The Inspiring Life of Prophet Daniyal عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام (Part 3)

Stories of the Prophets

Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام

3/3

Mawlana Abu Ubaid Attari Madani

 The Israelites were granted freedom

According to one account, a Persian king emerged victorious over Nebuchadnezzar's armies, leading to the conquest of Babylon. Allah Almighty instilled compassion in the heart of this king for the Israelites, resulting in their liberation. The king appointed Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام as the leader of the group, and they travelled to Syria.^[1] According to another narration, after Nebuchadnezzar died, his son became king. He started drinking alcohol from the vessels in Masjid al-Aqṣā that were retrieved as spoils of war. Prophet Dānyāl      عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام forbade him, but to no avail. Eventually, the Prophet عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام said, ‘You will be killed in three days.’ Three days passed and his servant killed him, and the Israelites returned to Jerusalem.^[2]

Wisdom

Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام saw the reign of different kings. A palm without a wrist appeared before a king and three sentences were written on it. Then the palm disappeared. The king was confused and could not remember what was written on the hand. He asked Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام about it, to which he replied:  

بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَحْمٰنِ الرَحِیْم! وُزِنَ فَخَفْ

“Your deeds will be weighed on the Day of Judgement, so be fearful.”

وَوُعِدَ فَنَجَزَ

“The promise for a kingdom was fulfilled.”

وَجُمِعَ فَتَفَرَّقَ

“You and your father were granted a large kingdom, which will now crumble.”^[3]

Aphorisms

Here are two pieces of wisdom from Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام.

1.   A time will come in which good people are searched for, but are as few as the number of crops left after a harvest or the number of fruits left behind by the picker.^[4]

2.   Nebuchadnezzar asked Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام, “What gave me power over your people?” The Prophet عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام answered, “Your sins were many, and my people fell prey to disobeying Allah.”^[5]

Will

As Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام approached the end of his life, he faced the dilemma of finding a guardian for the book of Allah Almighty. Unable to find anyone worthy enough, he decided to entrust the preservation of the sacred scripture to Allah Himself. Instructing his son, he said, "Go to the coast and place it in the sea.” His son embarked on the journey. However, upon his return, when Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام inquired about what transpired when the book was immersed in the sea, his son replied that he had not witnessed anything remarkable. Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام was enraged. “By Allah!” he roared. “You have not done what I instructed.” The son took the book and went again. He returned and said, “I put the book in the sea.” His father asked, “What did you observe in the sea?” His son answered, “I saw large waves crashing into each other.” Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام became even more upset and said, “You have still not acted upon my command.” His son went for a third time. When he placed the book into the sea, the sea split asunder, revealing the seabed. Then the earth split, and the surroundings became illuminated. The book disappeared into the light, the earth closed, and the seawater merged once again.

The son returned and told his father what happened. Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام said, “Now you have told the truth.” Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام passed away in the city of Sus.^[6] According to another opinion, he passed away in Babylon.^[7]

Muslims reach His Blessed Body

Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام prayed to Allah that the Muslims should bury him.^[8] In the year 19 AH, Sayyidunā Abū Mūsā al-AshꜤarī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ conquered the city of Sus and killed the king. He found a lot of war spoils in the palace, but then he found a locked door. He asked the residents of the city, “What is in this room?” They replied, “There is nothing of use in there.” He said, “Entering it is now imperative. Open it so that I may see what is inside.” The lock was broken and the door was opened. Entering the room, he found a coffin housing a deceased person wrapped in a shroud made of gold wires. His face was not covered and the flow of blood coursing through the body was evident. The nose was larger than a handspan. Sayyidunā Abū Mūsā al-AshꜤarī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ and the Muslims were amazed at the stature and freshness of the deceased.^[9]

Possessions

He had a box which contained a book, two hanks of silk, and there were sixty closed earthen jars which stored 10,000 dirhams each.^[10] There was a message written next to it that the money could be borrowed but must be paid back on time, otherwise the borrower would suffer from leprosy.^[11]

Seeking Rain

Sayyidunā Abū Mūsā al-AshꜤarī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ said, “Who is this?” The people of the city replied, “He lived in Iraq. Whenever there was a drought, the people of Iraq would seek rain through him, and it would rain. We had a drought too, and we asked if he could be brought to us, but they declined. Therefore, we sent 50 of our people as a pledge and brought him here. We sought rain through him, and it started to rain. Then we decided to keep him here and not return him.” Sayyidunā Abū Mūsā AshꜤarī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ wrote down the whole account and informed the second Caliph of Islam, Sayyidunā ꜤUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ. Sayyiduna ꜤUmar رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ consulted the senior Companions. Sayyiduna ꜤAlī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ said, “This is Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام who lived in the time of Nebuchadnezzar and other kings.”^[12]

Letter of Sayyiduna ‘Umar رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ

Sayyidunā ꜤUmar رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ replied with a letter: “This is the Prophet of Allah (Dānyāl) عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام. He prayed that the Muslims should be his inheritors.^[13] Deposit his wealth into the treasury and bathe the body in water infused with jujube leaves and sweet basil flowers. Shroud him, apply fragrance, and perform his funeral prayer. Then bury him as the Prophets of Allah should be buried.^[14] We have gifted you his ring.”^[15] The ring had a red gem in it.^[16] According to one narration, Sayyidunā Abū Mūsā al-AshꜤarī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ hugged and kissed Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام.^[17]

Preservation of the body

Sayyidunā Abū Mūsā al-AshꜤarī رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ asked the residents, “How long have you kept his body here?” They responded, “For 300 years.” “Did the body change in any way?” he asked. The people said, “Apart from the hair on the nape, nothing has changed because the bodies of the prophets cannot be consumed by beasts or the earth.”^[18]

Burial

Sayyiduna ꜤUmar’s letter also instructed the Muslim forces to hide the grave from everyone.^[19] According to one narration, thirteen graves were dug during the day and Prophet Dānyāl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام was buried at night in one of them. The graves were sealed so people were unable to dig out the body of the Prophet.^[20]