In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy
Sad Bin Abee Waqqaas narrated that the Prophet [sallal-laahu-alayhi-wasallam] said: ‘’The invocation of my brother Dhun-Noon:[لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ – none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) are You (above all that evil) they associate with You. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers]; there is no one who faces hardship and supplicates with it, except that Allaah will relief him of his hardship.’’
[Saheeh Al-Jaami 3383]
Few Reminders from the Above Hadeeth
Look at the great distress which befell Yoonus [alayhis-salaam]?! The whale swallowed him and went to the bottom of the sea. He was in the belly of the whale and at the bottom of the sea – a great distress indeed. Therefore, there was nothing else for him to do at the time except to keep on repeating that supplication, whilst he was engulfed in darkness – the darkness in the whale’s belly, the darkness in the sea and the darkness of the night, and trapped at the bottom of the sea. He repeated this supplication, so Allaah commanded the whale to take him out. Yoonus [alayhis-salaamn] made this supplication whilst having a strong reliance upon Allaah and knew that deliverance from such a distress is in Allaah’s hand.
This supplication comprises of four affairs:
1: [Tawheed: (لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنتَ)-None has the right to be worshipped except You (O Allaah)]. This is singling out Allaah in worship.
2: [ سُبْحَانَكَ – Glorified (and Exalted) are You (above all that evil) they associate with You]; meaning: I declare that You (O Allaah) are free from everything that does not befit Your Majesty. I declare that You (O Allaah) are free from all deficiencies and defects, and I declare that You (O Allaah) are free from all that which the enemies of the Messengers attribute to You. Allaah [The Most High] said:
[سُبۡحَـٰنَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ ٱلۡعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ – Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! (He is free) from what they attribute unto Him! (37:180)]
3: [إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ – Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers]. This is an acknowledgement of one’s wrongdoing and shortcomings.
4: [Servitude to Allaah]: An acknowledgement that you are a slave of Allaah and that you cannot do without Allaah in the twinkling of an eye.
Therefore, a person should turn to Allaah in all circumstances – when faced with pain, hardship, calamity etc.
To be continued InshaaAllaah
[Source: Atharul Adkaar Ash-Shar’iyyah Fee Tardil Hammi Wal-Gham’ pages 21- 23’ by Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq Al-Badr (may Allaah preserve him) abridged & slightly paraphrased]
