Tafsir of Surah Al-Anbiya' - Verse 87

Yunus

This story is mentioned here, and in Surat As-Saffat and Surah Nun. Yunus bin Matta, upon him be peace, was sent by Allah to the people of Nineveh, which was a town in the area of Mawsil in northern Iraq. He called them to Allah, but they rejected him and persisted in their disbelief. So he left them in anger, threatening them with punishment after three days. When they realized that he was telling the truth and that a Prophet never lies, they went out to the desert with their children and cattle and flocks. They separated the mothers from their children, then they beseeched Allah and pleaded to Him, with the camels and their young groaning, the cows and their calves mooing, and the sheep and their lambs bleating, so Allah spared them from the punishment. Allah says:

فَلَوْلاَ كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ ءَامَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَآ إِيمَانُهَا إِلاَّ قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّآ ءَامَنُواْ كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ الخِزْىِ فِى الْحَيَوةَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَاهُمْ إِلَى حِينٍ

(Was there any town that believed (after seeing the punishment), and its faith saved it Except the people of Yunus; when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while) 10:98. Yunus, meanwhile, went and traveled with some people on a ship, which was tossed about on the sea. The people were afraid that they would drown, so they cast lots to choose a man whom they would throw overboard. The lot fell to Yunus, but they refused to throw him overboard. This happened a second and a third time. Allah says:

فَسَـهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُدْحَضِينَ

(Then he (agreed to) cast lots, and he was among the losers.) 37:141 meaning, the draw went against him, so Yunus stood up, removed his garment and cast himself into the sea. Then Allah sent from the Green Sea -- according to what Ibn Mas`ud said -- a large fish which cleaved the oceans until it came and swallowed Yunus when he threw himself into the sea. Allah inspired that large fish not to devour his flesh or break his bones, (as if He said) Yunus is not food for you, rather your belly is a prison for him.

وَذَا النُّونِ

(And (remember) Dhun-Nun,) Here Nun refers to the fish; it is correct for it to be attributed to him here.

إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَـضِباً

(when he went off in anger,) Ad-Dahhak said: "Anger towards his people."

فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ

(and imagined that We shall not punish him!) meaning, constrict him in the belly of the fish. Something similar to this was reported from Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and others. This was the view favored by Ibn Jarir, and he quoted as evidence for that the Ayah:

وَمَن قُدِرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُهُ فَلْيُنفِقْ مِمَّآ ءَاتَاهُ اللَّهُ لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْساً إِلاَّ مَآ ءَاتَاهَا سَيَجْعَلُ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ عُسْرٍ يُسْراً

(and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allah will grant after hardship, ease) 65:7.

فَنَادَى فِى الظُّلُمَـتِ أَن لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ سُبْحَـنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(But he cried through the depths of darkness (saying): "There is no God but You, Glorified be You! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers.") Ibn Mas`ud said regarding the `depths of darkness': "The darkness of the belly of the fish, the darkness of the sea and the darkness of the night." This was also narrated from Ibn `Abbas, `Amr bin Maymun, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Muhammad bin Ka`b, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan and Qatadah. Salim bin Abu Al-Ja`d said: "The darkness of the fish in the belly of another fish in the darkness of the sea." Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Abbas and others said: "This was because the fish took him through the sea, cleaving it until it reached the bottom of the sea. Yunus heard the rocks at the bottom of the sea uttering glorification of Allah, at which point he said:

لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ سُبْحَـنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(There is no God but You, Glorified be You! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers)" `Awf Al-A`rabi said: "When Yunus found himself in the belly of the fish, he thought that he had died. Then he moved his legs. When he moved his legs, he prostrated where he was, then he called out: `O Lord, I have taken a place of worship to You in a place which no other person has reached."'

فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَـهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ

(So `We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress.) means, `We brought him forth from the belly of the fish and from that darkness.'

وَكَذلِكَ نُنجِـى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(And thus We do deliver the believers.) means, when they are in difficulty and they call upon Us and repent to Us, especially if they call upon Us with these words at the time of distress. The leader of the Prophets encouraged us to call upon Allah with these words. Imam Ahmad recorded that Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "I passed by `Uthman bin `Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, in the Masjid, and greeted him. He stared at me but did not return my Salam. I went to `Umar bin Al-Khattab and said: `O Commander of the faithful, has something happened in Islam' I said that twice. He said, `No, why do you ask' I said, `I passed by `Uthman a short while ago in the Masjid and greeted him, and he stared at me but he did not return my Salam.' `Umar sent for `Uthman and asked him, `Why did you not return your brother's Salam' He said, `That is not true.' Sa`d said, `Yes it is.' It reached the point where they both swore oaths. Then `Uthman remembered and said, `Yes, you are right, I seek the forgiveness of Allah and I repent to Him. You passed by me a short while ago but I was preoccupied with thoughts of something I had heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, which I never think of but a veil comes down over my eyes and my heart.' Sa`d said: `And I will tell you what it was. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us the first part of the supplication then a bedouin came and kept him busy, then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ got up and I followed him. When I felt worried that he would enter his house, I stamped my feet. I turned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said,

