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An
Account of Dhu'l Nun
In
the Name Of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
By
Amin Sharif
What the Tongue has spoken the Eye has seen.
But the Sons and Daughters of Adam have been granted two Eyes.
One which discerns the Outer World of corporeal forms and
another that perceives the Inner World of the Spirit. One Eye
opens at our physical birth. The other opens upon our spiritual
rebirth. But whether these Eyes open at our birth or rebirth,
the Light by which we see comes from God--who is Great and
Glorious.
There are times when God looks upon a Nation
of People lost in the Darkness of Sin and sends them a Great
Light. These Great Lights are the Prophets of Old -- May God Be
Pleased with Them. The Greatest and Last of these Lights was our
Master Muhammad, May Peace Be Upon Him, who was veiled in the
Attribute of Hadi, the Guide of Humankind.
It was Muhammad who completed the
Architecture of Prophecy -- So that all 124,000 prior Prophets
could dwell in the completed Mosque of Revelation. And to ensure
that Humankind would never again fall into Darkness, save by
their own neglect; Muhammad was given the Light of the Holy
Koran which was added to the Light of his own existence. Thus it
was written in the pages of the Holy Book, “Light unto
Light.”
Muhammad was one of God’s blessings on
Earth. But the Holy Prophet wore the Cloak of Flesh and Bone
bestowed upon every man. And so to ease the fears of Humankind
that there would be no Light among them after the Prophet’s
Death, God in His Mercy created Lesser Lights. These Lesser
Lights are called the Saints of Allah. Among these Saints was
one called Dhu’l Nun. He is the subject of this discourse and
those which shall follow.
Muhammad is the Seal of Prophethood
And God’s true Friend,
Without God’s Breathe of Mercy
This World would surely end.
So every righteous Soul is found
to Plead,
And
stand before its Lord
unworthy and in Need.
I first gazed upon Dhu’l Nun as he entered
my town, in North Africa, some thirty years ago. He was tall.
His Blackness bespoke that he was a Nubian. And to me his
Blackness would always remind me of another Dark Servant of God
-- Bilal, the Companion of our Master Muhammad.
The Nubian gave no evidence that he was
different from any other man. Yet Children seemed to be attached
to him. Often they could be found running after him upon their
small legs, seeking to touch his cloak or place their small
hands upon his wooly hair. Sometimes, a Child, as is their
custom, would ask Dhu’l who had given this hair to him.
Dhu’l Nun would smile and say, “It comes from God, Great and
Glorious. He is the Giver of Life and Light to all things.”
And then he would place his own Black hand
upon their small heads and give them each a Blessing. Children
loved Dhu’l Nun so much that when he left the Mosque after Prayer
to sit beneath a tree, there could always be found one of them
in his lap. Never was there any fear in the heart of the
Child’s mother when their Child was with with Dhu’l Nun. For
it was said and written that to give anything to Dhu’l Nun was
to place it in the hands of Muhammad, May Peace and Blessings be
Upon Him. All things given to the Prophet rested in the Shade of
Divine Trust and were therefore secure.
Some said that Dhu’l Nun was the Son of
Bilal. And indeed I looked upon him as such. This was because
the Nubian’s reputation as a Singer of the Holy Koran, like
Bilal, was known throughout the Land of Believers. It is said
that the Black skinned Children of Adam are endowed with the
most beautiful voices of all Humankind. And that they will be
chosen to sing God’s Praises with the Angels in Paradise. If
this be so, Dhu’l Nun shall surely stand among them.
For I have often heard the Nubian sing the
Sura Fattah at Prayer in a manner that seemed to transport me to
the very Gates of Paradise. Often during the Saint’s reciting
of the Opening Sura, a poor Soul would enter among us declaring
that an Angel had told him to come to our Mosque. And in that
instant, this Soul would bear witness that “There is no God
but Allah. And Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Many times
that Soul would add to his Holy Declaration that “Dhu’l Nun
is the Saint of God.”
Once I asked Dhu’l Nun what was the meaning
of these incidents. He replied that the Souls that were beckoned
by the Angels are those who declared that Allah was their Lord
in Pre-Eternity. I call these Souls to Remember their Lord and
bring them through the Darkness of Disbelief to the Light of
Faith. The Words of the Holy Koran are a Bridge between Paradise
and Hellfire. When I sing the Sura Fattah the Bridge appears and
an Angel tells the Soul of the Sinner to cross.
