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The Relief From Distress: An Explanation to the Du'a of Yunus

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Shaykh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, was asked about the saying of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "The invocation of my brother Yunus: "None has the right to be worshipped save You; glory be to You, far removed are You from any imperfection; I have been amongst the wrong doers," None who is experiencing difficulty employs it except that Allaah would relieve him of his difficulty."

What is the meaning of this d'uaa?
Are their any unstated conditions that have to be met when one articulates it?
What is the connection between belief in the heart and the meaning of this supplication such that it leads to the removal of difficulty?
It is sufficient to acknowledge ones sin alone, or must this be accompanied by repentance and the firm resolve not to repeat that sin in the future?
Why is it that difficulty and harm is removed only when a person relinquishes any hope, reliance and dependancy upon the creation?
How can the heart relinquish the characteristic of putting hope in the creation and depending upon them, and instead put its hope in Allaah, Exalted is He, and turn to Him in its entirety?
What are the methods that would aid the heart in doing this?

250 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

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261 people want to read

About the author

Ibn Taymiyyah

103 books47 followers
Taqī ad-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Abd al-Halim ibn Abd al-Salam al-Numayri al-Ḥarrānī (Arabic: تقي الدين أحمد بن عبد الحليم بن عبد السلام النميري الحراني‎, January 22, 1263 - September 26, 1328), known simply Ibn Taymiyyah (ابن تيمية), was an Islamic jurist scholar, muhaddith, theologian, judge, philosopher, and whom many considered as the renewer of the Islamic 7th century. He is known for his diplomatic involvement with the Ilkhanid ruler Ghazan Khan and for his involvement at the Battle of Marj al-Saffar which ended the Mongol invasions of the Levant. A member of the Hanbali school, Ibn Taymiyyah's iconoclastic views on widely accepted Sunni doctrines of his time such as the veneration of saints and the visitation to their tomb-shrines made him unpopular with many scholars and rulers of the time, under whose orders he was imprisoned several times.

A polarising figure in his own times and in the centuries that followed, Ibn Taymiyyah has become one of the most influential medieval writers in contemporary Islam, where his particular interpretations of the Qur'an and the Sunnah and his rejection of some aspects of classical Islamic tradition are believed to have had considerable influence on contemporary ultra-conservative ideologies such as Salafism, and Jihadism. Particular aspects of his teachings had a profound influence on Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of the Hanbali reform movement practiced in Saudi Arabia, and on other later Wahabi scholars. Moreover, Ibn Taymiyyah's controversial fatwa allowing jihad against other Muslims is referenced by al-Qaeda and other jihadi groups. Their reading of Ibn Taymiyyah's thought has been challenged by recent scholarship.

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
144 reviews27 followers
August 29, 2014
Ibn Taymiyyah is one of my favorite authors, if not my (the) favorite. The Du'a of Yunus Alyhis Salaam is a very easy to memorize dua', a very simple one. Despite that it is beautiful to see the amount of depth the author can go into, explaining each of the built-in connotations behind why Yunus AlyhisSallam would have chosen those specific words and the impact each of them have on the entirety of the Du'a. During the span of reading this book, there were points in my own life when I felt slightly down and conflicted, but as I was reading it, it acted not just as a great reminder, but also as a way for me to get out of my own spiritual issues. I am really glad I read this book, and I would recommend this book over and over again to anyone.
Profile Image for Sadia.
17 reviews5 followers
June 12, 2007
This is one of my favourite books, it really helped my eemaan when Im feeling down.

Alhaamdulilaah
Profile Image for Alimur Razi Rana.
95 reviews5 followers
March 8, 2023
গভীর সমুদ্রের নিচে মাছের পেটের ভিতরে থাকা অবস্থায় ইউনুস (আঃ) আল্লাহ্‌র কাছে দুআ করেন - "আপনি ছাড়া কোন ইলাহ নেই। আপনি পবিত্র। নিশ্চয়ই আমি সীমালঙ্ঘনকারীদের অন্তর্ভুক্ত হয়ে গেছি।" তার এই কথাই দুআ ইউনুস নামে পরিচিত। এই দুআ নিয়ে ইমাম তাইমিয়্যা (রা) কে প্রশ্ন করা হয়েছিল -

