Yunus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) [Jonah] and the Whale
Introduction
The Prophet of Allah, Yunus (Jonah) has a very wonderful and extraordinary story. He was thrown into the sea and swallowed by a whale. He supplicated for his Lord’s Help, and Allah saved him by commanding the whale to throw him to the seashore. This hadith clarifies what the Qur’an mentions about Yunus (Jonah) and provides the reasons for his anger, and why he set out for the sea away from his people and homeland.
Text of the Hadith
Abdullah bin Mas’ud said,
“Yunus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) had promised his people that they would be punished by Allah within three days, so they separated every mother from her child and went out to supplicate to Allah, asking him for forgiveness. Consequently, Allah halted the approaching punishment. Yunus kept waiting for the punishment but did not see anything. Yunus became very angry with his people, because they would kill anyone who lied without any evidence. Therefore, he departed from his people until he came upon some people in a ship. They recognized him and took him on board. After the ship started to sail, it stopped suddenly while ships on its right and left were still moving. Yunus said, ‘What’s wrong with your ship?’ They said, ‘We do not know.’ He said, ‘But I know! There is one among you who is running away from his Lord, and by Allah, it will not move until you throw him overboard. They said, ‘As for you, you are the Prophet of Allah, by Allah we will not throw you overboard.’
Yunus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) said to them, ‘Cast lots.’ Anyone who is chosen will be thrown overboard. They drew lots and Yunus was chosen three times.
Therefore, he jumped and Allah had assigned a whale to swallow him. The whale swallowed him and dove with him to the bottom of the sea. Thus Yunus heard the supplication of the stones.
فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
“…But he cried through the darkness saying none has the right to be worshipped but You, Glorified and Exalted You be above all that evil they associate with You.” [Qur’an 21: 87]
There were three layers of darkness, the whale’s stomach, the sea, and the night.
لَّوْلَآ أَن تَدَٰرَكَهُ ۥ نِعْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ ۦ لَنُبِذَ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ مَذْمُومٌ
“Had not a grace from his Lord reached him, he would indeed have been left [in the stomach of the fish] but We forgave him so he was cast off in the barren shore, while he was to be blamed.” [Qur’an 68: 49]
After being thrown on shore, he looked like the bird whose feathers had been plucked. Allah grew gourd plant over him and he (Yunus) used to sit in its shade and to eat from it until it dried which made him cry. Allah revealed to him, “Do you cry for a tree that withered and died and you do not cry for one hundred thousand or more whom you wanted to die?”
He then went out from his shelter and saw a boy with some goats. Yunus asked, “To whom do you belong to, boy?” He replied, ‘I am from Yunus’s people.’ He said, ‘If you go back to them convey my greetings and tell them that you have met Yunus.’ The boy added, ‘If you are Yunus, then you must know that anyone who lies and does not have proof will be killed. Who will give proof to what I say?’ Yunus answered, “This tree and this place.” The boy then said to Yunus, ‘Order them.’ So Yunus ordered them, saying, ‘If this boy comes back to you, attest to what he says.’ They replied, ‘Yes.’
The boy went back to his people and had powerful brothers who protected him. He went to the king and announced, I have met Yunus and he sends you his salam (greeting). The king ordered that the boy be killed, but then the boy offered proof whereby the king sent some people with him. They all went to the tree and the place and the boy pleaded, I appeal to you in Allah’s Name, have you seen Yunus? They replied, ‘Yes.’ The frightened men returned to the boy announcing, The trees and the land certify your words. They went to the king and told him about what they saw. The king took the boy’s hand, seated him in his place, and said, ‘You deserve this place more than I do.’ Indeed, that boy ruled them for forty years.”
[This hadith was narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in his book, 1\541, hadith no.1195, in the chapter: “The Virtues of Yunus.” As-Suyuti narrated it quoting it from Ibn Abi Shaybah in his book Ad-Dur al-Manthur. It is also narrated in Fath al-Bari, 6\452. Ibrahim al-‘Ali narrated it in his book Al-Ahadith as-Sahihah min Akhbar wa Qasas al-Anbiya’, 122, hadith no.177.]
