Jonah (Yunus)
The prophet Jonah as the Qur’an tells him — from Islam’s own sources
About this resource
This page sets out the Quran’s account of Yunus — the figure the Quran puts in the place of the prophet Jonah — using only Islam’s own sources. It gathers every Quranic passage that tells the story, the one Sahih hadith that carries his prayer, and the classical commentary Muslim scholars use to read them.
Quotations follow the Hilali–Khan Translation of the meanings of The Noble Qur’an (King Fahd Complex, 1998). The passages are ordered to follow the course of the story rather than the order of the Quran. Jonah’s prayer from inside the fish is marked wherever it appears, because the same words are quoted both in the hadith and in Surah 21. The full account of sources and method is at the end of the page.
The Messenger and the Laden Ship
Qur’an Surah 37:139–140 (opens in a new tab)
139And, verily, Yunus (Jonah) was one of the Messengers.
140When he ran to the laden ship,
Qur’an Surah 37:141–142 (opens in a new tab)
141He (agreed to) cast lots, and he was among the losers,
142Then a (big) fish swallowed him and he had done an act worthy of blame.
The Cry from the Darkness
Hadith Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3505 (opens in a new tab) Sahih · al-Albani
The invocation of my brother Dhun-Nun: The invocation‘There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.’ No Muslim ever prays to his Lord with these words for anything but Allah will answer him.
Qur’an Surah 21:87–88 (opens in a new tab)
87And (remember) Dhun-Nun (Jonah), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e. the calamities which had befallen him)! But he cried through the darkness (saying): The invocation“La ilaha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers.”
88So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness).
Cast on the Naked Shore
Qur’an Surah 37:143–146 (opens in a new tab)
143Had he not been of them who glorify Allah,
144He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.
145But We cast him forth on the naked shore while he was sick,
146And We caused a plant of gourd to grow over him.
Qur’an Surah 68:49–50 (opens in a new tab)
49Had not a Grace from his Lord reached him, he would indeed have been (left in the stomach of the fish, but We forgave him), so he was cast off on the naked shore, while he was to be blamed.
50But his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous.
The People of Yunus Believe
Qur’an Surah 37:147–148 (opens in a new tab)
147And We sent him to a hundred thousand (people) or even more.
148And they believed; so We gave them enjoyment for a while.
Qur’an Surah 10:98 (opens in a new tab)
98Was 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 Yunus (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.
A Disagreement Among the Commentators
Commentary Al-Qurtubi — on Surah 10:98
Explicitly criticizes “some contemporaries” who “attribute shortcomings to Sayyidna Yunus in the discharge of his duties as a prophet,” arguing the removal of punishment is fully explained by his people’s timely repentance — not by any fault of Jonah’s. A direct rejection of reading the episode as prophetic failure.
Sources & Method
Quran text follows the Hilali–Khan Translation of the meanings of The Noble Qur’an, published by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an (1998). Hadith material is included only where it is graded Sahih; each is labelled by source, carries its grade, and links to sunnah.com so the reader can check it.
The passages are ordered to follow the course of the story rather than the order of the Quran, as on The Story of Isa al-Masih. The section headings are editorial, added to give the narrative shape on a web page; the Quran supplies none.
Reviewed and not included
Quran — list-mention rather than narrative: 4:163; 6:86.
Hadith — reviewed, not included: Sahih al-Bukhari 3395/3396, 3413, 3414/3415, 3416, 4603/4604, 4631, 4805; Sahih Muslim 166a, 2376/2377; Sunan Abi Dawud (Kitab al-Sunnah).
Commentary Ibn Kathir — on Surah 37:139–140
Reports the word abaqa — the term for a slave fleeing his master — without disputing it, consistent with treating Jonah’s departure as the “act worthy of blame” the Quran names in 37:142. The mainstream reading: he left his post without divine leave, and that is his fault.