back to his people and Yunus found that all of his town had become Muslim.

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