Meaning of Quran

Yunus | Jonah

With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful.

[10:1] Alif, Lam, Ra. These are verses of the Wise Book.

[10:2] Is it surprising for the people that We have sent the divine revelation to a man from among them to direct him that he should warn the people (who are heedless), and give happy news to those who believe that they will have a truly excellent footing at a place near their Lord? The disbelievers said, Surely, he is an open sorcerer.

[10:3] Surely, your Lord is Allah, the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and then He positioned Himself on the Throne. He governs all affairs (of His creation). There is no one who could intercede before Him, except after His permission. That is Allah, your Lord. So, worship Him. Would you still pay no heed?

[10:4] Towards Him all of you have to return, this being a true promise from Allah. Surely, He originates the creation; then He will bring it again, so that He may justly reward those who believe and do good deeds. As for those who disbelieve, for them, there is a drink of boiling water and a painful punishment, because they used to be infidels.

[10:5] He is the One who has made the sun a glow, and the moon a light, and determined for it stages, so that you may learn the number of the years, and the calculation (of time). Allah has not created all this but for a rightful purpose. He elaborates the signs for people who understand.

[10:6] Surely, in the alternation of night and day and in what Allah has created in the heavens and the earth, there are signs for a people who are God-fearing.

[10:7] As for those who do not believe in meeting Us and are quite happy with the life of this world and are content with it, and those who are heedless to Our signs,

[10:8] they are the ones whose abode is the Fire, because of what they used to earn for themselves.

[10:9] As for those who believe and do good deeds, their Lord will guide them by virtue of their belief; rivers will be flowing beneath them in the Gardens of Bliss.

[10:10] Their call therein will be, Pure are You, O Allah. and their greeting therein will be Salam. And the end of their call will be, Praise is to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

[10:11] And if Allah were to hasten in sending evil to the people, as they hasten in seeking good, their time would have been all over. So, We leave alone those who do not believe in meeting Us to wander blindly in their rebellion.

[10:12] When a man is afflicted by a hardship, he prays to Us (at all times), when reclining or sitting or standing. But when We remove his hardship, he just takes his way as though he had never prayed to Us in any hardship that afflicted him. This is how their deeds appear beautified to the transgressors.

[10:13] Indeed We have destroyed generations before you when they transgressed, and their Messengers had come to them with clear signs, but they were not the ones who would believe. This is how We punish the guilty people.

[10:14] Then We made you (there) successors in the land so that We see how you would act.

[10:15] When Our verses are recited to them in all their clarity, say those who do not believe in meeting Us, Bring a Qur‘an other than this, or make changes in it (to suit our fancies). Say, It is not possible for me to make changes in it on my own. I follow nothing but what is revealed to me. If I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a terrible day.

[10:16] Say, Had Allah so willed, I would have not recited it to you, nor would He have let you know it. Then, I have lived among you for years before it. Have you, then, no sense?.

[10:17] So, who is more unjust than the one who forges a lie against Allah or gives the lie to His signs? Indeed (such) guilty people shall not achieve success.

[10:18] Beside Allah, they worship those who can neither harm nor benefit them, and they say, These are our intercessors with Allah. Say, Are you informing Allah of what He does not know as existing in the heavens or on the earth?. Pure is He, and far higher than what they associate with Him.

[10:19] All the people were no more than a single community; later, they differed. But for a word from your Lord that had already come to pass, a decisive judgment would have been made about their mutual differences.

[10:20] And they say, Why is it that no sign has been sent down to him from his Lord?. Say, The Unseen is only for Allah. So, wait. I am waiting for you.

[10:21] Once We cause people to taste a blessing after a hardship had afflicted them, they at once start devising plans against Our verses. Say, Allah is swifter in implementing His plan. Indeed, Our messengers (angels) record whatever you intrigue.

