-II-

The Supplication of Yunus

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

The supplication of Hazrat Yunus ibn Matta (Peace be upon our Prophet and upon him) is a most glorious supplication, a most effective means for obtaining answer to prayer. The gist of the celebrated story of Hazrat Yunus (Peace be upon him) is as follows:

He was cast into the sea and swallowed by a large fish. The sea was stormy, the night turbulent and dark and hope exhausted. But it was in such a state that his suppplication:

There is no god other tlian You, Glory be unto to You! Indeed, I was among the wrongdoers*acted for him as a swift means of salvation.The mysterious property inherent in his supplication was this:

In that state all causes were suspended, for Haz-rat Yunus needed to save him one whose com­mand should constrain the fish and the sea, the night and the sky. The night, the sea, and the fish were united against him. Only one whose com­mand might subdue all three of these could bring him forth on the strand of salvation. Even if the entirety of creation had become his servants and helpers, it would have been of no avail. For causes have no effect. Since Hazrat Yunus saw with the eye of certainty that there was no refuge other than the Causer of Causes, and unfolded to him was the meaning of Divine oneness within the light of Divine unity, his supplication was able suddenly to subdue the night, the sea, and the fish. Through the light of Divine unity he as able to transform the belly of the fish into a submarine; and the surging sea, that in its awesomeness resembled an erupting volcano, into a peaceable plain, a place of delight and enjoyment. Through the light of unity, he was able to sweep the sky's countenance clear of all clouds, and to set the moon over his head like a lantern. Creation that had been pressing and threatening him from all sides now showed him a friendly face from every direction. Thus he reached the shore of salvation. Beneath the creeping gourd tree he witnessed the grace of his Lord.

Now we are in a situation one hundred times more awesome than that in which Hazrat Yunus (Upon whom be peace) first found himself. Our night is the future. When we look upon our future with the eye of neglect, it is a hundred times darker and more fearful than his night. Our sea is this spinning globe. Each wave of this sea bears on it thousands of corpses, and is thus a thousand times more frightening than his sea. Our fish is the caprice of our soul which strives to shake and destroy the foundation of our eternal life. This fish is a thousand times more maleficent than his fish. For his fish can destroy a hundred-year life­span, whereas ours seeks to destroy a life lasting hundreds of millions of years. This being our true state, we should in imitation of Hazrat Yunus {Upon whom be peace) avert ourselves from all causes and take refuge directly in the Causer of Causes, that is, our Sustainer. We should say:

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