I have said that Dhu’l Nun was the
Companion of All Children. But he held little Patience for the
Rulers of this World. Often he would stand before some Pasha or
Sharif, a Jurist, or Imam awaiting punishment for something he
said at Mosque or in the Streets. I have seen Dhu’l Nun
severely beaten for his Admonishments to the Rulers of some far
off Land. At other times, I have seen these Rulers with downcast
heads, shedding tears at the Words of Dhu’l Nun. I asked him
once why one Ruler would act to punish him; while another felt
punished by him?
In answer, the Saint declared, “Some rulers
are made for the Fire, others stumble into it.” Those who beat
me and those who my Words punish are Brothers in the Family of
Pharaohs. But each Pharaoh is different. One opposed Moses.
While another placed Yusef (Joseph) on the Throne of Egypt. One
accepted God’s Mercy on Earth. The Other was arrogant. I have
come to tell the Pharaohs of this Age that they must be Merciful
lest they be pulled from their High Places. I am here to warn
them of the Weight of their Scales. Those who weep know that
they are in peril. Those who beat me wish only that I would
leave them to dwell in the Palace of their Illusions. Such were
the Words of Dhu’l Nun!
Perhaps the most touching memory I have of
Dhu’l Nun took place within those first few days that I cast
my Eyes upon him. I saw him standing outside of the house of a
woman who had borne in this world a child who was severely
crippled. No one in our town could gaze upon the lad without
having the Well of their Heart filled with the deepest Sympathy.
And the condition of the Mother and Child was made even more
desperate by the absence of the Father whom Allah had called to
His Judgment.
There, at the door way, of this woman’s
house stood Dhu’l Nun. Upon his Lips was the Declaration:
“God is Great.” He repeated his Declaration with such force
that flecks of foam appeared upon his Lips and perspiration soon
drenched his Body.
Out of Fear, some of the townspeople sent for
the Physician thinking that Dhu’l Nun had gone mad. Upon his
arrival, the Physician, who was a learned man, recognized the
Nubian’s State. He calmed the people and waited for the State
to pass. Then he conveyed the Saint to his home and washed
Dhu’l Nun’s face with his own Hands.
Patiently the Doctor waited upon the Nubian
until he felt that Dhu’l Nun was ready to speak. Then he
listened. Dhu’l Nun Praised God for bringing him to our town
and giving him the privilege to look upon the boy. The Saint
declared the lad was a great blessing to us. God, the Nubian
declared, had placed this infirmed creature in our midst so that
we might perform Acts of Mercy. For, Dhu’l Nun stated,
whomever bestowed Love and Alms upon this lad would find that
God would bestow His Mercy and Blessings upon them.
When those in town heard what the Nubian had
proclaimed, each sought to outdo the Other in providing the lad
and his mother with all they needed. The Physician was the first
to open his purse. He paid for Doctors of the Law to teach the
lad the Higher Sciences. Other fed and clothed the humble
Family. These Acts of Mercy brought the town renown. Everywhere
in the Land of Believers people spoke of the Generosity of its
inhabitants.
In the Fullness of Time, a Great Mosque and
Hospital was built in the center of our town. And, each Day a
beautiful Voice was heard to Call the Faithful to Prayer. Each
Night, the Doors of the Mosque were opened and the Koran was
recited for all to hear. The Voice that Called the Faithful and
the Hafiz who recited the Koran was One and the Same. For they
both belonged to the crippled lad who had grown to Manhood by
the Grace of Allah.
But, by this time, the Nubian Saint had long
left our town. And, I had rolled up my own Prayer Carpet and
taken to the road as his Companion.
*
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Note: Dhu 'l-Nun -- (180/796-246/861)
-- His full name was Abu 'l-Fayd Thawban b. Ibrahim Dhu 'l-Nun
al-Misri. An important Egyptian sufi, he edited the
Commentary on the Qur’an written by Ja’far al-Sadiq. Dhu
'l-Nun was imprisoned and persecuted by Mu’tazila for his
belief that the Qur'an was uncreated. Dhu 'l-Nun, whose Arabic
name means "the holder (or possessor) of the fish,"
gained a considerable reputation as an alchemist. Although none
of his mystical writings have survived, he is created with being
the first to provide a systematic exposition of tasawwuf
(spiritual development) and its doctrines. It may also be noted
here that the prophet Jonah, called in Arabic Yunus, is also
sometimes called Dhu 'l-Nun for obvious reasons.
Dhu'l-Nun al-Misri, born in Upper Egypt
near Sudan, is regarded as the founder of Sufism.
Muslim Saints and Mystics
:
A. J. Arberry (Translator)* *
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updated 6 November 2007 |
