The Qur’an

“The Adventure of Jonah”

Sura 37

The Rangers

139. And Yunus was most surely of the apostles.
140. When he ran away to a ship completely laden,
141. So he shared (with them), but was of those who are cast off.
142. So the fish swallowed him while he did that for which he blamed himself
143. But had it not been that he was of those who glorify (Us),
144. He would certainly have tarried in its belly to the day when they are raised.
145. Then We cast him on to the vacant surface of the earth while he was sick.
146. And We caused to grow up for him a gourdplant.
147. And We sent him to a hundred thousand, rather they exceeded.
148. And they believed, so We gave them provision till a time.

The Bible

“THE ADVENTURE OF JONAH”

Jonah

Chapter 1

1. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
4. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
5. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
6. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
7. And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

11. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

12. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

17. Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah

Chapter 2

1. Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,
2. And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
3. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
4. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

9. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
10. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Jonah

Chapter 3

1. And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2. Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
3. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.
4. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

10. And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Jonah

Chapter 4

1. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2. And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
3. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
4. Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
5. So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
6. And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.
7. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
8. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
9. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
10. Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
11. And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

COMMENTARY

In the Qur’an:

1. This is a very “simplified” story of Jonah, who fled to a ship, agreed to cast lots, was condemned, was swallowed by a big fish, repented and survived his ordeal.

2. After Jonah was cast ashore, God caused a plant to grow above him to restore his physical health ( as I can understand it from reading the previous ayat, Jonah was “…in a state of sickness…”). God then sent Jonah to preach to multitudes of people, who accepted Jonah’s words.

In the Bible:

1. God sent Jonah with a specific mission to preach a message of salvation to the city of Nineveh, but Jonah fled to a ship sailing in the opposite direction. God directed a powerful storm against the ship in order for Jonah to understand his sin against God. Realizing that the storm was the consequence of his disobedience to God’s command, Jonah asked the sailors to throw him into the sea in order to save them and the ship from the wrath of God. A big fish swallowed Jonah and he spent three days and nights in the belly of this fish. Finally he repented and agreed to fulfill God’s mission to go to Nineveh.

2. He came to the city and preached about the coming destruction unless all the people there would repent before God. But Jonah really wanted God to destroy this city, and he found a spot on the top of the hill to watch God’s wrath take place on Nineveh. As he sat, waiting, God caused a plant to grow over him to provide him with shade. After a short time God sent a worm to destroy this plant. Jonah was so upset over the destruction of  the plant that he wished death for himself. God explained to his prophet that the lives of thousands of people, including wicked gentiles, were as valuable to God as that plant was to Jonah.