Al-Qurʾān: Selected verses from Sūrah 10. Yūnus (Prophet Jonah)

Surah Yūnus "يونس", (Prohet "Jonah"), is the 10th surah / chapter the Quran with 109 ayat / verses. The Surah is named after the Prophet Yunus (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ). It is believed to have been revealed before the migration of the Prophet Muhammed صلى الله عليه وسلم and his followers from Makkah to Medina (Hijra), and is thus called a Meccan surah. 

Surah Yunus is the first of six surahs which open with the tri-letters alif, lam and ra'. For other surahs of Qur'an which commence with Huroof Muqatta’at - Disjoined Letters, please refer to our earlier post: Understanding the Holy Quran: Huroof Muqatta’at - Disjoined Letters

About Sūrah Yūnus

Its content presents a unified discourse, likely revealed in one sitting, designed to bolster the believers’ resolve and confront the Quraysh’s objections to the message of Islam 

Major Themes 

According to scholars, its major themes include:

• Tawhid (Divine Oneness) & Revelation: Emphasizes monotheism, the authenticity of the Quran, and the rejection of polytheism and false gods 
• Prophethood and Divine Message: It addresses the rejection faced by the Prophet ﷺ by drawing parallels with prophets like Nūḥ, Mūsā, and Yūnus (Jonah) — highlighting both struggle and triumph 
• Signs in Nature: Invites reflection on creation—the heavens, earth, day/night cycles, sun and moon—as evidence of God’s power and sovereignty 
• Graphic descriptions of the Hereafter: there are several verses that provide graphic descriptions of the Hereafter to serve as a stern warning, urging people to reform their ways before it’s too late.
• Judgment and Accountability: Reaffirms belief in resurrection and the Day of Judgment, warning of consequences for disbelief and neglect of divine guidance 
• Hope, Mercy & Repentance: Although some nations faced destruction, the people of Yūnus were forgiven after sincere repentance—highlighting Allah’s mercy even after delay 
• Guidance for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: Encourages patience, perseverance in hardship, and steadfastness in delivering the message without forcing belief 
• Critique of Disbelief: Addresses the argument of unbelievers who rejected the Quran as fabricated, demanded miracles or alternate scripture, and mocked resurrection 

Structure and Flow

• Verses 1–20: Assertion of the divine nature of the Quran, denial of sorcery accusations, and the reality of revelation to a man from among them 
• Verses 21–32: Debate over resurrection, divine purpose, and reminders from past warnings.
• Verses 33–41: Life as trial and the shifting human attitudes towards gratitude and remembrance.
• Verses 42–70: Stories of Nūḥ, Mūsā vs. Pharaoh, and the people of Yūnus.
• Verses 71–109: Reflection on faith, repentance, free will, and final exhortation to the Prophet ﷺ to continue patiently.

Relevance in the Present Day

1. Strengthening Faith Amid Opposition: Just as early Muslims faced hostility, believers today are reminded that doubt and resistance to truth is not new 
2. Miracles of Reflection: Encourages modern readers to contemplate natural phenomena as signs of divine power, especially in an age of scientific discovery 
3. Mercy through Repentance: Demonstrates that sincere repentance—even after error or delay—is recognized and rewarded by Allah (as in Yūnus’s recitation of “Lā ilāha illā anta...” 
4. Clarity in Dialogue: Provides tools to respond to skepticism, secularism, relativism, and ideological bias with reasoned evidence and prophetic wisdom.
5. Reminder of Purpose: Reinforces that life is a test; each person must choose belief and accountability over convenience or cultural acceptance.

Summary Table (Theme vis Meaning & Message)

• Monotheism & Revelation: The Quran is divine; idols and false gods cannot benefit or harm.
• Prophetic Stories: Resistance faced by prophets is timeless; conviction persists despite hardship.
• Signs in Creation: Nature as evidence of Divine Wisdom, inviting reflection and recognition.
• Judgment & Mercy: Resurrected accountability balanced by compassion for those who repent and reform.
• Responding to Rejection: Use reasoned argument and patience, not force or despair.
• Life’s Test: Human existence is temporary; faith and actions define eternal destiny.

In summary, Sūrah 10. Yūnus is a powerful Makkan surah whose themes—Tawhid, accountability, prophetic resilience, divine mercy, and rational reflection—continue to guide, console, and challenge believers today.-

We have already published detailed exegesis of the Surah which can be accessed from links given below:

| Overview | Exegesis: | Part I | Part II | Part III |  | Part IV |

*You may like to read the story of Prophet Yunus as mentioned in Qur'an from our earlier post: Prophet Younis (Jonah) and Allah's Displeasure

Mention of Prophet Yunus in other surahs of Qur'an:

• Surah As‑Saffāt (37:139–148) describes the event in detail 
• Surah Al-Anbiyā’ (21:87–88) mentions his supplication and rescue 
• Surah Yunus (10:98) mentions the people of Yunus repenting after he was sent back 
• Surah Al-Qalam (68:48–50) refers to “the companion of the Fish” urging patience in contrast to his experience 

We now share some of the verses from Sūrah Yūnus which have already been published covering some important messages:

• Divine Warning for those who worship others than Allah and call them their Intercessors with Allah - verse 18
• Allah calls you to the Abode of Peace - verse 25
• Beware of a Day when there will be no barter exchange of sins with worldly wealth - verse 54
• What do we learn from the fate of the disgraced (like Pharaoh) who remain alive in corridors of history - verse 92
• Do not worship others beside Allah - verse 104
• If Allah afflicts you with any hardship, none other than He can remove it - verse 107

In time we will continue to add more selected verses from Sūrah Yūnus for information of our readers.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from Surah 14. Ibrāhīm "إبراهيم" (Prophet Abraham) for verses from this Surah

You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.