* এই দুআর অর্থ কি?
* এটি পড়ার জন্য কোন অন্তর্নিহিত শর্ত আছে কি?
* দুআটি বিপদমুক্তিতে কার্যকরী - মনে এই বিশ্বাস রাখার সাথে দুআর কি সম্পর্ক আছে?
* কেন ইউনুস (আ) দুআয় আলাদাভাবে বললেন - "নিশ্চয়ই আমি সীমালঙ্ঘনকারীদের অন্তর্ভুক্ত হয়ে গেছি" অথচ আমরা জানি, শুধু তাওহীদের সাক্ষ্যই বিপদমুক্তিতে যথেষ্ট?
* এজন্য নিজের ভুল বুঝতে পারাই কি যথেষ্ট? নাকি এর সাথে তাওবা, ভবিষ্যতে গুনাহ পুনরাবৃত্তি না করার দৃঢ় প্রতিজ্ঞা করাও জরুরি?
* বান্দা যখন সৃষ্টির দিক থেকে সকল আশা সরিয়ে নেয়, তাঁদের সাথে সম্পর্ক গুটিয়ে আনে, ঠিক তখনই কেন সে বিপদ থেকে রেহাই পায়? এর পিছনে প্রজ্ঞা কি?
* সৃষ্টির প্রতি আশা রাখা, ভরসা করা হতে কীভাবে অন্তরকে বিরত রাখা যায় এবং কেবল আল্লাহ্‌র প্রতি সকল আশা-ভরসা নিবন্ধ করা যায়?
* এ ক্ষেত্রে কার্যকরী উপায়গুলো কি কি?

আমি পড়েছি মহিউদ্দিন রূপমের অনুবাদে বাংলা বই। মূল বইয়ের কতটুকু রেখেছেন, কতটুকুর ব্যখা দিয়েছেন জানি না। যতটুকু আছে, তাতেই ইমাম তাইমিয়্যা (রা) এর জ্ঞানের কিছুটা নিদর্শন পাওয়া যায়। এই প্রশ্নের উত্তর গুলি তিনি পুরো বই জুড়ে দিয়েছেন। নিজের মনের মত কোন কথা না। কুরআন আর সহিহ হাদিস থেকে তিনি এই প্রশ্নগুলো নিয়ে আলোচনা করেছেন। এবং কি পরিমাণ রেফারেন্স যে তিনি দিয়েছেন, এই বই না পড়লে বুঝা যাবে না। ৮৩-৯০ পৃষ্ঠা জুড়ে ' আশা, ভরসা এবং ভয় কেবল আল্লাহর জন্য' অনুচ্ছেদে তিনি ১৩ টি কুরআনের আয়াত, ৩ টি হাদিস এনেছেন। এবং শুধু দুআ ইউনুস নিয়ে নয় তাওহীদ, তওবা, আল্লাহ্‌র সিফাত এই রকম বিভিন্ন বিষয় নিয়ে আলোচনা করেছেন। একবার পড়ে এই বইয়ের সারমর্ম নেওয়া কঠিন। এই বই আবার পড়তে হবে।

