Surah Younus

Surah Younus is a Meccan surah that discusses the various aspects of Aqidah, Creed. It references back to previous revelations but emphasizes the Qur'an being the final revelation. The surah begins by describing the Message and the Messenger and draws the connection between these two, expressing how the Prophet is a reflection of the Qur'an as he (peace be upon him) manifested it in all aspects of his life. At the same time the Qur'an talks about the relationship of the Creator with His creations but emphasizes the impossibility of any of His creations having the divinity of God, as Allah is one, alone.

The second topic covered is the actions of the rejecters of the message. They accused the Prophet of fabricating the Qur'an and spread rumors about him being nothing more than a poet. Allah swt challenges those that accused the Prophet and tells them to produce surahs similar to the likes of those in the Qur'an. None of them was able to do this; it is one of the great Miracles of the Qur'an that the Arabs who were not Muslim recognized the superiority of the language and but were unable to duplicate it. The Qur'an differentiated itself from Diwan (compilation of poetry) from its very beginning. In Arabic poetry a line is called 'bayt', while in the Qur'an it is an 'ayah'. Similarly a collection of verses in poetry is a 'Qasida' while in the Qur'an it is a 'Surah'. Allah swt uses these different terms to completely separate the revelation from an Arabian past time.

The language of the Qur'an is only one of its many Miracles. It was compiled over the span of 23 years and addressed a wide range of topics, never once contradicting itself. The style and language of the Qur'an is so unique that it was impossible for the Prophet to have learned it from a teacher of Arabia as there was no one who had spoken in the same manner as the Qur'an. These in themselves are proof that no one could fabricate such a text.

Surah Younus takes its name from the description it gives of Prophet Younus. He was a prophet whom Allah had sent to the people of the area of Iraq. He called people to believe in the One God, but they continuously rejected him. Younus (may Allah be pleased with him) lost hope in changing his people. Without the permission of Allah, Prophet Younus decided to leave; but the Will of Allah prevails over all things, and Allah swt stopped Younus (may Allah be pleased with him) by capturing him in the stomach of a whale. He swt made the Prophets like us in many ways. We must look to their stories and realize that they are not so different from us that we cannot benefit from their trials, sorrows, errors and successes. Surah Younus is a great reminder of this fact. Allah swt does not relinquish his Prophet for abandoning his people. Even the Prophets of Allah fell into error; we must not give up on ourselves for doing the same from time to time. Is there any situation we have faced comparable to being swallowed and sitting in the stomach of a whale? In verse 107 Allah swt explains that He is the one who has complete control over all that happens in the universe, and that no good or harm will come to a person with out His Will. Younus (may Allah be pleased with Him) was in the stomach of a whale, who else could return him safely to his people after he faced certain death. We must always remember to turn to Allah swt and put our trust in Him, even in the most difficult of times.

Prophet Younus (may Allah be pleased with him) recognized the severity of his mistake and the truth of his mission. He returned to the same people who had rejected him time and time again but they returned to their Creator and believed in the message he delivered. In verse 99 Allah reminds us through this beautiful story that Allah alone is the one who guides people and He has not made any difficulty in His religion as long as the servant puts their trust in their Lord.

This beautiful surah reminds us that while we may plan, it is not actually in our hands. This is not to say that we should not plan, on the contrary we should make an effort to plan for years into our futures, but we should remember that Allah's plan may be different for our own and that His plan is indeed better for us. As is explained in verse 24, Allah may alter our plans to protect us from something bad or to steer us toward something good. In verse 35 and 36 He tells not to seek guidance except for in our Creator. Often times we find ourselves frustrated because we do not have a manual for life. Allah has provided us with a manual, the Qur'an, if we chose to accept the wisdom and guidance it offers us. Allah swt concludes the surah by calling the believers to uphold peace as it is one of the first things Muslims should seek to establish. We must strive for peace within our own souls, within our mosques and communities and beyond. In the last verse of Surah Younus, Allah swt reminds us that seeking peace and spreading His word are incumbent upon the believers but in spite of the great efforts and sacrifices of our Prophets, there will be those around us who continue to reject. We must never lose hope and should remain steadfast in our efforts and ibadah and leave the remainder of Allah's Plan to Him.

May Allah grant us patience in our struggles and May He make our final destination Jannatul Firdous.