The Messengers of God
the story of prophet jonah

The Story of the Prophet Jonah Born

The story of the prophet Jonah does not emphasize who his father was. In Al-Qur’an letter of An-Nisa verse 163, Allah says “and We have given revelation to Ibrahim, Ismail, Isaac, Ya’qub and ana his grandchildren are Isa, Ayyub, Jonah.” It is known that the Prophet Jonah was more introduced as a grandson than the previous prophet.

The prophet Jonah was born in Nineveh around 820. His mother was Matta bint Abumatta. He is the 27th descendant when counted from the Prophet Adam.

The Story of the Prophet Jonah Receives Revelation and is Sent to the Nineveh Region, Mosul

Allah sent down the revelation to Jonah when he was 30 years old. The target of his preaching was the Nineveh people who were in the Mosul area.

The reason that Jonah was sent by God to Nineveh is because the people worship idols.

Nineveh is a region close to the coast and into the territory of Iraq. the story of Jonah began to preach around 780 BC and the king of Israel who was in power at that time was the King of Samaria.

During his preaching, Jonah was known for his perseverance. He called them to leave behind a deity that is only a statue.

The prophet Jonah incessantly urged them to worship and believe in Allah alone. But what power, the efforts of the Prophet Jonah ended in vain because the people of Nineveh still chose idols.

The residents even gave various insults, banter and maki insults. All of them, including the king, have deceived and turned away from the path of truth.

The story of the prophet Jonah who continued to get the opposition made Allah angry and gave a warning of the punishment for them. When the promised day of God came, Jonah decided to leave.

The Story of Jonah and His People

The Prophet Jonah's decision to leave Nineveh showed how angry he was with his people.

At that moment, the Nineveh sky was enveloped by a red-colored cloud exceeding the color of fire. This phenomenon is a sign of the day when the doom is very close. The panicked king then gathered all the people together and ordered them to search for the prophet Jonah.

The reason for the call of Jonah was that they wanted to express their faith in Allah. They will no longer associate with God.

The inhabitants of Nineveh regretted that they had denied the teachings of Islam brought by Jonah.

But he did not come home and was even more angry because they all just wanted to repent after knowing the punishment would come down.

The Nineveh people were desperate not to find the prophet Jonah. In order to show their seriousness, the entire idol statue was finally destroyed.

The people gathered themselves together and went up to heaven to ask God for forgiveness. They hope that God will forgive them and not abandon them.

And Allah, the Most Forgiving, lifted the punishment upon the inhabitants of Nineveh. For Allah has accepted the repentance of the people of Jonah even though they believed in the last moment. The truth is written in the Qur’an letter of Jonah verse 98. Here is the meaning:

”When the people of Jonah believed, We removed from them a humiliating punishment, and We gave pleasure to them all until a certain time.”

Did the prophet Jonah return? Apparently not. He was already angry and chose to go away to the region in Tunis by boat.

The Story of Jonah Swallowed by Whales

It is said that the ship boarded by him was suddenly approached by a whale. The passengers on the ship were worried and scared.

Later, some of them stated that one of the people had sinned so much that the pope was ordered by God to give a warning as well as punishment.

The prophet Jonah suddenly spoke up and confessed his sin. The astonished passengers finally asked the identity of the Prophet Jonah.

He proclaimed his status as a prophet sent among the inhabitants of Nineveh.

After knowing this, they chose to shuffle the name to be thrown into the sea. But repeatedly it is still his name that comes out.

Based on the results of the lottery, the Prophet Jonah was thrown into the sea. God commanded the whale to swallow without hurting.

The story of the Prophet Jonah who was swallowed by the whale is enshrined in the Qur’an letter of Ash-Shaffa verses 139 to 148.

During his time in the stomach of the pope, he dhikr, pray, pray and ask for forgiveness without stopping.

The Prophet Jonah returned to his people

After being forgiven by Allah, Jonah returned to Nineveh. While on his way, he met a goat herder.

He ordered the shepherd to tell the news of the coming of Jonah to the people of Nineveh.

The wisdom of the story of the Prophet Jonah can you make a lesson to become a better Muslim person. Here are 4 important things taken from the story:

Never curse God

Man was created to worship only God. If men worship besides Allah as the people of Jonah did before repenting, they will get wrath from Allah. In the letter of Az-Zumar verse 65 it is mentioned that:

“If you join Allah, your charity will be abolished and you will be among the losers.”

Furthermore, a stern warning for those who associate with God is also written in the letter Al-An’am ayar 88 namely:

“If they associate with Allah, then the practice which has been done will be lost

Remember God at All Times

The prophet Jonah was a man who used to recite the dhikr to Allah. He always remembered his Lord both in the airy and narrow like when in the belly of a giant whale. The dhikr and the plea of forgiveness made Allah the pleasure to get him out of the whale. God describes it in the letter of Ash-Shaffaah:

“If Jonah were not among the people who remembered God much, he would remain in the belly of the whale until the resurrection day came.”

With the remembrance of God, there will be many virtues to be gained. One of them is getting help in precarious conditions though. The story of the Prophet Jonah spewed out by the giant pope is proof of that. In addition, thinking to remember God will make the mood wrapped in a sense of calm.

Be Patient in Spreading the Good

Based on the story of him who left his people, you can learn a lesson. Patience is necessary in all things. Even if it is a difficult beginning, surely God will facilitate the rest.

Depends Only on God

When Jonah was swallowed by the pope, he was not angry and cursed God. He regretted his actions, begged for forgiveness every second and kept praying and dhikr.

Jonah expects forgiveness and help from Allah. That is what is worth exemplifying. When faced with a trial, do not turn away from God.

There is a prayer that the prophet Jonah recites in the belly of the pope. The prayer is short but has a very powerful meaning and primacy. The prayer reads “Laa ilaaha illaa anta subhaanaka inni kuntu minadzaaalimiin.”

In the hadith narrated by At-Tirmidhi, the Prophet said that every believer who reads the prayer of Jonah will be facilitated by Allah.

The prophet Jonah, who left his people out of anger until he was swallowed by a whale, was famous.

There are many lessons that you can learn from the story of the Prophet Jonah during his preaching. The two most important things are to be patient and to remember God in every situation.