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Prophet / MessengerPhase 1 · Adam to IsaMajor figure

Prophet Yunus (Dhun-Nun) (AS)

يونس (ذو النون)

c. 8th century BCE (traditional association with Nineveh; disputed) date disputed

The prophet swallowed by a great fish after leaving his people in anger. His prayer from the darkness became the model of repentance, and his people became the only nation spared after believing as punishment approached.

Biography

Yunus was sent to a people of 'a hundred thousand or more' (37:147), traditionally Nineveh in Iraq. He departed in anger before Allah's permission (21:87), boarded a laden ship, drew lots and was cast off, and was swallowed by a great fish (37:140-142). In the darknesses he called: 'There is no god but You; glory be to You; indeed I have been of the wrongdoers' (21:87). Allah saved him (21:88); had he not been of those who glorify Allah, he would have remained in its belly until the Day of Resurrection (37:143-144).

He was cast onto open land while ill, and a gourd plant was made to grow over him (37:145-146). He was sent back to his people, who believed, and Allah removed the punishment from them - the only such case the Quran mentions (10:98; 37:148). The Prophet ﷺ was told to be patient and not to be like 'the companion of the fish' (68:48-50).

The Prophet ﷺ said no one should say that he is better than Yunus ibn Matta (Sahih Bukhari; Sahih Muslim), and he described the supplication of Dhun-Nun as one that no Muslim makes for anything without being answered (Jami' al-Tirmidhi, graded authentic).

His father's name, Matta, comes from authentic hadith. His exact era is uncertain; the Biblical book of Jonah places him in the 8th century BCE.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

4:163 6:86 10:98 21:87 21:88 37:139 37:140 37:141 37:142 37:143 37:144 37:145 37:146 37:147 37:148 68:48 68:49 68:50

Links open quran.com.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: The Quranic account and Sahih Hadith are relied upon; speculative details (e.g. the duration inside the fish) are not fixed.

Empires in their lifetime

  • Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) c. 930 – c. 720 BCE
    The Bible places Jonah son of Amittai in the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel; the identification is traditional.
  • Neo-Assyrian Empire 911 – 609 BCE
    Yunus is traditionally associated with Nineveh, the Assyrian capital (dating disputed).

Further references

  • Quran 21:87-88
  • Quran 37:139-148
  • Quran 10:98
  • Quran 68:48-50
  • Sahih Bukhari & Muslim (not better than Yunus ibn Matta)
  • Jami' al-Tirmidhi (du'a of Dhun-Nun)

Connections

Comes from