Explanation of the Hadith
Yunus (Jonah) bin Matta (son of Amittai) was a Prophet and a Messenger who received revelation like other Messengers. Allah says:
وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ
“And Yunus was one of the Messengers.” [Qur’an 37: 139]
وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْمَٰعِيلَ وَإِسْحَٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَٱلْأَسْبَاطِ وَعِيسَىٰ وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُونُسَ وَهَٰرُونَ وَسُلَيْمَٰنَ ۚ وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُۥدَ زَبُورًا
“… We have sent the revelation to Ibrahim (Abraham), Ishmael, Ishaq (Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob) and al-Asbat [offspring of the twelve sons of Jacob], Isa (Jesus), Ayyub (Job), Yunus (Jonah), Harun (Aaron) and Sulayman (Solomon) and to Dawud (David) we gave Zabur (Psalms).” [Qur’an 4: 163]
Yunus is also one of the righteous people who were preferred by Allah.
وَإِسْمَٰعِيلَ وَٱلْيَسَعَ وَيُونُسَ وَلُوطًا ۚ وَكُلًّا فَضَّلْنَا عَلَى ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
“And Ishmael and Al-Yasa‘ (Elisha) and Yunus (Jonah) and Lut (Lot) and each one of them We preferred above mankind and jinn [of their times].” [Qur’an 6: 86]
Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted, tells us that Yunus left in anger.
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَٰضِبًا
“And Yunus when he went off in anger…” [Qur’an 21: 87]
وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ، إِذْ أَبَقَ إِلَى ٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلْمَشْحُونِ
“And Yunus was one of the Messengers, when he ran to the laden ship.” [Qur’an 37: 139-140]
Our Messenger (ﷺ) explained why Yunus went off angrily. He had promised his people that after three days they were going to be tortured for their continuous disbelief. When they were sure of the coming torture, they repented and returned to Allah regretting all that they had done. As our Messenger (ﷺ) told us, they separated all of the mothers and animals from their offspring and started begging and supplicating to Allah. Their voices intermixed while mothers and sons cried and others were begging and praying, so Allah halted their impending torture.
Ibn Kathir said that Ibn Mas’ud, Mujahid, Sa’id bin Jubayr, and others had reported:
“When Yunus went off and his people were certain that torture was coming, Allah sent repentance and regret into their hearts. They had separated each mother from her offspring before they started crying, begging, and praying. Men, women, sons, and daughters all cried. All of the cattle, goats, horses, cows, and sheep shouted as a result of being separated from their babies. It was such a great hour, but Allah with His Power and Mercy removed the torture that beset them like pieces of dark night.” That was the reason Allah said:
فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ ءَامَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَآ إِيمَٰنُهَآ إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّآ ءَامَنُوا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ ٱلْخِزْىِ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَٰهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ
“Was there any town that believed after seeing the punishment and its faith [at the moment] saved it [from the punishment]? [The answer is none] except the people of Yunus (Jonah), when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in life of the [present] world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while.” [Qur’an 10: 98]
After the three days that Yunus had promised regarding the punishment had passed, he returned to observe what happened to his people. He must have been away from them during these days; hence, he did not have any knowledge of their repentance. He found them safe and sound, and that made him very angry. He felt afraid of being accused of lying since liars were executed. Therefore, he escaped. He walked until he reached the seashore. It seems he left without asking for Allah’s Permission to leave, and so he was described as one who ran away.
وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ، إِذْ أَبَقَ إِلَى ٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلْمَشْحُونِ
“And Yunus was one of the Messengers, when he ran to the laden ship.” [Qur’an 37: 139-140]
Yunus should have accepted Allah’s Fate and submitted to His Orders. A worshipper has no right of getting angry for what his Lord commands. Yunus had no right to leave without Allah’s Permission. Therefore, Allah advised our Messenger not to be like the companion of the fish, Yunus.
فَٱصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُن كَصَاحِبِ ٱلْحُوتِ
“So wait with patience for the decision of your Lord, and be not like the companion of the fish…” [Qur’an 68: 48]
When he had reached the seashore, he found some people in a ship who recognized him, and because he requested to board, they allowed him on the ship. When the ship was in the middle of the sea, it stopped moving. It was strange because ships on its right and left were still moving while the ship Yunus was on was immobile.[1] Yunus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) knew that he was the cause and told them that the ship was immobile because there was a worshipper who ran away from his Lord on board, implicating himself. He told them that it would not move until that person was thrown overboard. Only then, it would proceed like other ships. They refused to throw him knowing that he was a prophet who was of a dignified status by his Lord. Yunus then said, ‘Cast lots so the one who is chosen will be thrown into the sea.’ They did and he was chosen three times. Allah refers to this saying:
فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُدْحَضِينَ
“Then he agreed to cast lots and he was among the losers.” [Qur’an 37: 141]
When Yunus saw that, he threw himself in the sea and a huge whale appeared. People on the ship could see the whale swallowing Yunus. Thus, they were sure that he died since no one before him was known to have survived being swallowed by a whale.
