Prophet Jeremiah (4:164; 40:78)

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allâh, the Rahmân, the Merciful

اللهم صل وسلم وبارك على نبينا وسيدنا ومولانا محمد

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

وَلَقَدۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلًا مِّنۡ قَبۡلِکَ مِنۡہُمۡ مَّنۡ قَصَصۡنَا عَلَیۡکَ وَمِنۡہُمۡ مَّنۡ لَّمۡ نَقۡصُصۡ عَلَیۡکَ ؕ وَمَا کَانَ لِرَسُوۡلٍ اَنۡ یَّاۡتِیَ بِاٰیَۃٍ اِلَّا بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰہِ

And We sent Messengers before you, of them are some We have mentioned to you and of them are some We have not mentioned to you. And it is not for the Messenger to bring a Sign except by the leave of Allah

(Surah 40, Ayah 78)

Among the Messengers of God explicitly mentioned in the Quran are Noah, Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Elias, Elisha, Jonas, Zechariah, John, Jesus, and the final Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon them all.

However, the Prophet Jeremiah, despite not being explicitly named in the Quran, was certainly one of the Messengers who falls under the category of minhum man lam naqšuš ‘alayka ‘of those We have not mentioned to you’. Wahb bin Munabbih, Mujahid bin Jabr, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Ibn Asakir, Ibn Kathir and other Muslim scholars and historians have all affirmed the Prophesy of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah.

This great Prophet is best known for his prophesying of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, in the sixth century before the common era, because of the corruption and wickedness of the Jews. He preached a message of repentance, condemning idolatry that was rife in Judah, as well as social injustice.

Among the features of Jeremiah’s Prophesy was the performance of symbolic actions, such as placing a yoke on his neck to symbolize the captivity the Jews would soon suffer under Babylon. This type of Prophetic activity is also associated with Ezekiel. It may be said that our own Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم likewise performed a symbolic act of prophesy and explained it too when he struck a boulder thrice breaking it up into pieces while the Trench was being dug. With each strike of his spade there was a flash of light, and he declared after the first strike: “Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys of the Levant. And by Allah I am viewing its red palaces now from this place” and upon the second strike, “Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys of Persia, and by Allah I am viewing the white palace of Mada’in now” and upon the third strike, “Allahu Akbar! I have been given the keys of Yemen, and by Allah I am viewing the gate of San’a”

Returning to the Prophesy of Jeremiah عليه السلام we find that while Jerusalem was being besieged by the Babylonians, Jeremiah preached that the Jews should surrender to them and thus save their lives. This caused great controversy that the Jewish princes and nobles complained to King Zedekiah, saying that Jeremiah’s prophesying of doom was demoralizing the troops defending the city and so he should be imprisoned. King Zedekiah permitted them to do so, and they lowered him into the cistern where he would have starved to death were it not for the intercession of the eunuch Ebedmelech the Ethiopian. The enemies of the Jeremiah, especially the false prophets, would accuse him of treason, and attempted to counter his Prophesy by predicting that Judah would instead be blessed, victorious and prosperous.

Surely, the Prophesy of Jeremiah is relevant to the situation of the Muslims today. For example, the present siege of Gaza by the Zionist forces has resulted in considerable death, destruction and human suffering for the Palestinian Muslims. Many are even describing it as a genocide. Now the question arises what should the reaction of the Palestinian Muslims in Gaza be to this calamity? Should they, as most seem to agree, resist bravely through Jihad and embrace the opportunity for martyrdom? That would certainly be the right path in a scenario where the Palestinian Muslims are a nation that is generally upright and obedient. But the truth is that while it cannot be said that they have become totally corrupt and wicked they are not exactly the most righteous and zealous for the Faith either. It would not be wrong for the Rabbaniyyun to preach a message of repentance and rectification to them and indeed to the Ummah more broadly. If one like Prophet Jeremiah appeared in their midst calling them to not only surrender to the Zionists and give up the futile effort of armed resistance but more importantly to repent from disobedience and immorality too, he should by no means be deemed a traitor but rather a well wisher of the nation. But this is not a matter that is clear, for the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم has reportedly said:

لَا ‌تَزَالُ ‌طَائِفةٌ ‌مِنْ ‌أُمَّتِي ‌يُقَاتِلُونَ ‌عَلَى ‌أبوَابِ ‌دِمَشْقَ ‌وَمَا ‌حَوْلَهُ وَعَلَى أبْوَابِ بَيْتِ المَقْدِسِ وَمَا حَوْلَهُ لَا يَضُرهُم خُذلَانُ مَن خَذَلَهُمْ ظَاهِرِينَ عَلَى الحَقِّ إلَى أَنْ تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ

There will not cease to be a faction of my Ummah that will fight at the gates of Damascus and its vicinity, and at the gates of the Holy Place [Jerusalem] and its vicinity. They will not be harmed by the blamers of those who blame them. They are manifest upon the Truth until the establishment of the Hour

(al-Mu’jam al-Awsat lil—Tabarani)

Indeed, there is the directive of Jihad in this Religion which can never be abandoned as long as the conditions of its validity are met. Nevertheless, there are forces that Allah Himself empowers from among the pagans and unbelievers who are His instrument in exacting retribution against this Ummah when it falters and incurs His wrath. That is from the Sunnah of Allah, and He does not alter His Sunnah. Concerning Gog and Magog, Allah عز وجل says that they are servants of His whom none is able to fight:

فَإِنِّي قَدْ أَنْزَلْتُ عِبَادًا لِي لاَ يَدَىْ لأَحَدٍ بِقِتَالِهِمْ

For I have sent servants of Mine whom none dare to fight them

(Sahih Muslim)

Neither did Dhul—Qarnayn directly confront the nations of Gog and Magog nor will the Messiah Jesus عليه السلام do so when he descends in the Latter Days. While the Zionist forces are not Gog and Magog and they are obviously not invincible, the Muslims will be unable to overcome them while we are in a state of moral corruption and disobedience to Allah.