• Jonah delivered from the distress

• The triumph of the Holy Prophet Muhammad prophesied

As-Saaffaat (As-Saffat) Verses 139 – 182

وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

And verily Jonah was (one) of the apostles. (37:139)1

إِذْ أَبَقَ إِلَى ٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلْمَشْحُونِ

When he fled unto a ship fully laden, (37:140)

فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُدْحَضِينَ

And they drew lots, and he was of those who were cast off. (37:141)

فَٱلْتَقَمَهُ ٱلْحُوتُ وَهُوَ مُلِيمٌ

And the fish swallowed him while he was blamed. (37:142)

فَلَوْلَآ أَنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسَبِّحِينَ

So if it were not that he was of those who glorify Us, (37:143)2

لَلَبِثَ فِى بَطْنِهِۦٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ

He would certainly have been detained in its belly to the Day (of Resurrection) when they shall be raised; (37:144)

فَنَبَذْنَـٰهُ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ سَقِيمٌ

And We cast him forth on the naked shore and he was sick. (37:145)

وَأَنۢبَتْنَا عَلَيْهِ شَجَرَةً مِّن يَقْطِينٍ

And caused We to grow (to give shade) over him, a plant of gourd. (37:146)

وَأَرْسَلْنَـٰهُ إِلَىٰ مِا۟ئَةِ أَلْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ

And We sent him unto a hundred thousand (people) or (even) more were they. (37:147)

فَـَٔامَنُوا۟ فَمَتَّعْنَـٰهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ

And believed they, so We gave them provision till a time. (37:148)

فَٱسْتَفْتِهِمْ أَلِرَبِّكَ ٱلْبَنَاتُ وَلَهُمُ ٱلْبَنُونَ

Then ask them (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) Is it that thy Lord hath daughters,3and they have sons? (37:149)

أَمْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ إِنَـٰثًا وَهُمْ شَـٰهِدُونَ

Or have We created the angels, females? and did they witness it? (37:150)

أَلَآ إِنَّهُم مِّنْ إِفْكِهِمْ لَيَقُولُونَ

Beware! Verily it is of their own falsehood that they say: (37:151)

وَلَدَ ٱللَّهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ

(that) God hath begotten:4And verily they utter a lie. (37:152)

أَصْطَفَى ٱلْبَنَاتِ عَلَى ٱلْبَنِينَ

Hath he preferred daughters to sons? (37:153)

مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَ

What hath happened to you? How judge ye? (37:154)

أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ

What! will ye not then reflect? (37:155)

أَمْ لَكُمْ سُلْطَـٰنٌ مُّبِينٌ

Or have ye any clear authority? (37:156)

فَأْتُوا۟ بِكِتَـٰبِكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ

Then bring ye your book if ye be truthful. (37:157)

وَجَعَلُوا۟ بَيْنَهُۥ وَبَيْنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ نَسَبًا وَلَقَدْ عَلِمَتِ ٱلْجِنَّةُ إِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُونَ

And assign they between Him and the jinn a kinship, and indeed the jinn to know that they shall surely be brought up (to account on the Day of Judgment) (37:158)

سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

Hallowed is God far above from what they5ascribe (unto Him), (37:159)

إِلَّا عِبَادَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ

But (not so are) the servants, freed (from sinning) (37:160)

فَإِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ

So verily ye and what ye worship, (37:161)

مَآ أَنتُمْ عَلَيْهِ بِفَـٰتِنِينَ

Ye can excite not (any one) against Him, (37:162)

إِلَّا مَنْ هُوَ صَالِ ٱلْجَحِيمِ

Except him who goes to Hell. (37:163)

وَمَا مِنَّآ إِلَّا لَهُۥ مَقَامٌ مَّعْلُومٌ

And there is not (any one) of us, but for him is an assigned place, (37:164)

وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ ٱلصَّآفُّونَ

And verily we are they who range ourselves in order.6(37:165)

وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ ٱلْمُسَبِّحُونَ

And verily we are they who celebrate His praise. (37:166)

وَإِن كَانُوا۟ لَيَقُولُونَ

And certainly they7used to say, (37:167)

لَوْ أَنَّ عِندَنَا ذِكْرًا مِّنَ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

Had we a reminder from those of yore, (37:168)

لَكُنَّا عِبَادَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ

Certainly had we been the servants of God, sincerely devoted (37:169)

فَكَفَرُوا۟ بِهِۦ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ

Then disbelieved they with it, so, soon will they know. (37:170)

وَلَقَدْ سَبَقَتْ كَلِمَتُنَا لِعِبَادِنَا ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

And indeed Our word hath already gone forth about8Our servants, the apostles: (37:171)

إِنَّهُمْ لَهُمُ ٱلْمَنصُورُونَ

Verily they shall be the succoured ones. (37:172)

وَإِنَّ جُندَنَا لَهُمُ ٱلْغَـٰلِبُونَ

And verily Our hosts, (only) they shall be the victorious. (37:173)9

فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ

So turn thou away from them for a time,10(37:174)

وَأَبْصِرْهُمْ فَسَوْفَ يُبْصِرُونَ

And (then) behold thou: for they too shall soon behold (their doom). (37:175)11

أَفَبِعَذَابِنَا يَسْتَعْجِلُونَ

What! would they then hasten on Our chastisement? (37:176)

فَإِذَا نَزَلَ بِسَاحَتِهِمْ فَسَآءَ صَبَاحُ ٱلْمُنذَرِينَ

But when it shall descend in their court,12evil shall then be the morning of the warned ones. (37:177)

وَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ

And turn thou away from them for a time, (37:178)13

وَأَبْصِرْ فَسَوْفَ يُبْصِرُونَ

And (then) behold thou, for they too shall soon see (their doom). (37:179)

سُبْحَـٰنَ رَبِّكَ رَبِّ ٱلْعِزَّةِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

Hallowed is thy Lord, the Lord of Majesty, far above from that which they ascribe (unto Him) (37:180)

وَسَلَـٰمٌ عَلَى ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

And peace be upon the apostles. (37:181)

وَٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

And all praise is God’s, the Lord of the worlds. (37:182)14

Commentary

Verse 141

When the lot was cast as to who in the boat should be cast off into the sea, it is said that forty times consecutively the lot fell to the name of Jonah and ultimately, he was cast out from the boat into the sea.

