Al-Zulumat
Definition
Al-zulumat — layers of darkness — describes the extraordinary conditions from which Yunus called upon Allah: the darkness of the whale's belly, the darkness of the depth of the sea, and the darkness of the night above. These three layers of darkness, stacked upon one another, create a condition of total sensory deprivation and physical helplessness that Ibn Kathir presents as the context that makes Yunus's du'a so powerful: when all human resources are gone, when the body is utterly trapped and the mind has no path of escape, the heart has nothing left to turn to except God. The Prophet ﷺ said that no Muslim who calls upon Allah with Yunus's words — La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka, inni kuntu mina al-zalimin — except that Allah responds.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Al-Zulumat.
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"like drinking wine or selling it during the call to prayer. All sins are layers of darkness, and in the presence of greater sins, smaller ones may lose significance. For instance, if a servant uses a knife without permission, it is a minor issue compared to using it to commit a grave act. Prophets and saints observe etiquette that might be overlooked in jurisprudence due to necessity."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 32: Patience and Gratitude
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"The hand is guided to the site of an itch, even during sleep or heedlessness, without needing to search. All of this was created from a drop of fluid within the womb, cloaked in three layers of darkness. Even if the covering were removed, and sight extended towards it, one would observe its planning and shaping occurring gradually, yet would not perceive the planner nor their tool."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 39: The Book of Contemplation
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"the lamp within a glass, the glass like a shining star lit from a blessed olive tree. The deluded, however, have hearts like those "in darkness over a vast deep sea, covered by waves upon waves, with clouds above them—layers of darkness one above the other. If one stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it. For whoever Allah does not grant light, he will have no light."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 30: The Condemnation of Self-Delusion · playable in the free preview
Appears in
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