Yunus
The story of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) is one of the stories mentioned in the Holy Quran and contains many lessons that believers can benefit from. Yunus, peace be upon him, is mentioned in several Quranic suras, such as Al-Anbiya and Al-Safat, but his story appears clearly in Al-Safat, where he goes through a great experience of patience, repentance, and returning to God.
About Yunus, peace be upon him
Yunus, peace be upon him, was a prophet sent to the people of Nineveh (a city in Iraq). The people of Nineveh had lost sight of their religion, so Yunus, peace be upon him, tried to warn them of the danger that threatened them because of their disbelief and corruption.
But the people of Nineveh disbelieved the Prophet Yunus, peace be upon him, and were not convinced of his message, but persisted in their disbelief and obstinacy. Yunus, peace be upon him, became angry and decided to leave them in anger without God's permission.
Yunus' call to his people
God sent his prophet Yunus to his people who were worshipping idols. He forbade them from worshipping them, called them to the monotheism of God Almighty, and gave them advice in delivering the message of his Lord, but they met him with hostility, alienation, and rejection. When Yunus sensed disbelief from them after that, he warned them of God's anger and wrath and threatened them with God's punishment after three days if they did not believe, then he left from their midst in anger after he thought he fulfilled his duty of delivering the message and left the land of his people heading towards the sea.
It seems from the texts in the story of Yunus that God did not order him to go out, as God described him as a fugitive, and a fugitive is a slave who runs away: Our master Yunus had to submit to God's command, for no prophet can leave his country and village and go out or emigrate without God's permission, so God forbade His Messenger (peace be upon him) to be like the companion of the whale in his sharpness and lack of patience, saying: “Be patient for the judgment of your Lord and do not be like the companion of the whale.
When his people saw the signs of the torment and realized that it was coming upon them, they repented to Allah, regretted their disbelief in their messenger, and separated every animal from its child, then they went out to call upon Allah, beg Him, and supplicate to Him, and Allah revealed the torment that had surrounded them, and Allah told us that the people of Yunus were benefited by their faith after the torment came upon them: (Allah told us that the people of Yunus, when they believed, we relieved them of the punishment of disgrace in the life of the world, and we gave them pleasure for a time.)
The swallowing of Yusuf by a whale
After the people realized that Yunus, peace be upon him, was the cause of God's anger against them, they threw him into the sea. At the moment of casting, the whale swallowed Yunus, peace be upon him, and he was in its belly day and night. At that moment, Yunus, peace be upon him, began to feel the depth of his mistake in leaving his people without God's permission, and he knew that it was one of his mistakes.
In the belly of the whale, Yunus, peace be upon him, began to pray to Allah and show his repentance and remorse for what he had done. In verse 143 of Surat al-Anbiya, Allah says:
“He called out in the darkness that there is no god but You, praise be to You, for I was one of the wrongdoers.”
These were the words of Yunus, peace be upon him, as he confessed his guilt and addressed God with words of monotheism and confession of error, reflecting his servitude to God and his humility before the Almighty.
God's answer to Yunus' prayer
The Prophet Yunus heard the praise of the pebbles and the sea animals while he was in the belly of the whale, and he realized what he deserved to be blamed for, so he turned to God and praised Him, mentioned Him, praised Him, and pleaded with Him to relieve his distress, and God inspired him with the words that dispel the darkness and remove the distress, so he called out to his Lord, praising Him and repenting for what he had done: (He called out to his Lord in the darkness, “There is no God but You, praise be to You, I was one of the wrongdoers.” * We responded to him and rescued him from distress, and similarly, We save the believers. [7] and Allah planted a pumpkin tree for him to shade himself and eat from. Scholars have mentioned in the wisdom of planting a pumpkin on him that it is a tree that has many benefits and strengthens the body, and its fruit is eaten in all its forms, raw and cooked, and in its peel and seeds as well. He found them believing in God and waiting for his return to follow him, so he stayed with them, teaching and guiding them.