For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .

You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

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Prophet Younis (Jonah) and Allah's Displeasure

Man has always been ungrateful and resistive to the Divine commandments and Allah has been sending prophets and messengers to guide the wronged to the righteous path. But sometimes it so happens that the stubbornness and resistance of nonbelievers makes even the prophets lose heart and abandon the mission assigned to them by Allah. And the story of Prophet Younis (peace be upon him), known and mentioned in earlier scriptures as Jonah is one such episode where a prophet abandoned his people in disgust and prayed for the wrath of Allah to befell on them.

The mention of the episode of Prophet Younis is made in Surah Yunus [10], Surah Al-Anbya [21] and Surah As-Saffat [37] of the Holy Qur'an and Hebrew Bible (Tanakh/Old Testament). Prophet Younis was a direct descendant of Prophet Yaqub (peace be upon him), also known as Jacob, has also referred to in the Qur’an by the name of Dhan-Nun (meaning The One of the Fish).

He was sent to people of Nineveh, a town in the area of Mosul in northern Iraq, for they have had turned down all earlier Divine messages and continued to be idolaters. According to the Qur’an, it had a population of around 100,000 people: And We sent him to [his people of] a hundred thousand or more [(Qur’an 37:147)]. It is said that despite his years long efforts to turn the shrouded hearts and minds of people of Nineveh in idolatry to the Divine path of righteousness, the people remained oblivious to his efforts and did not budge even a bit from their age old  beliefs and faith.

Despite his best efforts when the Prophet Younis found him failing to convince his people to leave idolatry and bring faith on monotheism and One true Allah. As all prophets and messengers are granted one supplication of their choice which Allah will fulfill, one day in deep despair prayed to Allah to bring Divine wrath on people of Nineveh. But before seeing the fulfillment of his prayer he left the city and boarded a ship out in the open seas.   

While a layman may understand Prophet Younis' departure in despair, it was not taken easily by Allah for he left a mission assigned to him half way and unfilled and leaving calling for the Divine wrath. This definitely drew extreme Divine displeasure and had severe consequences on him. The ship while sailing smoothly suddenly came under a heavy sea storm and it seemed difficult for the captain of the ship to save it from a disaster. As was then the practice in vogue of throwing someone off board to please the angry gods, everyone looked for a sinner on board. 

When they could not find any such person, Prophet Younis volunteered to be thrown off the ship for he had realized by then that he had committed a great sin by leaving the mission assigned to him half way.  Uncertain of his request, others agreed to draw lots to decide the matter. The first round resulted against Prophet Yunus, but seeing his rather elderly figure, they decided to draw the lot twice and even third time - but each time the lot drew against him. Being a prophet, he understood that this was the decree of Allah. “And indeed, Yunus was among the messengers. [Mention] when he ran away to the laden ship. And he drew lots and was among the losers.” [(Qur’an 37:139-141)].

Thus, Prophet Younis was thrown off board in the raging sea and he understood that he was to face the wrath of Allah himself for abandonment of the Divine mission. But prophet he still was and Allah would never hurt His prophets or revenge them for their humanly errors and decisions. So there came a big fish, whale as we know it today, which swallowed the prophet as a whole and he went inside its belly unhurt and alive. “Then the fish swallowed him, while he was blameworthy.” (Surah As-Saffat 37:142)

Miraculously, Prophet Younis was not pulverized, but remained whole, for the whale was not allowed by Allah to scratch his flesh or even break his bones. When he came to, he realized that he was still intact and alive. He fell in prostration and said “Oh my Lord! I have made a place of prayer where nobody else has even worshiped you.” [1]

There in the complete darkness, the Prophet of Allah begged for forgiveness and repented his actions. He repeated this humble supplication countless times over the course of the next three days and nights, and repented for his disobedience. In Holy Qur'an the prayer that Prophet Younis offered repeatedly is mentioned in Surah Al-Anbya (21:87): “And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him. And he called out within the darknesses, “There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.” 

The lesson thus been taught to His prophet, Allah accepted his prayer and the fish came ashore and vomited him out alive and unhurt. “So 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.)” (Surah Al-Anbya 21:88)

In the meantime, a miracle had happened to the people of Nineveh who had repented their attitude to Prophet Younis who had left in despair and begged for Divine forgiveness and pledged to leave idolatry and accept the righteous path as was propagated by Prophet Younis. Allah accepted their pledge and took them under His fold as believers.

The entire episode is a unique one in which a prophet had left his assigned mission half way, abandoned his people and efforts to bring them to the righteous path and even prayed for the wrath of Allah to befell on them. But Allah clearly demonstrated that even if prophets do their utmost to mould the hearts of people sent upon, a prophet can only make an endeavorer and no more. It is up to Allah alone Who can mould the hearts of nonbelievers  and guide them to the truth and worship of one true Allah.

This episode also shows that prophet do faulter but their true repentance is acknowledged by Allah and they are forgiven. The same goes to all those who have firm faith and belief in monotheism, and live their lives as commanded by Allah, their earnest prayers too are answered and are saved from the wrongs been done to them. 

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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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