[10:22] He is the One who enables you to travel on land and at sea until when you are aboard the boats, and they sail with those on board, under a favorable wind, and they are pleased with it, there comes upon them a violent wind, and the wave comes upon them from every direction, and they think that they are surrounded from all sides, they pray to Allah, having faith in Him alone, (and say,). If You deliver us from this, we shall be grateful indeed.

[10:23] But when He delivers them, they at once start rebelling on the earth wrongfully. O people, your rebellion is, in fact, against your own selves. It is only worldly life that you are enjoying. Thereafter, it is to Us that you have to return; then We will tell you what you have been doing.

[10:24] The example of worldly life is just like the water We sent down from the sky, then the vegetation of the earth grew with it, which is (meant to be) eaten by men and cattle, until when the earth took on its ornament and was fully adorned, and its people thought that they had control over it, Our command came to it at night or by day, and We turned it into a stubble as if it had not been there a day earlier. This is how We elaborate the verses for people who reflect.

[10:25] Allah invites (people) to the Abode of Peace and brings whom He wills to a straight path.

[10:26] For those who do good there is the best, and something more. Neither gloom shall cover their faces, nor disgrace. Those are the people of Paradise. Therein they shall live forever.

[10:27] As for those who commit evils, the recompense of each evil shall be similar to that evil, and disgrace shall cover them. For them, there is none to save from Allah. Their faces will seem to be covered with layers of a dark night. Those are the people of the Fire. Therein they shall live forever.

[10:28] And (be mindful of) the Day when We shall gather them together, then We shall say to those who associated partners with Allah, Wait in your place, you and your associate-gods. Then We will cause a split between them, and their associate-gods will say, It was not us that you worshipped.

[10:29] So, Allah is enough as a witness between us and between you. We were totally unaware of your worship.

[10:30] Thereupon, everyone shall assess what one had sent ahead, and they will be sent back to Allah, their true Lord, and whatever they used to fabricate will vanish from them.

[10:31] Say, Who gives you sustenance from the heavens and the earth? Or, who controls the (powers of) hearing and seeing? And who brings forth the living from the dead, and brings forth the dead from the living? And who manages everything?. They will say, Allah. Then, (you) say, Would you not, then, fear Allah (by desisting from holding others as gods)?

[10:32] So, that is Allah, your Lord in truth. And what is there after truth but error? To where, then, are you being diverted (by your whims)?

[10:33] This is how the Word of your Lord has come true about the sinners that they will not believe.

[10:34] Say, Is there anyone from your =associate-gods‘ who originates the creation, then brings it again? To where then, are you being turned away (by your desires)?

[10:35] Say, Is there anyone from your associate-gods who guides to the truth?. Say, Allah guides to the truth. Is, then, He who guides to the truth more worthy of being obeyed, or he who has no guidance at all unless he is guided (by someone else)? So, what has happened to you? How do you judge things?

[10:36] Most of them follow nothing but conjectures. Surely, conjectures are of no avail in the matter of truth at all. Certainly, Allah is fully aware of what they do.

[10:37] And this Qur‘an is not such as could have been made up by someone without (having been revealed by) Allah, but it is a confirmation of that (discourse) which had been (revealed) before it, and an elaboration of what is prescribed. There is no doubt about it. It is from the Lord of all the worlds.

[10:38] Or, do they say that he has made it up? Say, Then, bring a Surah like this, and call whomsoever you can besides Allah if you are true.

[10:39] But they have rejected a thing they could not comprehend with knowledge, while its ultimate end has not appeared to them as yet. Similarly, those who passed before them had rejected the truth. So, look how was the fate of the unjust.

[10:40] And among them there are those who believe in it, and among them, there are others who do not believe in it. And your Lord has the best knowledge about the mischief-makers.

[10:41] And if they give the lie to you, say, For me, my deed, and for you, your deed. You are not accountable for what I do, and I am not accountable for what you do..

[10:42] And among them, there are those who listen to you. Would you, then, make the deaf hear, even though they lack understanding?

[10:43] And among them, there are those who look at you. Would you, then, guide the blind even when they have no insight?