فَٱلْتَقَمَهُ ٱلْحُوتُ وَهُوَ مُلِيمٌ
“Then the big fish swallowed him and he had done an act worthy of blame.” [Qur’an 37: 142]
He was held accountable for leaving his people in anger because he didn’t find them tortured. In addition, he left them without taking permission from Allah. Allah commanded the whale not to hurt Yunus, the righteous worshipper. The whale then dove with him down to the bottom of the sea. He was surrounded by the darkness of the sea, the whale’s belly, and the night. He heard the stones at the bottom of the sea glorifying their Lord. Hence, he supplicated to his Lord admitting his mistakes and repenting for all that he did.
فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
“…But he cried through the darkness saying, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but You, Glorified and Exalted. I was indeed wrong.'” [Qur’an 21:87]
Allah, who knows all the secrets we hide and removes all distress, hears our voices no matter how weak they become. He accepts our supplications and responds to them even if they are tremendous. [Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah, 1\233]
فَٱسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ ۥ وَنَجَّيْنَٰهُ مِنَ ٱلْغَمِّ
“So We answered his call and removed the distress that was in him…” [Qur’an 21: 88]
Had Yunus not glorified his Lord and repented to Him, he would have died in the whale’s belly and remained there until the Day of Resurrection.
فَلَوْلَآ أَنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسَبِّحِينَ، لَلَبِثَ فِى بَطْنِهِ ۦٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ
“Had he not been of those who glorified Allah, he would have indeed remained inside its belly until the Day of Resurrection.” [Qur’an 37: 143-144]
After his supplications, Allah had ordered the whale to throw Yunus onto the shore. On shore, he became sick. His body was weakened as his skin was almost worn out.
فَنَبَذْنَٰهُ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ سَقِيمٌ
“But we cast him forth on the naked shore while he was very sick.” [Qur’an 37: 145]
Our Messenger (ﷺ) compared Yunus to that of a bird whose feathers were plucked because of the way Yunus’s skin shriveled up from the digestive acids of the whale’s stomach. Afterwards, Allah produced a gourd plant to grow over him protecting him.
وَأَنۢبَتْنَا عَلَيْهِ شَجَرَةً مِّن يَقْطِينٍ
“And We caused a gourd plant to grow over him.” [Qur’an 37: 146]
Those who have medical knowledge recommend squash for its healthy nutrients that suit people with weak stomachs and those who have fever. Its water quenches thirst and cures headaches. Recent medicine has proven that squash is a diuretic, helps the digestive system, acts as a tranquilizer and a refresher, purifies the chest, and can be used to cure many diseases. [Sahih Al-Bukhari, 6\450, Sahih Muslim 1\152, hadith no.166]
Our Messenger (ﷺ) told us that Yunus used to sit in the shade of that plant. He ate from it until after some time, it dried up. Yunus then cried for that plant and Allah revealed to him, “Do you cry for a tree that dried up and you do not cry for one hundred thousand or more you wanted to die?”
After Yunus had recovered and was able to move, he started walking around until he saw a boy with some sheep. Yunus asked him about his people. The boy told him that he was from the people of Yunus. Yunus asked him to send greetings to his people and to tell them that he had met Yunus. The boy was very intelligent and knew how his people punish liars; thus, he said to Yunus, “If you are Yunus, then you must know that anyone who lies and does not have proof will be killed. Who will testify to my words?” Yunus said, “This plant and this place will testify to you.”
The boy then said, “Order them.” He meant order them to testify. Then Yunus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) said to them, ‘If this boy comes back, will you testify to his words.’ They said, ‘Yes, this all happened by Allah’s Power.’
Afterward, the boy returned to his people. Fortunately, he could get protections from his brothers who were powerful and of high status among their people. The boy went to the king and told him about his meeting with Yunus. It seems the king and his people were convinced that Yunus had died when the people on board of the ship notified them of Yunus’s jumping overboard into the sea and the whale’s swallowing him. Therefore, the boy’s story was considered a lie and the king ordered that the boy be killed immediately. The boy then told the king that he had proof he was telling the truth. The king sent some of his elite to verify his story with the boy and when they reached the location with the plant, the boy addressed them saying, “I beg you by Allah, have you been asked by Yunus to be a witness?” They responded, “Yes.”
