لَلَبِثَ فِى بَطْنِهِۦٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ 144
Translations
He would have remained inside its belly until the Day they are resurrected.
Transliteration
Lallabitha fee batnihi ilaa yawma yubAAthoon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to Prophet Yunus (Jonah), stating that he would have remained in the belly of the whale until the Day of Resurrection had Allah not caused him to repent and be saved. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah demonstrates Allah's mercy in delivering Yunus from his predicament after he called upon his Lord in sincere repentance. The ayah emphasizes that without divine intervention and the Prophet's earnest supplication (dua), his situation would have been eternally hopeless.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the context of Surah As-Saffat, which discusses various prophets and their missions. It specifically addresses the story of Prophet Yunus, highlighting the consequence of his initial abandonment of his people and his subsequent rescue through repentance. The surah, revealed in Mecca, uses these prophetic narratives to provide consolation to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during the early trials of his mission.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The supplication of Dhun-Nun (Yunus) when he called upon Allah from within the darkness: There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers - no Muslim calls upon Allah with it but that Allah answers his supplication.' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, authenticated by Al-Albani)
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that sincere repentance and heartfelt supplication to Allah can rescue us from seemingly impossible situations and despair. It reminds believers that no condition is permanent or hopeless when one turns back to Allah with genuine remorse and faith.