[10:44] Surely, Allah does not wrong people at all, but the people do wrong their own selves.

[10:45] The Day when He will gather them (in the next life,) they will feel as if they had not stayed (in the world) any longer than a fraction of a day. They will recognize each other. Losers, indeed, are those who deny that they will ever face Allah; they are not on the right path.

[10:46] No matter whether We show you (during your life) some of what We warn them of, or We take you back to Us (before it), in any case, they have to return to Us. Then, Allah is witness to what they do.

[10:47] For every people there is a messenger. So, when their messenger comes, the matter is decided between them with justice, and they are not wronged.

[10:48] They say, When will this promise (of punishment to the disbelievers) be fulfilled if you are true?.

[10:49] Say, I have no power to bring harm or a benefit to myself, except what Allah wills. For every people, there is an appointed time. When their time comes, they are not able to put it off for a moment, nor are they able to go ahead of it.

[10:50] Say, Just tell me, if His punishment befalls you at night or by day, what (desirable thing) will it have that the sinners are asking it so hurriedly?

[10:51] Is it only when it befalls you that you will believe in it? (It will be said to you at that time, Have you believed) now, while you used to demand (in mockery) that it should come sooner?.

[10:52] Then it will be said to the unjust, Taste the punishment lasting forever. You shall not be punished except for what you have been earning..

[10:53] They ask you to tell them whether it is true. Say, Yes, by my Lord, it is true. And you cannot frustrate (Allah‘s plan).

[10:54] If anyone who did wrong possesses all that is on the earth, he would (agree to) ransom himself with it. And they will conceal their remorse when they will see the punishment. And the matter will be decided between them with justice and they will not be wronged.

[10:55] Look! To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Look! Allah‘s promise is certainly true, but most of them do not know.

[10:56] He gives life and brings death, and to Him, you shall be returned.

[10:57] O men, there has come to you advise from your Lord, and a cure for the ailments of your hearts, and guidance and mercy for the believers.

[10:58] Say, With the grace of Allah and with His mercy (this book has been revealed). So they should rejoice in it. It is much better than that (wealth) which they accumulate.

[10:59] Say, Have you ever considered, whatever provision Allah has sent down for your benefit, you have made up lawful and unlawful from it?. Say, Has Allah permitted you, or are you fabricating a lie against Allah?

[10:60] What is the assumption of those who fabricate a lie against Allah (about) the Day of Judgment? Indeed Allah is gracious to people, but most of them are not grateful.

[10:61] In whatever condition you are, and whatever portion of the Qur‘an you recite therein, and whatever work you all do, We are present before you when you are engaged in it. Hidden from your Lord is nothing even to the measure of a particle on the earth or in the heavens. And there is nothing smaller or greater that is not in the clear Book.

[10:62] Listen, the friends of Allah shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.

[10:63] __those who have believed and have been fearful of Allah.

[10:64] For them there is the good news in the worldly life and in the Hereafter: there is no change in the words of Allah. That is a great achievement.

[10:65] (O Prophet,) what they say should not make you grieve. Surely, all power belongs to Allah. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

[10:66] Listen, to Allah belong all those in the heavens and all those on the earth. And those who invoke associate-gods besides Allah do not follow reality. They follow nothing but whims and do nothing but make conjectures.

[10:67] He is the One who made for you the night, so that you may have rest in it, and (made) the day to see. Indeed, there are signs therein for people who listen.

[10:68] They say, Allah has got a son. Pure is He. He is Self-Sufficient. To Him belongs what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. You have no proof for it. Do you allege about Allah what you do not know?

[10:69] Say: Those who fabricate lies against Allah shall not prosper.

[10:70] It will be a little enjoyment in this world; thereafter to Us they are bound to return; then We shall make them taste the severe punishment because they used to disbelieve.

