al-Ṣaffāt

وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

إِذْ أَبَقَ إِلَي الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ

فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْمُدْحَضِينَ

139. “Verily Jonah was (one) of the Envoys,”

140. “When he ran away to the laden ship.”

141. “So he cast lots, and was of the rebutted,”

To become familiar with the history of prophets is a lesson for us today. It says:

The last life story of the Divine prophets and the former nations, which has been mentioned in this Surah is the life-story of Yunus (Jonah) and his repentant people who, by seeing the signs of Divine punishment, came out of their negligence and repented. Therefore Allah showered His favours over them and caused them to enjoy His material and spiritual blessings. Even Yunus (Jonah) (as) encountered some difficulties and problems because of the leaving the better he performed in hastening for emigration from among his people.

And even the Qur’anic word /’abaq/ (ran away), which is usually used for the run-away servants, is used for him. This meaning refers to this fact that whether the pagans of Arab and the polytheists in the length of history want to be like the people of Jonah. Do they seek for that evil and painful end or a happy prosperous fate? It depends on their decision. However, like other prophets, Jonah began his invitation from Monotheism and struggled against idolatry and then he referred to struggling against the corruptions which were current in the society.

But those zealous people, who blindly used to follow their ancestors, did not accept his invitation. Like a kind father, Jonah (as) sympathetically and benevolently continued admonishing that deviated nation, but in spite of this wise logic he did not hear from those enemies anything save fallacy and sophistry. Only a very small group, who were perhaps no more than a few persons, believed in him. There was a servant of Allah and a knowledgeable man among them. Jonah (as) preached so much that he approximately became disappointed from them.

Some Islamic authentic narrations indicate that, considering the circumstances of that aberrant nation, he decided to curse them. This decision was performed and Jonah cursed them. It was revealed to him that the Divine punishment would come to them at so and so time. When the appointed time of punishment was approaching, Jonah accompanied the servant of Allah went out from among those people while he was angry. He went as far as he reached the shore. Over there he saw a ship full of people and laden with loads. He asked them to take him with them, too.

The next verse implies that this is the same thing which the Qur’an points to, and announces that you do remember when he ran away toward the ship full of loads and people. It says:

The application of the Qur’anic term /’abaqa/ is derived from /’ibaq/ in the sense of ‘to run away a servant from his master’ which here is a wonderful application. It shows that how much important a very small ‘leaving the better’ from the side of the high rank stationed prophets is with Allah and is taken so hard from His side that He calls His prophet ‘a ran away servant’. No doubt Jonah was an immaculate prophet, and never did he commit a sin, but it was better that he would tolerate more again and remain among people until the last moment, perhaps they could awaken.

It is true that according to some narrations he preached for forty years, but it was better for him to add some more days or hours to it, and since he did not so, he was likened to a run away servant. The third verse implies that Jonah embarked a ship and, according to some Islamic narrations, a great fish, opening his mouth wide, came across the ship and intercepted its way as if it demanded its food. The people in the ship said it seemed there was a sinner among them, and he had to become the bait of that fish. They could not help it save casting lots.

Here they cast lots and the lot fell upon Jonah. According to a narration the lot was repeated three times and every time the lot fell upon Jonah’s name. Therefore, they took Jonah and threw him into the mouth of the great fish. Through a short sentence the Qur’an points to this event where it says:

The Qur’anic term /sahama/ is derived from /sahm/ which originally means ‘arrow’ and the term /sahama/ has been used in the sense of ‘lottery’, because at the time of lottery the names were written on the end of the arrows rejected out and everyone whose name was fallen by the lot he was involved in it. The Arabic term /mudhad/ is derived from /’idhad/ in the sense of: ‘to nullify, to wipe out, and to overcome’, and here the purpose is that the lot fell upon his name.