Verse 142

Jonah was swallowed by a fish – and it is said that Jonah felt miserable in the belly of the fish and was caused to remain there for three days and when he prayed to God reciting:

“La ilaha illa Anta, Subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimin”(21:87), i.e., There is no God save Thee, Thou art the Pure and verily I am of the unjust ones.

Jonah was caused to be cast out from the belly of the fish and was restored to ordinary life on earth. Hence the times every day after any recital of this sentence for 121 times every day after any one of the daily prayers regularly for 40 days is very effective to get relief from any calamity or sorrow (This is a tried prayer).

Verse 145

The fish was commanded by God to cast out Jonah from its stomach - upon a barren plain.

Verse 146

When Jonah was cast out of the fish’s belly, he was very ill - with his skin worn out. God caused gourd plant to grow which provided Jonah with its wide leaves with which he protected his body against the sun and prevented flies troubling his wounded body. A wild goat at the command of God, used to come and feed Jonah. When he got better and could move about and had been out somewhere and returned to his place, he found the gourd plant dried away. Jonah felt for losing the useful plant.

Verse 147

God addressing Jonah said: “O’ Jonah! thou didst not feel for a hundred and several thousands of thy fellow men having been made to perish for rebellion against thee and now thou feelest for merely losing a gourd tree which thou needest no more. Now go thou to thy people for a hundred thousand and even more of them have turned faithful and eagerly await to meet thee.”

Verse 148

When Jonah reached the outskirts of the town of Nainavah, he met a shepherd who did not believe him to be Jonah, for the people knew him to be drowned. Jonah prayed to God and a sheep cried out in clear words bearing testimony to Jonah’s identification. The shepherd went to his people and announced to them about Jonah’s return but the people first disbelieved, but when they heard the sheep bearing testimony to his claim they believed in him.

Verse 149

After giving a brief account of the prophets who preached against idolatry in general and the Star-worship in particular, Qur’an turns back addressing the pagans of the time of the Holy Prophet attacking the paganic idea of the time. (A.P.).

Verse 157

Most probably the reference is to the star-worshippers who claimed to have their own scripture from one of the ancient prophets. (A.P.).

Verse 158

Some of the infidels believed that the angels are the issues of God, through His alliance with the selected women of the Jinns. And the fire-worshippers thought that God and Satan are two brothers, one works goodness and creates light and the other works evils and causes darkness.

Verse 160

The conception about God, forwarded by the others, to the purified servants of God, has no value. (A.P.).

Verse 164

Ref. to what the angels state about their own position, against the wrong description of them the pagans - from verse 149. (A.P.).

Verse 173

This implies that there should be a state before the Resurrection Day of complete triumph of the mission of the divine guidance on earth which would mean, the triumph of everyone who played his part in the promotion of the divine mission. This is what the reappearance of the last Imam of the Ahl Al-Bayt, The Mahdi, implies - and this refers to the doctrine of ‘Raj’at’. In the sense that man by spiritual accomplishment succeeds, to establish communication with all those who took part with all the personalities of the past who played prominent parts in this final triumph of the Truth.

This is not the final resurrection day - in support of this refer to verses 39:67-75. This is a reference to the day of the manifestation of the apostolic power and the day of the Final Resurrection, is the day of the manifestation of the Kingdom of God. (A.P.).

Refer 175

This is what the tradition of the Ahl Al-Bayt asserts, that during the final trial not only those who played a prominent part in favour of the triumph will enjoy, but the chief opponents also wherever they be, will realise the triumph and will suffer. All this shall take place before the Total Resurrection. (A.P.).

Verse 177

It is wrong to confine the application of this verse only to those Meccans who were defeated by the Muslims until the conquest of Mecca, as it would mean limitation of the jurisdiction of the Holy Prophet against what is declared at the beginning.15 (A.P.).

Verse 178

Indicates that before the final triumph, there will be setbacks as the past of the Muslims and the believers should not become loose-hearted or get dejected. (A.P.).

Verse 181

This will actually be realised by all, during the final triumph. Blessed and happy are those who have already realised as the Holy Prophet has done. (A.P.).

• 1. Refer to verses 6:87, 10:98, 21:87 & 68:48.
• 2. Refer to note on verses 21:86 & 21:87.
• 3. The angels worshipped by the heathens as the daughters of God.
• 4. Jesus worshipped as the begotten Son of God.
• 5. people in general.
• 6. Explanation to the beginning Verses of the Chapter.
• 7. the disbelievers.
• 8. in favour of.
• 9. Refer to verses 39:67-75.
• 10. Until the Final Triumph.
• 11. Refer to verse 37:178.
• 12. face to face just before them.
• 13. Refer to verse 37:174.
• 14. Refer to verse 37:181.
• 15. Refer to verse 37:25.