[10:71] Recite to them the story of (the Prophet) Nuh (Noah), when he said to his people,  O my people, if it is hard on you that I stay (with you) and give (you) advice through the signs of Allah, then, in Allah I place my trust. So, be firm in your plan (against me) with (the help of) all your partners, and your plan should not be a cause of concern for you; then carry it out against me and give me no respite.

[10:72] Still, if you turn away, then, I did not demand any reward from you. My reward is with none except Allah, and I have been commanded to be among those who submit.

[10:73] Then they rejected him, and We saved him and those with him in the Ark and made them the successors, and drowned those who gave the lie to Our signs. So look how was the fate of those who were warned.

[10:74] Then, after him, We sent messengers to their peoples, and they came to them with clear signs, but they were not to believe in what they had rejected earlier. This is how We seal the hearts of the transgressors.

[10:75] Then, after them, We sent Musa and Harun with Our signs to Pharaoh and his group, but they showed arrogance. And they were surely guilty people.

[10:76] So, when Truth came to them from Us, they said, It is certainly clear magic.

[10:77] Musa said, Do you say (this) about the Truth when it came to you? Is this magic, while the magicians do not achieve success?

[10:78] They said, Have you come to us to turn us away from the way on which we have found our fathers, and so that you both have supremacy on earth? We are not going to believe in you.

[10:79] And Pharaoh said, Bring to me every knowledgeable magician.

[10:80] So, when the magicians came, Musa said to them, Cast what you have to cast.

[10:81] So, when they had cast, Musa said, .All that you have brought is magic. Allah will certainly bring it to naught. Be assured that Allah does not set right the work of the mischief-makers.

[10:82] And Allah establishes the truth through His words, even though the guilty ones may dislike it.

[10:83] Then, except some youths of his people, no one believed in Musa for the fear of Pharaoh and his group, lest he should persecute them. Pharaoh was high-handed in the land and he was of those who crossed all limits.

[10:84] And Musa said, My people, if you have believed in Allah, then, in Him place your trust if you are obedient.

[10:85] So, they said, In Allah we have placed our trust: Our Lord, do not make us a victim of the unjust people,

[10:86] and save us, through Your mercy, from the disbelieving people.

[10:87] And We revealed to Musa and his brother: Have houses for your people in Egypt, and make your houses worship oriented, and establish Salah, and give good tidings to the believers.

[10:88] Musa said, Our Lord, You have given Pharaoh and his group glamour and riches in the worldly life, so that, our Lord, they mislead (people) from Your path. Our Lord, obliterate their riches and harden their hearts, so that they may not come to believe until they witness the painful punishment.

[10:89] Allah said, The prayer of the two of you has been granted; so stand firm, and never follow the way of the ignorant.

[10:90] And We let the children of Isra‘il cross the sea. So, Pharaoh and his troops chased them in transgression and hostility, until when he was about to drown, he said, I believe that there is no god but the One in whom the children of Isra‘il believed, and I am among those who submit to Allah.

[10:91] (Allah said,). Is it now (that you have come to believe) while you were rebellious all along, and you were among the mischief-makers?

[10:92] So, today, We shall save your body, so that you may become a sign for those after you. And many of the people are heedless of Our signs.

[10:93] And surely We gave the children of Isra‘il a proper place to live, and provided them with good things. Then they did not disagree between themselves but after knowledge had come to them. Surely, Allah will decide between them on the Day of Judgment about the matters in which they used to dispute each other.

[10:94] So, (O prophet,) even if you are in doubt about what We have sent down to you, ask those who read the Book (revealed) before you. Surely, truth has come to you from your Lord, so never be among those who are suspicious.

[10:95] And never be among those who have rejected Our signs, lest you should be among the losers.

[10:96] Surely, those against whom the Word of your Lord stands settled will not believe,

[10:97] even though every sign comes to them unless they witness the painful punishment.

[10:98] So, how is it that there never was a town, which could have believed and its belief would have been of benefit to it, except the people of Yunus? When they came to believe, We removed from them the punishment of humiliation in the worldly life and let them enjoy themselves for some time.

