Prophet Yunus (Jonah)
Description of Jonah's People
Prophet Jonah (Yunus) (pbuh) also
known as Dhan-Nun. About his people Almighty Allah said:
"Was there any town community that believed
after seeing the punishment, and its Faith at that moment, saved it from the punishment? (the answer is none)--except the
people of Jonah; when they believed, We removed from them the torment of
disgrace in the life of the present world, and permitted them to enjoy for a
while. (Ch 10:98 Quran)
The inhabitants of the town of Nineveh were
idolaters who lived a shameless life. Prophet Jonah (pbuh) was sent to teach
them the worship of Allah. The people disliked his interference in their way of
worship, so they argued. "We and our forefathers have worshipped these gods
for many years and no harm has come to us."
Jonah Leaves His People
Try as he might to convince them of the foolishness of idolatry and of
the goodness of Allah's laws, the ignored him. He warned them that if they kept
on with their foolishness, Allah's punishment would soon follow. Instead of
fearing Allah, they told Jonah that they were not afraid of his threats.
"Let it happen," they told him. Jonah was disheartened. "in that
case, I will leave you to your misery!" so saying, he left Nineveh,
fearing that Allah's anger would soon follow.
"Remember Dhan Nun (Jonah),
when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (the
calamities which had befallen him)! (ch 21:87)
The People are Forgiven
Hardly had he left the city when the skies began to change color and
looked as if they were on fire. The people were filled with fear by this sight.
They recalled the destruction of the people of 'Ad, Thamud and Noah. Was theirs
to be a similar fate? Slowly faith penetrated their hearts. They all gathered
on the mountain and started to beseech Allah for His mercy and forgiveness. The
mountains echoed with their cries. It was a momentous hour, filled with sincere
repentance. Allah removed His wrath and showered His blessings upon them once
again. When the threatening storm was lifted, they prayed for the return of
Jonah so that he could guide them.
The Storm at Sea
Meanwhile, Jonah had boarded a
small ship in the company of other passengers. It sailed all day in
calm waters with a good wind blowing at the sails. When night came, the
sea suddenly changed. A horrible storm blew as if it were going to split the
ship into pieces. The waves looked wild. They rose up as high as mountains then
plunged down like valleys, tossing the ship and sweeping over the deck.
Behind the ship, a large whale was splitting the water and opening its
mouth. A command had been issued from Almighty Allah to one of the greatest
whales of the sea to surface. It obeyed. The whale hurried to the surface of
the sea and followed the ship as it had been commanded. The tempest continued
and the chief crewman asked the crew to lighten the ship's heavy load.
They threw their baggage
overboard, but this was not enough. Their safety lay in reducing the
weight further, so they decided
among themselves to lighten their load by removing at least one person.
Jonah Jumps into the Sea
The captain directed: We will make lots with all of the travelers'
names. The one whose name is drawn will be thrown into the sea." Jonah
knew this was one of the seamen's traditions when facing a tempest. It was a
strange polytheistic tradition, but it was practiced at that time. Jonah's
affliction and crisis began.
Here was the prophet, subjected to polytheistic
rules that considered the sea and the wind to have gods that riot. The captain
had to please these gods. Jonah reluctantly participated in the lot, and his
name was added to the other travelers' names. The lot was drawn and
"Jonah" appeared.
Since they knew him to be the most honorable among them, they did not
wish to throw him into the angry sea. Therefore, they decided to draw a second
lot. Again Jonah's name was drawn. They gave him a final chance and drew a
third lot. Unfortunately for Jonah, his name came up again. Jonah realized that
Allah's hand was in all this, for he had abandoned his mission without Allah's
consent. The matter was over, and it was decided that Jonah should throw
himself into the water. Jonah stood at the edge of the ship looking at the
furious sea. It was night and there was no moon. The stars were hidden behind a
black fog. But before he could be thrown overboard, Jonah kept mentioning
Allah's name as he jumped into the raging sea and disappeared beneath the huge
waves.
The Whale Swallows Jonah
The whale found Jonah floating on the waves before it. It swallowed
Jonah into its furious stomach and shut its ivory teeth on him as if they were
white bolts locking the door of his prison. The whale dived to the bottom of
the sea, the sea that runs in the abyss of darkness.
Three layers of darkness enveloped him, one above the other; the
darkness of the whale's stomach, the darkness of the bottom of the sea, the
darkness of the night. Jonah imaged himself to be dead, but his senses became
alert when he found he could move. He knew that he was alive and imprisoned in
the midst of three layers of darkness. His heart was moved by remembering
Allah. His tongue released soon after saying:
"
La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be
worshipped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) be You (above all that
evil they associate with You), Truly, I have been of the wrong doers." (Ch
21:87 Quran)
Jonah continued praying to Allah, repeating this invocation. Fishes,
whales, seaweeds, and all the creatures that lived in the sea heard the voice
of Jonah praying, heard the celebration of Allah's praises issuing from the
whale's stomach. All these creatures gathered around the whale and began to
celebrate the praises of Allah in their turn, each in its own way and in its
own language.
The whale also participated in celebrating the praises of Allah and
understood that it had swallowed a prophet. Therefore it felt afraid; however,
it said to itself; "Why should I be afraid? Allah commanded me to swallow
him."
Allah Forgives Jonah
Allah Almighty saw the sincere repentance of Jonah and heard his
invocation in the whale's stomach. Allah commanded the whale to surface and
eject Jonah onto an island. The whale obeyed and swam to the farthest side of
the ocean. Allah commanded it to rise towards the warm, refreshing sun and the
pleasant earth.
The whale
ejected Jonah onto a remote island. His body was inflamed because of the acids
inside the whale's stomach. He was ill, and when the sun rose, its ray burned
his inflamed body so that he was on the verge of screaming for the pain.
However, he endured the pain and continued to repeat his invocation to Allah.
Almighty Allah caused a vine to grow to
considerable length over him for protection. Then Allah Exalted caused Jonah to
recover and forgave him. Allah told Jonah that if it had not been for his
praying to Him, he would have stayed in the whale's stomach till the Day of
Judgment.
Summary of Jonah's Story
Almighty Allah recounted:
"
And, verily, Jonah was one of the Messengers. When
he ran to the laden ship, he agreed to cast lots and he was among the losers,
Then a big fish swallowed him and he had done an act worthy of blame. Had he
not been of them who glorify Allah, he would have indeed remained inside its
belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection. But We cast him forth on the
naked shore while he was sick and We caused a plant of gourd to grow over him.
And We sent him to a hundred thousand people or even more, and they believed; so
We gave them enjoyment for a while. (Ch 37:139-148 Quran).
Jonah's People - Changed
Gradually he regained his strength and found his way to his hometown,
Nineveh. He was pleasantly surprised to notice the change that had taken place
there. The entire population turned out to welcome him. They informed him that
they had turned to believe in Allah. Together they led a prayer of thanksgiving
to their Merciful Lord.
Prophet Muhammad's Saying About Jonah (PBUT)
Ibn
Abbas narrated: "The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: 'One should not say I
am better than Jonah Ibn Matta.'" (Sahih Bukhari).
No comments:
Post a Comment
give us your comments to develop our site