Ahmed elzahrani

“The Holy Quran narrated several accounts of the Prophet Yunus (Jonah) —peace be upon him— and mentioned his name in multiple places, both explicitly and through allusion, as shown in the following verses:”
فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ آمَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَا إِيمَانُهَا إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّا آمَنُوا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ الْخِزْيِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَاهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ﴾
Then has there not been a [single] city that believed so its faith benefited it except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in worldly life and gave them enjoyment for a time.
وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
And indeed, Jonah was among the messengers.
إِنَّا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ كَمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ نُوحٍ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ مِن بَعْدِهِ ۚ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَعِيسَىٰ وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُونُسَ وَهَارُونَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ ۚ وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا ﴿١٦٣ النساء
Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].
﴿وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَالْيَسَعَ وَيُونُسَ وَلُوطًا ۚ وَكُلًّا فَضَّلْنَا عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ﴾
And Ismael and Elisha and Jonah and Lot – and all [of them] We preferred over the worlds.
وَذَا النُّونِ إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ نَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَى فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ * فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَكَذَلِكَ نُنْجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him. And he called out within the darknesses, “There is no deity
except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.”
﴿ فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَىٰ وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ﴾
So wait with patience for the Decision of your Lord, and be not like the Companion of the Fish, when he cried out (to Us) while he was in deep sorrow

The Qur’an mentions several stories about the Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him). This text discusses one aspect of those stories, though not all of them. His story appears in verses where Allah addressed the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), saying:
وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَى وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ)
“And do not be like the companion of the fish when he called out while he was distressed.”
So wait with patience for the Decision of your Lord, and be not like the Companion of the Fish, when he cried out (to Us) while he was in deep sorrow. (See the Quran,
In these verses, Allah warns the Prophet not to display certain qualities that Yunus (peace be upon him) had shown at that moment—such as anger, frustration, impatience with his people’s rejection of his message, hastiness in judging them, and leaving them. The word makẓūm means someone who is filled with worry, grief, and distress.

Yunus (peace be upon him) left his people and headed toward the sea. There he found a ship full of passengers and boarded it. As they sailed, strong waves arose, and the ship struggled in the middle of the sea because it could not carry everyone on board. The passengers consulted each other and agreed to draw lots: whoever’s name appeared would be thrown into the sea to lighten the ship. Yunus’s name appeared, but they refused to throw him overboard the first time because he was a righteous man.

They repeated the drawing several times, and each time his name appeared. Eventually they decided to throw him into the sea, as this was what Allah had decreed. When he was cast into the sea, a great whale swallowed him. Allah commanded the whale to swallow Yunus without crushing his bones or tearing his flesh. Thus, he remained alive inside the whale.

Inside the belly of the whale, Yunus turned it into a place of worship. He began remembering Allah, glorifying Him, and praying for deliverance. He admitted his mistake and repented after experiencing the hardship of being confined inside the whale. Three layers of darkness surrounded him: the darkness of the night, the darkness of the sea, and the darkness of the whale’s belly.

Allah described this in the verse:

“And [mention] Dhun-Nun (Yunus) when he went off in anger and thought that We would not restrict him. Then he called out in the darkness: ‘There is no deity except You; glory be to You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.’”

Allah answered his prayer after teaching him what to say, and He knew of his prayers and glorification. Allah said:

“So We responded to him and saved him from the distress.”

Allah then completed His favor upon him and commanded the whale to cast him onto the shore. Yunus was weak and ill. Allah says:

“Then We cast him onto the open shore while he was sick. And We caused a plant of gourd (yaqtīn) to grow over him.”

Allah honored him and blessed him. The plant of yaqtīn refers to plants that grow without a strong trunk and have large leaves that can provide shade. Allah caused it to grow for several reasons: it provided food and medicine, its fruits could be eaten throughout their growth stages, and flies do not come near it. In addition, Allah prepared for him an animal whose milk he could drink. He remained in this state until he regained his strength and health.

Then Allah blessed him again with prophethood and sent him back to a people who believed in him and followed his message. What happened to Yunus (peace be upon him) was a form of discipline and purification. The evidence for this is that Allah returned him to his main mission—calling people to faith.

It is important to note that no one should believe that Prophet Yunus possessed any blameworthy or deficient qualities. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prevented such an idea when he said:

“It is not appropriate for a servant to say: I am better than Yunus ibn Matta.”

Summary:
Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) repeatedly called his people to faith, but when he despaired of their response, he left them and boarded a ship. When the ship became too heavy, they decided to throw one passenger overboard, and Yunus was cast into the sea. A whale swallowed him, and he remained in its belly remembering Allah until Allah saved him. He then returned to his people and found that they had repented and turned back to Allah.