1711 - يونُس عليه السلام‏

1711. JONAH (AS) [YuNUS]

(وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ * إِذْ أَبَقَ إِلَى الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ * فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُدْحَضِينَ * فَالْتَقَمَهُ الْحُوتُ وَهُوَ مُلِيمٌ * فَلَوْلَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُسَبِّحِينَ * لَلَبِثَ فِي بَطْنِهِ إِلَى‏ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ * فَنَبَذْنَاهُ بِالعَرَاءِ وَهُوَ سَقِيمٌ * وأَنْبَتْنَا عَلَيْهِ شَجَرَةً مِنْ يَقْطِينٍ * وَأَرْسَلْنَاهُ إِلَى‏ مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ * فَآمَنُوا فَمَتَّعْنَاهُمْ إِلَى‏ حِينٍ) .¹

"And indeed Jonah was one of the apostles, when he absconded toward the laden ship. Then he drew lots with them and he was the one to be refuted. 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. 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." ²

(اُنظر) يونس : 98 والأنبياء : 87 ، 88 والقلم : 48 - 50 .

(See also: 10:98, 21:87-88, 68:48-50)

6016.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : لايَنبَغي لأحَدٍ أن يَقولَ : أنا عندَ اللَّهِ خَيرٌ مِن يُونُسَ بنِ مَتّى‏ .³

6016.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'It is not appropriate for a prophet to say: 'I am better in the eyes of Allah than Jonah son of Matta'.' ⁴

6017.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - لَمّا سَألَهُ بَعضُ اليَهودِ عن سِجنٍ طافَ أقطارَ الأرضِ بِصاحِبِهِ - : يا يَهوديُّ، أمّا السِّجنُ الّذي طافَ أقطارَ الأرضِ بِصاحِبِهِ فإنّهُ الحُوتُ الّذي حُبِسَ يُونُسُ في بَطنِهِ .⁵

6017. Imam Ali (AS), when some Jews asked him about a jail which went around the whole world with its prisoner, replied, 'O Jew, as for the jail that circled all parts of the world with its captive, it was the whale that imprisoned Jonah in its stomach.' ⁶

كلامٌ فِي قِصّةِ يونس عليه السلام :

Details of the Story of Jonah (AS)

أنّ يونس عليه السلام كان من الرسل أرسله اللَّه تعالى‏ إلى‏ قومه وهم جمع كثير يزيدون على‏ مائة ألف فدعاهم فلم يجيبوه إلّا بالتكذيب والردّ ، حتّى‏ جاءهم عذاب أوعدهم به يونس ، ثمّ خرج من بينهم .
فلمّا أشرف عليهم العذاب وشاهدوه مشاهدة عيان أجمعوا علَى الإيمان والتوبة إلَى اللَّه سبحانه ، فكشف اللَّه عنهم عذاب الخزي في الحياة الدنيا .
مّ إنّ يونس عليه السلام استخبر عن حالهم فوجد العذاب انكشف عنهم - وكأنّه لم يعلم بإيمانهم وتوبتهم - فلم يعد إليهم ، وذهب لوجهه على‏ ما به من الغضب والسخط عليهم ، فكان ظاهر حاله حال من يأبق من ربّه مغاضباً عليه ظانّاً أنّه لا يقدر عليه ، وركب البحر في فُلك مشحون ، فعرض لهم حوت عظيم لم يجدوا بدّاً من أن يلقوا إليه واحداً منهم يبتلعه وينجو الفلك بذلك ، فساهموا وقارعوا فيما بينهم فأصابت يونس عليه السلام ، فألقوه في البحر فابتلعه الحوت ونجت السفينة .
ثمّ إنّ اللَّه سبحانه حفظه حيّاً سويّاً في بطنه أيّاماً وليالي ، ويونس عليه السلام يعلم أنّها بليّة ابتلاه اللَّه بها مؤاخذة بما فعل ، وهو ينادي في بطنه أن (لا إلهَ إلّا أنْتَ سُبْحانَكَ إنّي كُنْتُ مِن الظّالِمينَ) .
فاستجاب اللَّه له ، فأمر الحوت أن يلفظه ، فنبذه بالعراء وهو سقيم ، فأنبت اللَّه سبحانه عليه شجرة من يقطين يستظلّ بأوراقها ، ثمّ لمّا استقامت حاله أرسله إلى قومه ، فلبّوا دعوته‏
وآمنوا به فمتّعهم اللَّه إلى حين .⁷

Jonah (AS) was a messenger whom Allah Almighty sent to his people, and they were a large group exceeding one hundred thousand. He invited them and they did not respond other than to call him a liar and to repudiate him, until the punishment Jonah warned them of came. He then left them.
When the punishment came down upon them, and they saw it with their own eyes they all turned to belief and repentance to Allah Almighty. So, Allah lifted the punishment of shame from them in this world. Jonah (AS) then asked about their situation when he saw that the punishment had been raised from them - since he did not know of their [recent] belief and repentance - so he did not return to them. He left angry and upset with them, and his state was like that of one who absconds from his Lord, in a rage, thinking that He would not put him through hardship. He left for the sea in a laden ship, and a large fish came after them. They could not avert it in any way other than to throw one of them overboard so that the fish may swallow him and the boat would be safe from it. They drew lots between themselves and Jonah (AS) was chosen, so they threw him in the sea where the fish swallowed him and the ship was saved.
Allah, Glory be to Him, kept him alive and well inside the fish's belly for days and nights, and Jonah (AS) knew that this was a trial that Allah was testing him with as a punishment for what he did. He was calling out while inside its belly, ''There is no god except You! You are immaculate! I have indeed been among the wrongdoers!"
Allah answered his prayer and ordered the fish to spit him out. It cast him on a bare shore, and he was sick. So Allah Almighty made a gourd plant grow above him so he used its leaves to shadow him. Then when his health was restored, Allah sent him back to his people. They accepted his call and believed in him, so Allah gave them provision until a fixed time.' ⁸