“And indeed Jonah was one of the prophets;”

“When he absconded toward the laden ship.”

“Then he drew lots with them and he was the one to be refuted.”

These words of God Almighty refer to the account of Prophet Younus or Jonah, whose preaching to the people of Nineveh was met by scoff, frustrating the Prophet who on the advice of his faithful but unwise companions, invoked the wrath of God on the nation. When his other faithful but wise companion learned about this, he hurried to the city and warned the polytheists of the impending wrath of God Almighty if they don’t repent of their misdeeds and return to the path of the One and Only Creator of the Universe.

The people became alarmed, and on seeing signs of the approaching divine wrath, gathered in the open ground, under the sky, to repent of their sins and seek forgiveness from God. The All-Merciful took compassion on His creatures and averted divine wrath. Prophet Jonah was embarrassed at his hasty decision to invoke the wrath of God instead of having more patience, and now since divine wrath had been averted, he felt he has lost face before the people of Nineveh and fled to the neighbouring land to board a ship and travel somewhere else. He saw a ship about to disembark and decided to board it. As the ship moved into the open sea, it was rocked by a huge whale. The captain decided to sacrifice one of the passengers by casting him into the sea to avert any mishap. Lots were cast with the names of each and every passenger, and by God’s Will, the name of Prophet Jonah appeared. He was subsequently thrown into the sea right in front of the angry whale.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Prophets must have extreme patience and tolerance and any kind of impatience will earn divine displeasure.
2. Familiarity with the history of the Prophets and the nations of the past is essential for molding our life on the basis of faith in God.
3. God wanted to teach Jonah a lesson, and not to destroy him.

Now we listen to or read ayahs 142 to 144 of Surah Saaffaat:

“Then the fish swallowed him while he was blameworthy.”

“And had he not been one of those who celebrate Allah’s glory;”

“He would have surely remained in its belly till the day they will be resurrected.”

As it is inferred from these ayahs, the whale was commanded by God to swallow Jonah, and to hold him in its belly alive until further notice.

Jonah realized that this was all divine providence. Being a firm believer in God, he prayed to the Lord Most High and sought pardon for his impatience in invoking divine wrath for the people of Nineveh. As God Almighty says, if Jonah was not a firm believer and humble servant of God, he would have been confined to the belly of the whale till the Day of Resurrection.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. Sometimes animals are commanded by God to do strange and extraordinary acts.
2. When faced with difficulties and bottlenecks, escape from responsibility is not a solution, since this may create bigger problems.
3. Forgiveness and praise of God and turning to Him are the ways of rescue from troubles, just as Jonah turned to Allah after being caught up in the whale’s belly.

Now we listen to or read ayahs 145 to 148 of Surah Saaffaat:

“Then We cast him on a bare shore, and he was sick.”

“So We made a gourd plant grow above him.”

“We sent him to a [community of] hundred thousand or more;”

“And they believed [in him]. So We provided for them for a while.”

These ayahs which state the end of Jonah's story in the stomach of the fish, say: "By the command of God, the whale neared the seashore, and vomited Jonah out of its belly. Jonah, who was naturally very weak and wounded, could not move and lay on the beach. God made a plant grow above him and covered his body with its large leaves, so as to keep him from the sun heat and heal his delicate skin.

With this divine plan, Jonah was saved. He gradually recovered his health and was ready to return to his people. When he arrived in the city and in his home, he was surprised to find that the idolaters had become monotheists.

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. The people of Jonah received divine grace.
2. We must not be disappointed of the eventual repentance of the erring persons.
3. Repenting from past mistakes is the basis of future prosperity.