«مَنْ هَذَا، أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ؟»

(Who is this Abu Ishaq) I said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said,

«فَمَه»

(What is the matter) I said, "Nothing, by Allah, except that you told us the first part of the supplication, then this bedouin came and kept you busy." He said,

«نَعَمْ دَعْوَةُ ذِي النُّونِ إِذْ هُوَ فِي بَطْنِ الْحُوتِ

(Yes, the supplicaiton of Dhun-Nun when he was in the belly of the fish:

لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ سُبْحَـنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(There is no God but You, Glorified be You! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers.)

فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَدْعُ بِهَا مُسْلِمٌ رَبَّهُ فِي شَيْءٍ قَطُّ إِلَّا اسْتَجَابَ لَه»

No Muslim ever prays to his Lord with these words for anything, but He will answer his prayer.)" It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, and by An-Nasa'i in Al-Yawm wal-Laylah. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Sa`d said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«مَنْ دَعَا بِدُعَاءِ يُونُسَ اسْتُجِيبَ لَه»

(Whoever offers supplication in the words of the supplication of Yunus, will be answered.) Abu Sa`id said: "He was referring to:

وَكَذلِكَ نُنجِـى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(And thus We do deliver the believers.)"

Commentary

وَذَا النُّونِ (21:87) The story of Sayyidna Yunus Ibn Matta (علیہ السلام) appears in the Holy Qur'an in Surah Yanus, Surah Al-Anbiya', Surah As-Saffat and Surah Nun. At some places he is mentioned by his real name and at others by the title as Dhunnun or Sahihul Hut. The meaning of Nun and Hut both is fish. Thus, Dhunnun and Sahibul Hut can be translated as man of the fish. Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) remained inside the stomach of a fish for a few days in very odd circumstances by the will of Allah. It is because of this episode that he is sometimes referred to as Dhunnun or Sahib Al-Hut.

The Story of Yunus (علیہ السلام)

According to the commentary by Ibn Kathir, Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) was sent to preach Allah's message among the people of Nineveh which is a township in the region of Mousel. Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) invited them towards Islam and asked them to follow the true religion and perform good deeds, but they rejected his call and behaved in an arrogant and defiant manner. Being dejected and annoyed, Yunus (علیہ السلام) left the place after warning them that Allah's wrath would descend upon them within three days. After he had departed from the township, the people realized that his warning might come true. (According to some versions they had actually seen the signs of the impending disaster). So they repented and asked pardon for their sins and the entire population retired to a forest with their cattle and animals. Then they started lamenting and bewailing and invoked Allah's forgiveness and protection. Allah Ta'ala accepted their sincere contrition and wailing over their sins and released them from the fear of the impending disaster. While all these events were taking place, Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) waited expecting the news about the destruction of his people. But when he learnt that the storm had passed and his people were safe and sound, he worried that they would regard him as a liar. According to some versions, it was customary with his people to execute a person if he was proved a liar. (Mazhari). Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) ، therefore, feared for his life and decided to go away to some other place rather than returning to his own people. He came across a river on his way and boarded a boat to cross it. While crossing the river it so happened that the boat was caught in a whirlpool and was in danger of sinking. The boatmen decided that if one of the passengers was off loaded from the boat the chances were that the rest of them would be saved from drowning. So they cast lots to decide as to who should be off-loaded. As luck would have it they drew the name of Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) . It seems that the boatmen were aware of his exalted position and they refused to throw him in the river. The lot was drawn a second and then a third time and his name was drawn on both occasions. This episode has been mentioned elsewhere in the Holy Qur'an in the following words: فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُدْحَضِينَ (and cast lots, and was of the rebutted - 37:141). Thereupon Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) got up, took off the extra clothes which he was wearing and threw himself in the river. Immediately a fish from the Caspian Sea arrived on the scene as commanded by Allah Ta'ala and swallowed Yonus (علیہ السلام) . (as reported by Ibn Masud ؓ . The fish was further commanded by Allah Ta’ ala that he was not to be taken for food, that no harm was to be done to his body (both flesh and bones) and that he was only to be held as a prisoner in its stomach for a few days. (Ibn Kathir)

There are references in the Qur'an that Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) earned Allah Ta` a1a's displeasure when he left his people without His specific command and his stay for a few days in the stomach of the fish was a sign of Allah's displeasure for his lapse.

