Lecture Ludhiana — Page 42
42 of Jonah as ? Why was the punishment which was about to visit his people averted ? It is written in Durr-e-Manthur as well as in other books, and in the Book of Jonah as , that divine punishment was destined to overtake them, but, having seen signs of the approaching doom, they repented and turned to their Creator Who forgave them and their punishment was averted. Jonah as , for his part, awaited the chastisement to visit on the appointed day, and went about asking people for the news. He enquired of a farmer about Nineveh. The man replied that all was well. At this Jonah was rather deeply dismayed and said: ‘I shall never return to my people as a liar. ’ In the pres- ence of this precedent, and a very strong Qur’anic testimony, it is against the spirit of righteousness to raise objections against any of my prophecies which were basically conditional. It is not the wont of a righteous person to blurt out opinions without forethought and be ever ready to reject. The story of Prophet Jonah as is indeed painful and piteous, and, at the same time, has a moral to convey. It is re- corded in the books, read it carefully. It goes on to tell us that Jonah as was thrown into the river and ended up in the belly of a fish. Only then was penitence accepted. Now, why was he visited by such divine chastisement and displeasure? It was because for a while he thought God was not Omnipotent enough to avert a promised retribu- tion. In spite of all this, why do you hastily pass