" ইউনুস (আ) এর দুআর দ্বিতীয় অংশ সুবহানাল্লাহ, এতে আল্লাহ্‌র প্রতি সম্মান প্রদর্শন রয়েছে। সব ধরনের জুলুম এবং সব ধরনের ত্রুটি হতে তাঁকে পবিত্র ঘোষণা করা হয়েছে। ... এক ব্যক্তি সুবহানাল্লাহ বললে আল্লাহর রাসুল (সা) বলেন - ' এর অর্থ হচ্ছে সব ধরনের খারাপি হতে আল্লাহ্‌কে মুক্ত ঘোষণা দেয়া । '
কোনো কিছু থেকে কোনো কিছু নাকচ করা হলেই প্রশংসনীয় হয়ে যায় না, যতক্ষণ না এর বিপরীত বিষয়টি নিশ্চিত করা হচ্ছে। কাজেই আল্লাহর সত্তা হতে সকল প্রকার খারাবিকে নাকচ করার দ্বারা এই সাক্ষ্যদান নিশ্চিত হয়, তিনি বদান্যতায় সেরা, পূর্ণাঙ্গতায় অতুলনীয় এবং সকল সুন্দর নামসমূহ তার সাথেই যায়।"
124 reviews1 follower
March 11, 2023
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah sanctify his soul, was asked about the saying of the Prophet (pbuh), The invocation of my brother Yunus, "none has the right to be worshipped save You; glory be to You, far removed are You from any imperfection; I have been amongst the wrong-doers," none who is experiencing difficulty employs it except that Allah would relieve him of his difficulty. What is the meaning of this du'a (prayer, supplication)? Are there any unstated conditions that must be met when one articulates it? What is the connection between belief in the heart and the meaning of this supplication such that it leads to the removal of difficulty? Why did he explicitly confess, 'I have been amongst the wrong-doers when it is known that tawhid leads to difficulty removal? Is it sufficient to acknowledge one's sin alone, or must this be accompanied by repentance and the firm resolve not to repeat that sin in the future? Why is it that difficulty and harm are removed only when a person relinquishes any hope, reliance, and dependency upon the creation? How can the heart relinquish the characteristic of putting hope in the creation and depending on them, and instead put its hope in Allah, Exalted is He, and turn to Him in its entirety? What are the methods that would aid the heart in doing this? The author replies to these questions in the form of this book.
9 reviews6 followers
January 21, 2018
Some takeaways:
- Allah does not wrong people, they wrong themselves.
- "True repentance involves a person changing himself"
- Acknowledgment of the sin/repentance and tawhid lead to forgiveness of the sin
- The Prophets (peace be upon them all) were infallible in the message they delivered (because it is from Allah)
Profile Image for Muahid mubashir.
14 reviews12 followers
November 4, 2015
You will be surprised to know that this whole book(around 200 pages) is just commentary of one dua of Yunus(peace be upon him).This book shows how deep these scholars especially Ibn Taymiyya ponder over the Quran and explain it from so many perspectives which we could never think. Few places he deviates from the topic and refutes some misguided interpretations which the translator has digresses it to appendices.
worth a read..
Profile Image for Kak.
46 reviews2 followers
September 27, 2015
"..none who is experiencing difficulty employs it except that Allah would relieve him of his difficulty."
Profile Image for s.
3 reviews3 followers
March 1, 2022
“One of the scholars said. I have a need for Allah so I invoke Him
and He grants me the delight of knowing Him and the sweetness of
discoursing with Him which makes me desire that my need not be
swiftly answered for fear that my soul become distracted from this'
because the soul only desires what it wants and when it attains this it
turns away.”

Relief is found in the perfection of tawheed, sincere repentance and relentless pursuit of goodness. I reflected on the times in my life when relief came at just the right moment, my connection to God was strong, almost instinctually so. This was a reminder to myself to keep cultivating my faith and strive for better, Allah’s help is near.
Profile Image for Abdullah Mothana Obadi Ali  Al Yemen.
65 reviews2 followers
January 1, 2021
This is a beautiful book and I love reading it and injoy the work and beautiful experience and translatetion, I'm looking forward to reading more of Abu Rumaysah works. The Duas are perfect and beautiful.
Profile Image for Rimsha Haqqi.
10 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2025
A beautiful read indeed !

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah beautifully describes the dua of Prophet Younas a.s. Highly recommended read to understand what tawakkul actually means as the author explains how Prophet Younas a.s trusted Allah Almighty in the darkness.
Profile Image for Abeer Arain.
Author 6 books46 followers
July 18, 2025
The book is about the supplication of Yunus (a), and it tries to explain the elements of that supplication in detail. Afterwards, we see a typical Ibn Taymiyyah writing style where he diverts from the topic, but then binds it to the main theme at the end.
Overall, a good read!
Profile Image for Faiz Mohammad.
47 reviews2 followers
February 5, 2022
Very nice book.You will understand lots of new thing about islam, but some basic knowledge of islam is required.

I highly recommend it everyone who have basic knowledge of Islam.
24 reviews20 followers
May 17, 2009
This book will truly release you from any distress, and make you rely solely upon Allah (SWT). It will also teach you the proper ettiquet of Du'aa and the reasons behind it. You will learn the complete meaning of 'La Ilaha Illa Ant Subhanaka Inee Kuntu Minathaalimeen'. You will learn to be patient in times of distress... READ IT!!
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