Frightened, the men returned to tell the king about everything they had seen and heard. The king held the boy’s hand and directed him to sit in his place, and announced, “You deserve this position more than I do.”
Our Messenger (ﷺ) went on to say that the boy ruled for forty years during which he solved the problems of his people. It seems the reasoning behind Yunus ordering the boy to greet his people on his behalf and to declare to them that Yunus was still alive was to prove to Yunus’s people that he did not lie and that all of the events which occurred were preordained by Allah. The testimony of the plant and the location was also a sign on Yunus’s behalf proving he was a prophet and prophets do not lie.
The texts we have show that Yunus returned to his people after they began to practice their religion again. Allah says:
وَأَرْسَلْنَٰهُ إِلَىٰ مِا۟ئَةِ أَلْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ
“And we sent him to a hundred thousand or even more.” [Qur’an 37: 147]
Story in the Torah
This story has a whole Chapter in the Torah called Jonah, son of Amittai. The Torah states that Jonah was one of the Prophets of Banī Isra’il. There is no doubt the story of the Torah and the Qur’an discuss the same person since the names and stories are similar. In the Qur’an, he is called Yūnus and in the Torah, Jonah. Hadiths narrated by the Prophet (ﷺ) referred to this prophet as Yūnus bin Matta.[2] The version in the Torah, however, does suffer from some falsifications.
The origin of the name Jonah for the Jews is Jonathan (Yonāthān) which means “the Gift of Allah,” The Torah interpreters say, ‘Yahweh gave’ which means ‘Allah gave’, since Yahweh in the Torah means Allah.[3]
The Torah mentions that Jonah was from a Palestinian city called Gethhepher. (2 Kings 14:25) This city is three miles away from Nazareth. A grandson of Israel called Zebulon used to live in the same city. (Joshua, 19:10-16) Authors of the Torah claim Jonah was from the Zebulon tribe. Only Allah knows how accurate these claims are.
Authors of the Torah also claim that when the corruption of the people of Nineveh increased, Allah sent Jonah from his city in Palestine to Nineveh, a big city near al-Mosul in Iraq, to warn them about Allah’s Anger and impending Punishment. Jonah refused to go to Nineveh feeling afraid of the violence of its people. He escaped from Allah, Glorified and Exalted, and boarded a ship from Jaffa to a distant city called Tarshish. The authors of the Torah claim that Tarshish is in Morocco or Spain. Furthermore, it is not understandable how Jonah could be a Prophet and think he could escape from Allah.
When the ship was in the middle of the sea, the sea surged and the ship was about to capsize. Therefore, the people on board started throwing their luggage overboard so that the ship would not sink. At that time, Jonah was sleeping in the bottom of the ship. The ship’s captain woke him up asking him to supplicate to his Lord to save them from the impending danger.
Some of the passengers suggested casting lots in order to discover the man who caused their distress and Jonah was chosen. They asked him to tell his story which proves that they were not familiar with him when they took him onboard. After realizing he was running away from Allah, they became frightened. He knew that the surging of the sea was because of him and implored them to throw him overboard so that they might be saved from Allah’s Wrath. They threw him overboard and a whale swallowed him. The whale kept him there for three days and three nights. The authors of the Torah described his supplication, however it is different from the one mentioned in the Qur’an. Allah ordered the whale to cast Jonah onto the shore and then ordered Him to go to Nineveh to warn its people against the torture that would be coming within forty days.
When the Nineveh people heard about the imminent torture, they repented, believed, and started their crying and supplications. Allah then bestowed His Mercy on them and forgave them. That annoyed Jonah, making him despondent. Confused, he asked his Lord why He forgave them. Jonah then left to the eastern part of the city and sat under an awning he made to watch the punishment that would befall the city. Allah allowed a big gourd vine to grow over the awning, providing shade and cheer for Jonah. He was quite content with it. The next day at dawn, it was dried up and dead, because Allah had sent a worm to eat the plant. Jonah felt extreme sorrow for the loss of the vine. Why had he felt deeply saddened for the death of the gourd, but when the people of Nineveh were not punished, which would have caused a massive number of deaths, he was angered? Consequently, Allah held Jonah to account.
