The story of Yunus in the Quran, scene by scene

Jonah is named in only four verses of the Quran: An-Nisa 163, Al-An'am 86, Yunus 98 and As-Saffat 139. Twice more he is described rather than named — "the man of the fish" (dha al-nun) in Al-Anbiya 87 and "the companion of the fish" in Al-Qalam 48. The scenes run in order in As-Saffat 139-148, his prayer is in Al-Anbiya, and his people's faith is in the surah named after him. At each hard verse this article gives the Sunni reading of al-Tafsir al-Muyassar first, then the Shia readings of al-Safi (al-Fayd al-Kashani) and al-Mizan (al-Tabataba'i).

Quotations from the three commentaries are my renderings of the Arabic.

The messenger and his people

And indeed, Jonah was among the messengers.

(As-Saffat 37:139)

Al-Muyassar fills in what came before: God sent him to his people; he called them and they did not believe; he warned them of punishment and they did not turn back, and he did not bear with them as God had commanded. Al-Safi carries a long report from al-Baqir: he stayed among them calling them for thirty-three years, and only two men of his people believed in him. In it God tells him: "My servant Noah was more patient than you with his people, kinder in his company, more forbearing — so I was angry for him when he was angry for Me, and answered him when he called on Me."

The flight and the lots

[Mention] when he ran away to the laden ship.

And he drew lots and was among the losers.

(As-Saffat 37:140, As-Saffat 37:141)

The verb is abaqa, used of a slave who runs from his master. Al-Mizan: his going out to the ship means leaving his people and turning from them. He did not disobey his Lord by leaving, nor was there any prohibition against it — but leaving at that moment had the form of a slave running from his master's service, and God took him to task for that. Al-Safi relays from al-Sadiq how the lots came about: a great fish stopped the ship, and they said, "There is a sinner among us," and drew lots, and it fell on Jonah.

The fish

Then the fish swallowed him, while he was blameworthy.

(As-Saffat 37:142)

On "blameworthy" (mulim) the three agree. Al-Muyassar: he had done something for which he was blamed. Al-Safi: entering into blame, or doing what is blamed, or blaming himself. Al-Mizan: from alama — he entered into blame, or became one open to blame.

The man of the fish

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."

So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers.

(Al-Anbiya 21:87, Al-Anbiya 21:88)

Sahih International renders "thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him"; the bracket is already a choice. The Arabic verb is naqdira, which can mean "have power over" or "constrict".

Where they agree

All three read "in anger" as anger at his people, and all three read lan naqdira 'alayhi as constriction, not power. Al-Muyassar: he thought God would not press hard on him or take him to account for this, so God tried him with severe constriction and confinement. Al-Safi relays al-Rida: "thought" here means "was certain", that "We would not constrict his provision" — as in "when He tries him and restricts his provision"; and in another report, had he thought God had no power over him, he would have disbelieved. Al-Mizan: "We would not constrict him", from "his provision was constricted", and then: that he was truly angry with his Lord, or seriously thought God had no power over him — the prophets are far above that; they are protected by God. Al-Mizan also notes that the prayer asks for nothing in words — only affirmation of oneness, glorification, and admission of wrong; yet it laid bare his state, and in that was a request for rescue, so God answered.

Where they differ

What was the wrong in "I have been of the wrongdoers"? Al-Muyassar: admitting his wrong in having given up patience with his people. Al-Safi, from al-Rida: by my neglecting worship like this, for which You have freed me in the belly of the fish. Al-Mizan: an admission of wrong in that he did something that had the form of wrong without being wrong in itself, and without intending wrong or disobedience — a discipline from God, so that His prophet would tread the carpet of nearness with a foot clear even of the appearance of wrong.

What saved him

And had he not been of those who exalt Allah,

He would have remained inside its belly until the Day they are resurrected.

(As-Saffat 37:143, As-Saffat 37:144)

Al-Muyassar puts it down to his much worship and good deeds before the fish, and his glorifying in its belly. Al-Mizan reads the form of the word: those in whom glorifying recurred until it became a trait, and records both views — before the fish swallowed him, and inside it.

The shore and the gourd

But We threw him onto the open shore while he was ill.

And We caused to grow over him a gourd vine.

(As-Saffat 37:145, As-Saffat 37:146)

Al-Mizan: the yaqtin is a kind of gourd with broad round leaves, grown over him so he could shelter under them. Al-Safi relays from al-Baqir that once he had recovered, a worm ate the plant and it withered, and he grieved, and God said: "You grieve for a plant you did not sow, water or tend, which withered once you no longer needed it — and you did not grieve for the people of Nineveh, more than a hundred thousand, on whom punishment was coming? The people of Nineveh have believed and become mindful. Go back to them."

"A hundred thousand or more"

And We sent him to [his people of] a hundred thousand or more.

And they believed, so We gave them enjoyment [of life] for a time.

(As-Saffat 37:147, As-Saffat 37:148)

Al-Muyassar glosses aw yazidun as rather, more; al-Mizan says aw here rises to the next step and means "rather", and names the people as Nineveh. So the two agree. Al-Safi adds a report that al-Sadiq read wa yazidun, "and more", and another that the excess was thirty thousand.

The people of Jonah

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.

(Yunus 10:98)

All three agree the punishment was lifted after it had drawn near. Their wording differs on when the people believed: al-Muyassar, on seeing the punishment; al-Safi, at the first sign of the punishment, without waiting until it fell; al-Mizan, before the punishment came down, by their own choice.

The companion of the fish

Then be patient for the decision of your Lord, [O Muhammad], and be not like the companion of the fish when he called out while he was distressed.

If not that a favor from his Lord overtook him, he would have been thrown onto the naked shore while he was censured.

And his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous.

(Al-Qalam 68:48, Al-Qalam 68:49, Al-Qalam 68:50)

Al-Muyassar reads the warning as do not be like him in his anger and impatience with his people, when he called on his Lord full of grief, asking that their punishment be hastened. Al-Safi glosses "distressed" (makzum) from al-Baqir as grieved.

What the verses do not say

• They do not name the city; "Nineveh" comes from the commentaries.
• They do not say how long he was in the fish.
• They do not say he was angry with God, or thought God had no power over him; all three commentaries deny both.
• They do not fix how many more than a hundred thousand.

Counted on the mushaf

• Jonah's name: four verses in four surahs.
• abaqa ("ran away"), sahama ("drew lots"), al-mudhadin ("the losers"), yaqtin ("gourd"), mughadib ("in anger") and makzum ("distressed"): each occurs once in the whole Quran, all in this story.
• "The fish" (al-hut, definite): three verses — Al-Kahf 63 (Moses and his servant), As-Saffat 142, Al-Qalam 48.
• "The open shore" (al-'ara'): twice, both in his story — As-Saffat 145 and Al-Qalam 49.
• mulim ("blameworthy"): twice — here, and Adh-Dhariyat 40, of Pharaoh.

Sources

• al-Tafsir al-Muyassar — King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran.
• Tafsir al-Safi — al-Fayd al-Kashani.
• al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran — al-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn al-Tabataba'i.

Read:

• Surah As-Saffat
• Surah Al-Anbiya
• The story of Nuh and the flood in the Quran
• Verses of supplication in the Quran