[10:99] Had your Lord willed, all those on earth would have believed altogether. Would you, then, compel people, so that they become believers?

[10:100] It is not (possible) for anyone that he believes except with the will of Allah. And He makes filth settle on those who do not understand.

[10:101] Say, Look at what is there in the heavens and the earth. But, signs and warnings do not suffice for people who do not believe.

[10:102] So, are they waiting for nothing short of something like the days of those who have passed before them? Say, So wait. I am with you, among those who are waiting..

[10:103] Then We (used to) save Our messengers and those who believed. Similarly, it is undertaken by Us, We shall save the believers.

[10:104] Say, O people, if you are in doubt about my Faith, then, I do not worship those whom you worship besides Allah. Rather, I worship Allah who brings death to you. And I have been ordained to be among the believers,

[10:105] and that I should make myself firm on Faith, being upright, and never should be among the Mushriks (who ascribe partners to Allah).

[10:106] And do not invoke, other than Allah, what neither benefits you nor harms you, for, if you do so, then you will surely be one of the unjust.

[10:107] If Allah brings some harm to you, there is none to remove it except He. And if He intends to bring some good to you, there is none to turn His grace back. He brings it to whomever He wills from among His servants. He is the most forgiving, the Very Merciful.

[10:108] Say, O people, the truth has come to you from your Lord. So, whoever accepts guidance accepts it to his own benefit, and whoever goes astray does so to his own detriment. And I am not responsible for you.

[10:109] Follow what is being revealed to you, and be patient until Allah gives His judgment, and He is the best of all judges.

Tafsir

Overview of Surah Yunus

  1. Title and Position: Surah Yunus is the 10th chapter of the Quran. Named after Prophet Yunus (Jonah), it highlights key aspects of his story and broader themes of prophethood.
  2. Verses and Structure: This surah contains 109 verses. It is characterized by its emphasis on the universality of the Quran’s message, the reality of the afterlife, and the importance of divine guidance.
  3. Themes and Messages: Major themes include the truth of the Quran, stories of past prophets, the rejection of prophets by their communities, and the consequences of disbelief.
  4. Significance in Islamic Thought: Surah Yunus is significant for its clear presentation of the Quran as a guide for humanity, and its discussions on faith, patience, and divine wisdom.

Detailed Explanation

  1. Universality of the Quran’s Message: The surah emphasizes that the Quran is a guide for all humanity, inviting everyone to reflect on its teachings.
  2. Stories of Prophets: It recounts the stories of several prophets, including Noah, Moses, and Yunus, to illustrate the challenges faced by prophets and the importance of steadfast faith.
  3. Consequences of Rejecting Prophets: The surah highlights the consequences faced by communities that rejected the messages of the prophets, serving as a warning and a reminder of divine justice.
  4. Miracle of Prophet Yunus: The story of Prophet Yunus is especially focused upon, detailing his journey in the belly of the whale and his eventual redemption as a symbol of hope and God’s mercy.
  5. Divine Wisdom and Patience: Surah Yunus also underscores the need for patience and trust in God’s wisdom, particularly when facing adversity or when the truth is challenged.

FAQs

  1. Why is Surah Yunus named after Prophet Yunus?
    • The surah is named after Prophet Yunus to highlight his story as a significant example of repentance, divine mercy, and the importance of patience and steadfastness.
  2. How does Surah Yunus address the universality of the Quran’s message?
    • It presents the Quran as a universal revelation, meant for all of humanity, inviting people to reflect on its teachings and embrace its guidance.
  3. What lessons can be learned from the stories of prophets in Surah Yunus?
    • These stories teach the importance of steadfastness in faith, the consequences of denying truth, and the enduring patience and resilience of prophets.
  4. How does the story of Prophet Yunus in the surah symbolize hope and mercy?
    • The story of Prophet Yunus, particularly his time in the whale and subsequent salvation, symbolizes the boundless mercy of God and the hope for redemption even in dire circumstances.

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