The Story of Yunus (AS)
📘 From Surah Al-Anbiya & Tafseer As-Sa‘di
Surah al-Anbiya (21:87)
وَذَا النُّونِ إِذْ ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ نَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَى فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
Translation
And [remember] Dhun-Noon [Yunus], when he departed in anger, thinking that We would not punish him. Then he called out in the depths of darkness: There is no god but You. Glory be to You; I have indeed done wrong.
Surah al-Anbiya (21:88)
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُنجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Translation
So We answered his prayer and delivered him from his distress; thus do We deliver the believers.
That is, remember Our slave and Messenger Dhun-Noon, namely Yunus (ʿalayhi as-salām), the one who was swallowed by the fish. Remember him in the best terms and praise him. Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā) sent him to his people, and he called them, but they did not believe. So, he warned them of the punishment that would befall them at a set time of which he had informed them.
The punishment came to them, and they saw it with their own eyes. They turned to Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā), beseeching and repenting, and Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā) spared them from the punishment, as He says elsewhere:
فَلَوۡلَا كَانَتۡ قَرۡيَةٌ اٰمَنَتۡ فَنَفَعَهَاۤ اِيۡمَانُهَاۤ اِلَّا قَوۡمَ يُوۡنُسَ ۚؕ لَمَّاۤ اٰمَنُوۡا كَشَفۡنَا عَنۡهُمۡ عَذَابَ الۡخِزۡىِ فِى الۡحَيٰوةِ الدُّنۡيَا وَمَتَّعۡنٰهُمۡ اِلٰى حِيۡنٍ ٩٨
“There was no city that believed [after seeing the punishment] and benefitted from its faith except the people of Yunus. When they believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in this world and allowed them to enjoy life for a while.”
(Yunus 10:98)
And He said:
وَاَرۡسَلۡنٰهُ اِلٰى مِائَةِ اَلۡفٍ اَوۡ يَزِيۡدُوۡنَۚ ١٤٧
فَاٰمَنُوۡا فَمَتَّعۡنٰهُمۡ اِلٰى حِيۡنٍؕ ١٤٨
“We sent him as a Messenger to a hundred thousand people or more, and they believed, so We allowed them to enjoy life for a while.”
(As-Sāffāt 37:147–148)
This great nation that believed in the call of Yunus (ʿalayhi as-salām) was one of his greatest virtues. However, he departed in anger and ran away to the fully laden ship due to some sin, which Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā) has not disclosed in His Book. We have no need to know what it was, as Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā) tells us:
اِذۡ اَبَقَ اِلَى الۡفُلۡكِ الۡمَشۡحُوۡنِۙ ١٤٠
فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الۡمُدۡحَضِيۡنَۚ ١٤١
فَالۡتَقَمَهُ الۡحُوۡتُ وَهُوَ مُلِيۡمٌ ١٤٢
“He ran away to the fully-laden ship, then he drew lots with them, and he was one of those who lost. Then the fish swallowed him. He had done an act worthy of blame.”
(As-Sāffāt 37:140–142)
What appears to be the case is that this refers to his hastening to leave his people — getting angry with them, and leaving before Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā) instructed him to do so — and thinking that Allah would not punish him for that and would not confine him in the belly of the fish. Or perhaps he thought that he could escape the punishment of Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā). There is nothing wrong with such a thought crossing the mind of people of perfect character, as long as it does not take root or persist.
So he embarked on the ship with some other people, and they cast lots to determine which of them should be thrown into the sea, because they feared they would drown if they all remained on board. The lot fell to Yunus (ʿalayhi as-salām), so he was thrown overboard, and the fish swallowed him and took him down to the darkest depths of the sea.
In the depths of darkness, he called out:
لَّاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡتَ سُبۡحٰنَكَ ۖ اِنِّىۡ كُنۡتُ مِنَ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ ۖ ۚ٨٧ۚ
“There is no god but You. Glory be to You; I have indeed done wrong.”
(Al-Anbiyā 21:87)
Thus, he affirmed the perfect divinity of Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā), declaring Him to be above any shortcomings, defects, or faults, and he acknowledged his own wrongdoing and transgression.
Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā) said:
فَلَوۡلَاۤ اَنَّهٗ كَانَ مِنَ الۡمُسَبِّحِيۡنَۙ ١٤٣
لَلَبِثَ فِىۡ بَطۡنِهٖۤ اِلٰى يَوۡمِ يُبۡعَثُوۡنَۚ ١٤٤
“Were it not for the fact that he was one of those who glorified Allah a great deal, he would have remained in its belly until the Day of Resurrection.”
(As-Sāffāt 37:143–144)
Hence, Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā) says:
فَاسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَهٗۙ وَنَجَّيۡنٰهُ مِنَ الۡـغَمِّؕ وَكَذٰلِكَ نُـنْجِى الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ ٨٨
“So We answered his prayer and delivered him from his distress; thus do We deliver the believers.”
(Al-Anbiyā 21:88)
That is, from the hardship he had fallen into. This is a promise and glad tidings to every believer who falls into hardship and distress — that Allah (Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā) will save him from it, will grant him relief, and will alleviate his distress — because of his faith, just as He did in the case of Yunus (ʿalayhi as-salām).
Note: In Sharḥ ad-Du‘ā’ min al-Kitāb wa’s-Sunnah (p. 81), it says:
In this verse, Allah promises the one who calls upon Him in supplication that He will respond, just as He responded to Dhun-Noon, and that He will save him as He saved Dhun-Noon. That promise is found in His words:
“And thus do We save the believers.”
This is because his supplication combines all types of Tawḥīd:
- Affirmation of the Oneness of Allah, may He be blessed and exalted.
- Declaring Allah to be far above any injustice, for His justice and wisdom are perfect.
- Acknowledging one’s own sin.
- Observing proper etiquette in supplication, as Dhun-Noon did not ask Allah, may He be exalted, through a direct request; rather, he merely hinted at his situation.
End quote.
May Allah ﷻ forgive us.
Aameen!
The Enduring Good Deeds 