Jonah 1:1-17 says, “1:1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 1:4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 1:5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 1:6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O’ sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. 1:7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 1:8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? And whence comest thou? What is thy country? And of what people art thou? 1:9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 1:10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 1:11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? For the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 1:12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 1:13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 1:14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O’ Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O’ Lord, hast done as it pleased thee. 1:15 So they look up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 1:16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows. 1:17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
The second Chapter says, “2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. 2:3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. 2:4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 2:5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 2:6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O’ Lord my God. 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. 2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. 2:10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”
The third Chapter says, “3:1 And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 3:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days journey. 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. 3:6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”
The fourth Chapter says, “4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.4:2 And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O’ Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. 4:3 Therefore now, O’ Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. 4:4 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? 4:5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. 4:6 And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. 4:7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. 4:8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. 4:10 Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more then six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”
Our Comments on the Torah Version
Any reader of the Torah can see the falsification it has undergone after reading the true story from the Qur’an and the hadith. Very few events narrated in the Torah are true; thus, it resembles the ruins of an ancient city that is unidentifiable even to the one who is well acquainted with it unless the utmost effort is exerted.
There is no doubt Yunus’s story is correct and is not proverbial as the Torah authors claim. We are not sure of the accuracy of the claim that Jonah was from Palestine or if he was sent to Nineveh in Iraq. In my opinion, this seems to be incorrect. Our Messenger (ﷺ) elucidated clearly that since Lut’s (Lot’s) time, all Prophets who were sent were the best of their people. How could Yunus be sent to another country? The Qur’an undeniably states that Yunus was sent to his people. Allah says:
فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ ءَامَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَآ إِيمَٰنُهَآ إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ
“Was there any town that believed after seeing the punishment and its faith [at the moment] saved it [from the punishment]? [The answer is none] except the people of Yunus…” [Qur’an 10: 98]
How could they be his people if he was a stranger and lived far away? The authors of the Torah claim of Yunus rejecting Allah’s Orders to go to Nineveh is false since a Messenger of Allah never disobeys Him. The claim that he sailed before reaching Nineveh is also invalid. The hadith stated that he sailed after leaving his people who were not tortured. The hadith also says the owners of the ship knew Yunus, not as stated in the Torah that they did not know him. According to the hadith, it was Yunus who asked the people on board to cast lots. It also points out that they cast lots three times rather than one as mentioned in the Torah. The Hadith goes on to say that Yunus threw himself in the sea while the Torah says sailors threw him overboard. The claim in the Torah that Yunus was sleeping heavily when the sea surged is again false and attacks the dignity of the prophet. Heavy sleep in such situations is not a trait of exemplary men, let alone a prophet. The Qur’an confirmed the Torah regarding the whale swallowing Yunus, but the Torah does not mention that he heard the sea stones supplicating to Allah. Yunus’s supplication in the whale’s belly in the Torah also varies from that of the Qur’an. The former does not include any confession by Yunus to committing mistakes while the latter corresponds with his situation better.
What Qur’an and hadith state is that Jonah called his people in Nineveh to believe. Instead they refused, so he warned them against punishment and death. People are not punished unless they are first warned and given a chance to repent. The Torah explains Yunus’s arrival to the city to warn its inhabitants of the impending punishment without prior notice or without long-suffering as is usual of messengers with their people.
The Qur’an proves what is mentioned in the Torah regarding Nineveh people’s repentance and supplication to Allah. The hadith approves separation of animals from their babies. However, stating that Allah regretted the evil that He was going to inflict on the people of the city is wrong and wicked. Regret is an emotion of human beings. The correct thing to say is, Allah accepted their repentance and bestowed His Mercy on them. It is erroneous to say that Yunus was angry with Allah bestowing mercy on them and for that, he was held accountable by his Lord. The correct chain of events was that he was afraid of being executed because the punishment he warned of did not occur. He would have been labeled a liar. At that time, all liars were killed. Yunus’s declaration of retribution occurring in forty days was also fabricated, since the hadith mentioned that it was to come in three days.
