The tale Of Prophet Yunus (AS) and Whale in Quran
There are twenty-five names of Prophets mentioned in the Holy Quran. The name of Prophet Younas has been mentioned in Surah Younus. It is the tenth surah of the Holy Quran and is present in the eleventh chapter of the Holy Quran. It contains the heart-warming story of Prophet Yunus (AS) and his followers.
Prophet Yunus (AS) and his Followers
Followers of Hazrat Younus lived in the northern region of Iraq. They are called the people of Nineveh in history books. These people were firm disbelievers of Allah Almighty. They used to worship idols. When Prophet Youns conveyed the message of Allah Almighty to the people, they ignored and laughed at the announcement. When the Prophet mentioned Allah’s warning to people, they denied and said the worshipping of idols by their forefathers for centuries without any harm. Since their forefathers weren’t subjected to punishment, nothing would happen with them.
The Prophet got discouraged and left the village of Nineveh. Allah then punished the people of Ninveh. People observed fire in the skies after the Prophet left the town. People came to know that Prophet Younus was right in his words, and now they will be punished for their wrongdoings. People rushed to deserts with their children and asked Allah for mercy.
Prophet Yunus (AS) ‘s Journey
The Prophet has already left his nation in despair. He onboarded a ship with few companions and left the village. After some time, the boat went into turbulence, and passengers feared that ship was about to sink in water. Passengers made up a plan to lighten up the load on the ship so that turbulence could be decreased to some extent. They decided that they would create a ballot with the names of the people on the boat. The person’s name chosen after a random pick from the poll will have to leave the ship.
When the ballot was made and the random name was picked, the name appeared of Prophet Younis. However, people knew the credibility of the Prophet and ignored the first result. They decided to ballot again, and the same event happened. Furthermore, the name appeared of Prophet Younus. This was again ignored until the third ballot was made. When Prophet Younus observed his name for the third time, he decided to jump off the boat as it was a clear sign from Almighty. Prophet realized that he had left his people without Allah’s command, and now he is destined to see the circumstances of his actions.
The Encounter of Whale with Yunus AS
When the Prophet jumped into the sea, he was swallowed by a giant whale. Allah had commanded fish not to eat Prophet or harm him in any way. However, the Prophet was imprisoned inside the body of a giant whale for a long time.
The Whale swam to a sea depth with Prophet Younus inside the body. Quran mentioned that Prophet thought he had died when he reached inside the fish, but soon Prophet realized that he was alive when he could move his legs inside the fish’s belly. He realized he was being punished, so he went down in sujood before Allah.
He asked Allah for forgiveness, stating that he was praying for forgiveness at a place where no one else could have reached.
Scholars mention that Prophet Younus was imprisoned in the belly of fish for almost forty days.
Yunus’s Heart Warming Prayer
Prophet Younus requested Allah’s forgiveness through prayer. He prayed “Laa ilaa haa illaa anta subhaanaka, innee kuntu min az-Zaalimeen.”. this prayer is now the most popular prayer of muslims. It is known as Ayat Karima to Muslims. According to several hadiths, Allah answers the prayers when Muslims pray with the words of Prophet Younus.
It is mentioned in the Holy book that all sea creatures began to pray to Allah after hearing the voice of the Prophet from the belly of fish.
Allah Answers Yunus’s (AS) Prayer
Allah accepted Prophet Younus prayer and forgave his mistake. Allah mentions in Holy Quran that Prophet repented sincerely from his heart. Prophet regretted his decision of leaving his nation without the command of Allah Almighty. That is why Allah forgave Prophet Younus due to genuine sincerity and commanded the Whale to release the Prophet. Allah mentions that if Prophet hadn’t prayed in repentance, he would have stayed in the belly of fish till the day of judgement for his mistake.
The Whale released Prophet on a seashore when Allah commanded the Whale to release the Prophet.
Yunus (AS) Returns Back
Prophet Younus returned to his people after the Whale released him. When he reached back, he realized that the people were punished due to their wrongdoings. People felt relieved on seeing Prophet Younus and welcomed him back. People of Nineveh had now accepted Allah Almighty existence. They became true believers, and they refrained from worshipping idols anymore. In this way, Allah doesn’t only forgive Prophet, but he made the task of the Prophet relatively easy for him.