Bismillah.
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُنجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
So, We answered his prayer and delivered him from sorrow; and thus do We deliver the faithful.
(Sūrat al-Anbiyā No. 21, Āyat 88)
The story of Prophet Yūnus ‘alayhis-salām and his mission to the large city of Nineveh was discussed in previous reflections. To recap, the people of Nineveh initially disbelieved in his message. After many years, Yūnus (a), growing weary, prayed for their punishment. When Allah ‘azza wajall revealed to Yūnus (a) the exact date they were destined to be punished, he informed his community and left the city. However, in his absence, just as the black clouds of punishment began to descend upon Nineveh, the people sincerely repented and were forgiven.
During this time, Yūnus (a) continued to distance himself from his community. Since he had left without Allah’s express permission, no new revelation was sent to him. He eventually reached a port city and decided to board a small boat that was about to set sail. Although the Quran does not provide the details of why Yūnus (a) was thrown overboard, Sūrah al-Sāffāt, verses 140-141, mentions that the boat was full of people and that they cast lots to decide who should be thrown overboard. According to traditions, a whale blocked the path of the boat, opening its mouth as if ready to swallow someone. The people on the boat realized that there was someone among them whom God was not pleased with, leading them to cast lots. Regardless, Yūnus (a) was ultimately thrown into the sea, and an enormous whale swallowed him whole. By Allah’s command, he remained safely in the belly of the whale for three days, trapped in darkness and unable to move. During this time, Yūnus (a) realized that his hardship was because of the impatience he had shown toward his people, so he cried out to Allah in the darkness:
لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
There is no god except You! You are immaculate! I have indeed been among the wrongdoers! (Q 21:87)
The darkness that enveloped Yūnus (a) was threefold: the belly of the whale, the depths of the sea, and the darkness of the night. Yet these were but material veils of darkness. For a devoted servant of Allah like Yūnus (a), the real darkness was the spiritual distance he felt from Allah subhānahu wata‘ālā, caused by his choice not to take the best possible action. Hence, he sincerely repented. In the following verse of Sūrat al-Anbiyā that was quoted at the beginning of this Reflection, Allah provides a general principle for all believers: just as the sincere supplication of Yūnus (a) was answered and he was saved from sorrow and anxiety, so too can other believers be saved in the same way.
This verse serves as an important reminder of the power and significance of supplication. It can have amazing effects. In a conversation with one of his companions by the name of Muyassar, Imam Ja‘far al-Sādiq ‘alayhis-salām says: O Muyassar! Pray to God, and do not say things are already decided. Verily, there is a station with God Almighty that cannot be reached except by asking. If a servant kept his mouth closed and did not ask, he would not be given anything. Ask so that you will be given. O Muyassar! There is no door that is knocked on except that its owner will likely open it. (al-Kāfī, 2: 466-7)
We pray to Allah for the opportunity and inclination to always remember Him and to supplicate to Him. Just as Yūnus (a) called out from the darkness of the whale’s belly, and as Imam al-Husayn (a) spent his final night in earnest supplication, we ask Allah to grant us the ability to do the same, especially during the blessed pre-dawn hours.
Sources: Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī, Sīreh-ye Payambarān dar Qur’ān (Tafsīr-e Mawdu’ī, vol. 7), Rizwan Arastu, God’s Emissaries Adam to Jesus.