As-Saaffaat (Those drawn up in Ranks)

145. “But We cast him forth on the naked shore while he was sick,”

146. “And We caused to grow over him a plant of gourds.”

147. “And We sent him to a hundred thousand (people) or more.”

Allah protected four prophets in relation with water in different forms: Jonah was protected under the water; Noah on the water; Moses and Yusuf beside the water.

In a tradition Imam Baqir (as) said:

“Jonah was kept prisoner in the belly of a fish for a few days where his hairs went away and the skin of his body became thin. Then he came out from the belly of the fish. He sucked the bush of gourd and rested under the shade of the gourd.”1

The verse says:

“But We cast him forth on the naked shore while he was sick,”

The great fish approached the dry shore where there was no tree or plant and, by the command of Allah, it threw out the morsel which was extra inside it. But it is clear that this wonderful prison disturbed the bodily health of Jonah and he was delivered from that prison while he was sick.

The second verse indicates that again the grace of Allah came to him. Since his body was sick and he was bodily tired and feeble, the shore sunshine hurt him and his tender face. It was necessary for him to rest under the shade of the wide leaves of that plant.

The Qur’an says:

“And We caused to grow over him a plant of gourds.”

As many of the philologists and commentators have said, the Arabic word /yaqtin/ is called to every plant which has not a stalk and has wide leaves, such as the bush of melon, cucumber, watermelon and the like. But a great deal of commentators and Islamic narrators here have stipulated that the purpose here is particularly gourd.

It should be noted that the Arabic word /šajarah/ is used for both the plants which have stalk and branches, and those without stalk and branches, and in other words, it is irrespective of tree and plant.

There has been narrated a tradition from the holy Prophet of Islam (S) that someone asked him whether he liked gourd, and he (S) answered:

“Yes, it is the plant of my brother Jonah.”2

By the way, besides that a gourd has some wide leaves full of water which can be used as a good shady recess, flies and other insects do not approach it.

When Jonah left his people angrily, and the sign of the Divine Wrath was also going to appear to them, they were shocked severely and came to themselves. They went toward the learned man who was among them and by his leadership they decided to repent.

Some Islamic narrations denote that they entirely moved toward the desert and they caused a separation between men and women, and their children, and also between animals and their children. Then they began crying loudly and for the sins and wrongs they had performed against the prophet of Allah, Jonah, repented sincerely.

It was then that the Divine punishment went away and was poured on the mountains, and the faithful people who had repented returned safely by the mercy of Allah.¹

After this event Jonah came back to his people to see what the punishment had done upon them. When he came he wondered that how they were all idol worshippers on the day of his emigration and now they were wholly worshippers of Allah.

The Qur’an says:

“And We sent him to a hundred thousand (people) or more.”