Stories
A prayer from inside the darkness
He left his people in anger, and ended up inside a great fish.
4 min, Intro, Draft written with AI help: awaiting scholar review
Part 1 of 4
Jonah preached to his people and they refused. He left them in anger, before God had told him to go, and boarded a laden ship.
Qur'an 37:139-140
وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ ١٣٩ إِذۡ أَبَقَ إِلَى ٱلۡفُلۡكِ ٱلۡمَشۡحُونِ ١٤٠
139 Jonah was indeed one of the messengers.
140 When he fled to the fully laden ship,
Lesson
Even a prophet, Jonah, could leave too soon.
Part 2 of 4
A storm rose around Jonah's ship. The sailors cast lots to lighten the ship, and Jonah lost. Thrown overboard, he was swallowed by a great fish, in the darkness of night, sea and belly.
Lesson
Jonah was wrapped in three darknesses: the night, the sea and the fish.
Part 3 of 4
Inside the fish, Jonah called out: there is no god but You, glory be to You; I have been among the wrongdoers. God answered and saved him. Muslims still say this prayer in hardship.
Qur'an 21:87
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَٰضِبࣱا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقۡدِرَ عَلَيۡهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِي ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبۡحَٰنَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ٨٧
87 And [remember] the Man of the Whale [i.e., Jonah] when he departed in anger, thinking that We would not take him to task. Then he cried out in the depths of darkness, “None has the right to be worshiped except You. Glory be to You! I have certainly done wrong”.
The passage continues in Read.
Lesson
Jonah's prayer did two things at once: it admitted his fault and praised God.
Part 4 of 4
Cast ashore weak and ill, Jonah recovered under a gourd plant and went back. His people had believed. The Qur'an says theirs was the one town whose faith, at the last moment, saved it.
Qur'an 10:98
فَلَوۡلَا كَانَتۡ قَرۡيَةٌ ءَامَنَتۡ فَنَفَعَهَآ إِيمَٰنُهَآ إِلَّا قَوۡمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّآ ءَامَنُواْ كَشَفۡنَا عَنۡهُمۡ عَذَابَ ٱلۡخِزۡيِ فِي ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَمَتَّعۡنَٰهُمۡ إِلَىٰ حِينࣲ ٩٨
98 There had never been any town that believed [after seeing the punishment] and benefited from its faith except the people of Jonah. When they believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world, and let them enjoy themselves for a while.
Lesson
Of all the towns warned, only Jonah's people believed in time, and were spared.
Reflect, just for you
Seen by lamplight. It gives more each time.
He left his people in anger, and ended up inside a great fish.