It is safe to assume that the warning of Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) to his people about their imminent destruction within three days was not the outcome of his own judgment but was based on Divine revelations. Similarly, his dissociation from his people was nothing new and was in line with the practice of other prophets in similar situations and must, therefore, also have been done by the command and approval from Allah Ta` ala. So, upto this point there seems nothing to be wrong in his conduct which would deserve Allah Ta’ ala's displeasure. But later on when Allah Ta’ ala accepted the genuine remorse and repentance of the people and released them from the fear of destruction, it was to be expected that Yunus (علیہ السلام) would return to his people. But his decision not to return to them and go away from them was based on his own judgment (اِجتِھَاد). He reasoned that if he returned to them, they would regard him as a liar and his teachings would be rendered ineffectual and fruitless. There was also the danger that he might have been taken and executed. For these reasons he was hopeful that his parting with his people would not be a reprehensible act before Allah Ta` ala. Although his decision to migrate was based on his personal judgment (Ijtihad اِجتِھَاد) without waiting for a clear direction from Allah Ta` ala, yet it did not constitute a sin. Nevertheless for a prophet to take a decision on his own without waiting for the revelation (وَحِی) from Allah Ta’ ala was not liked by Him. This was not a crime but an act which was not desirable. The status of the prophets and His closed ones is highly exalted and it is expected of them not to indulge even in such undesirable acts. The slightest lapse on their part is subjected to Allah's displeasure and reproach from Him, and that is why he faced this hardship.

It is quoted in Tafsir al-Qurtubi from al-Qushairi that this had happened to Yunus (علیہ السلام) when the tempest was removed from his people, which was against his wish and that his stay in the stomach of the fish for a few days was more of a reformatory measure than punishment, as sometimes people warn their young children and take reformatory measures against them. (Qurtubi)

After learning the background of the episode it would be easier to understand the meanings of the verses which is as follows:

ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا (he walked away in anger 21:87) It is obvious that the anger was against his own people. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has explained it as such.

فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ‌ عَلَيْهِ thought We will never put him to trouble - 21:87) Lexically the word نَّقْدِرَ‌ has three different meanings: If it is derived from the meaning would be that Sayyidna Yunus (علیہ السلام) imagined that Allah Ta` a1a would not be able to gain mastery over him. This is obviously an unacceptable explanation as no Muslim can ever entertain such thoughts in his mind, least of all a prophet of Allah. Alternatively if it is considered that the word نَّقْدِرَ‌ is derived from قَدر then the meaning would be to straighten or narrow down, as the Qur'an says:

اللَّـهُ يَبْسُطُ الرِّ‌زْقَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ‌ لَهُ (Allah extends provision to whom He wills and straitens it.) The Imams of Tafsir Ata', Said Ibn Jubair, Hasan Basri and many other scholars have adopted this interpretation, and therefore the meaning of the verse would be that Yunus (علیہ السلام) thought that he would not be put in a straitened condition by Allah Ta` a1a if he abandoned his people. This second explanation is adopted by most commentators (and the translation of the text as appeared above is based on it). The third possibility is that نَقدِر is a derivative of تَقدِیر in which case the verse would mean that Yunus (علیہ السلام) was sure that he would not be blamed if he dissociated himself from his people. Qatadah, Mujahid and Farra' have adopted this explanation.

Jonah (Yunus) was sent as a prophet to Nineveh, an ancient city of Iraq. At that time, Nineveh’s population was just over one hundred thousand. For a long time, he invited the community to accept the unity of God and the Hereafter, but they were not ready to do so. Now, if any community remains adamant about their denial of a prophet, even after having had the divine message conveyed to them to the fullest possible extent, then God’s way is to ask the prophet to leave the town and thereafter the community is subjected to punishment (in the shape of some disaster). But Jonah himself felt that the time had come for him to go, and he went away, leaving his community without waiting for God’s command to do so. He left the city and, reaching the sea coast, he boarded a boat. After setting sail, the boat started sinking. People thought that some slave who had fled from his master was on the boat. According to an old tradition, the solution to this problem was to discover the slave and cast him out. When lots were drawn, the name of Jonah came up and he was thrown overboard. At that moment a big fish (probably a sperm whale) appeared and swallowed him. The fish kept him in its stomach, then at God’s command, ejected him and cast him up on the coast. There he recovered his health and returned to his community. A prophet had to face this fate simply because he left his dawah mission before its completion. Then one can imagine the fate of those successors of the prophet who have been neglectful and completely unmindful of the task of spreading God’s word.