Tuesday, January 11, 2022

A Muslim Testimonial Describing How Elder Jonah of Kiev Saved a Muslim Village from Cholera


Elder Jonah (ca. 1794-1902) was a disciple of Saint Seraphim of Sarov who experienced many remarkable visions of the heavenly realm, was visited by Christ Himself, and quite frequently by other Saints, including the Theotokos, who instructed him to found the Holy Trinity Monastery in Kiev.

A Muslim named Medzid Hanzibiev wrote the following for The Russian Pilgrim in 1892:


Near the city of Ekaterinodar in Kuban (a region in southern Russia) is the village of Tokhtomukai, home to more than two thousand Muslims of the Caucasus.

A terrible cholera epidemic broke out in this village.

Every day 20-25 people died. The panic was indescribable. All hopes were lost because there was no medical help.

I am a resident of this village and a Muslim. I had heard from some of my acquaintances who are Russians about the holiness and power of the prayers of the abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Kiev, Elder Jonah, and I had seen with my own eyes several cases of healing in Ekaterinodar done with his prayers.

That is why on July 29, I sent a telegram to Kiev describing our drama, and asked Father Jonah for his prayers for our salvation from cholera.

I received very quickly a warm and consoling answer, that he accepted my request and prayed before the throne of God for the salvation of the village.

The telegram was followed by a blessing.

I was closely following the events in the village and every day I learned all the relevant developments regarding the cholera epidemic.

That is why I am able to assure you that from the day I sent the telegram, the death toll has dropped significantly and the disease has subsided.

In fact, no new cases of the disease have appeared since August, and not a single case of death.

Source: This letter originally appeared in The Russian Pilgrim, issue 35, in 1892. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.