What the Torah mentions about the gourd plant, its death, Yunus’s sadness for it, and Yunus’s accountability to Allah for feeling sad for a plant but not for a nation whose population exceeded one hundred thousand is all true. However, it is untrue that Allah planted the tree after Yunus warned his people. The hadith states that Allah planted the tree after the whale had thrown him up on the shore. The Torah does not provide all of the details mentioned in the Qur’an and hadith. It does not give the reason for Yunus’s leaving his village, which was his fear from being executed as a liar for not witnessing the punishment. The Torah does not describe Yunus’s condition after he was thrown out of the whale’s belly looking like a bird whose feathers had been plucked. Lastly, it does not also include the story of the boy.
Lessons of the Hadith
1. A true believer should obey Allah’s Orders and show patience for His Judgment. He should not jump to conclusions for all things are preordained by Allah.
2. The effect of repentance and faith in removing Allah’s Anger and Revenge as happened with Jonah’s people. When they believed, Allah removed the retribution.
3. Allah might test His righteous worshippers if they disobey some of His Orders as occurred with Yunus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) On the other hand, Allah saves them because of their faith, righteousness, and supplication as He saved Yunus from the whale’s belly.
4. Being saved from disaster as a result of supplication and admission of committing mistakes. Allah saved Yunus as a consequence of supplication and glorification.
فَلَوْلَآ أَنَّهُ ۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسَبِّحِينَ، لَلَبِثَ فِى بَطْنِهِ ۦٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ
“Had he not been of them who glorified Allah, he would have indeed remained inside its belly until the Day of Resurrection.” [Qur’an 37: 143-144]
5. This hadith proves Allah’s Might and Absolute Power. He prevented the ship from moving while other ships were still moving and averted the whale from killing Yunus while he was inside its stomach. Allah also allowed Yunus to hear the sounds of the stones glorifying Allah at the bottom of the sea. Additionally, Allah gave the trees and stones the ability to talk to testify in the boy’s defense.
6. Allah gave the boy, who was a shepherd, a high status making him a king. Allah grants His Grace to anyone He wants. The boy ruled his nation for a long time during which he restored the integrity of his nation.
7. The extent to which Yunus’s people changed. Their conditions improved after their king abdicated his throne to the shepherd who met Yunus, when this shepherd conveyed Yunus’s regards to his people, and when the location and the plant spoke and attested to the honesty of this shepherd.
8. The gravity of the crime of lying. Ancient nations used to punish liars by killing them.
9. There were good people at the time of Jonah. The owners of the ship refused to throw him overboard although he was chosen three times. In the end, he threw himself overboard.
10. The mistakes Yunus committed do not affect his status since he was one of the chosen Prophets of Allah and preferred by Allah. Our Messenger (ﷺ) warned us against saying, “I am better than Yunus for what he did.” Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “No one of you should say I am better than Yunus, son of Matta (Amittai).” [See hadith in Sahih Al-Bukhari, 6\450, hadiths no. 3412-3416]
11. The importance of Yunus’s prayer when he was inside the whale which became the prayer of the distressed and troubled.
فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
“…He cried through the darkness saying, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but You, Glorified and Exalted. I was indeed wrong.'” [Qur’an 21: 87]
12. It is allowed to sail by sea as Yunus did.
13. Realizing the great suffering of Messengers during their mission of calling people to Allah, their confrontations with their people, and Allah’s testing them.
14. All creatures obey Allah, the Almighty. The whale swallowed Yunus as Allah ordered him, but did not kill him, and when He ordered him to eject him into the sea, he did. All creatures as well as stones glorify Allah, and Yunus heard them.
15. The Qur’an and hadiths corrected the falsifications of the Torah.
16. Our Messenger (ﷺ) described Yunus to us when he performed his pilgrimage. There is a hadith narrated by Muslim saying that the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by a mountain called Harshī and said, “As if I look at Yunus, son of Matta on a red fat camel putting on a wool garment. His camel’s rope is made of fibers and he is praying.” [See Sahih Muslim 166]
Footnotes:
[1] Most hadiths that narrate the story of the Prophet of Allah Yunus mentioned that he threw himself into the sea because of the sea’s rough waves and fear of sinking and not because the ship did not move. Allah, however, knows best.
[2] Sahih Al-Bukhari, 6\450, Sahih Muslim 1\152, hadith no.166.
[3] Dictionary of the Bible, p. 1123.
Excerpt taken from the book ‘Authentic Stories by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)’ by Dr. ‘Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar
Also See: DUA OF YUNUS | REMOVE DISTRESS, ANGUISH, ADVERSITIES, CALAMITIES, GRIEF, HARDSHIP & SUFFERING
Precious Gems from the Quran and Sunnah 
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