Al-Qur'an Surah As-Saffat Verse 144

Mufti Taqi Usmani

he would have definitely lived in its belly till the day when the dead will be raised.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

he would have certainly remained in its belly until the Day of Resurrection.[[ The belly of the whale would have become his grave. ]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

he would have stayed in its belly until the Day of Resurrection.

A. J. Arberry

he would have tarried in its belly until the day they shall be raised;

Abdul Haleem

he would have stayed in its belly until the Day when all are raised up,

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

He would have tarried in the belly thereof till the Day when they are raised.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection.

Abul Ala Maududi

he would certainly have remained in its belly till the Day of Resurrection.

Ahmed Ali

He would have stayed in its belly till the day the dead are raised.

Ahmed Raza Khan

He would have remained in its belly till the day when all will be raised.

Ali Quli Qarai

he would have surely remained in its belly till the day they will be resurrected.

Ali Ünal

He would certainly have remained in its belly (serving as his grave) until the Day when all will be raised (from the dead).

Amatul Rahman Omar

He would have surely remained in its belly till the time people are raised up (after their death).

English Literal

He would have stayed/remained in its belly/inside to a day/time they be sent/resurrected/revived.

Faridul Haque

He would have remained in its belly till the day when all will be raised.

Hamid S. Aziz

He would certainly have tarried in its belly to the day when they are raised.

Hilali & Khan

He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

But had he not been of those who glorify (Us),

Mohammad Habib Shakir

He would certainly have tarried in its belly to the day when they are raised.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

He would have tarried in its belly till the day when they are raised;

Muhammad Sarwar

he would certainly have remained inside the fish until the Day of Resurrection.

Qaribullah & Darwish

he would have lingered in its belly till the Day they are resurrected.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.

Wahiduddin Khan

he would certainly have remained inside the fish till the Day of Resurrection.

Talal Itani

He would have stayed in its belly until the Day they are raised.

Tafsir jalalayn

he would have tarried in its belly until the day when they are raised, in other words, the whale's belly would have been his tomb until the Day of Resurrection.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Had he not been of them who glorify Allah, He would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection.

It was said that, if he had not already done righteous deeds during his time of ease.

This was the view of Ad-Dahhak bin Qays, Abu Al-`Aliyah, Wahb bin Munabbih, Qatadah and others, and it was the view favored by Ibn Jarir.

This is what is indicated in the authentic Hadith which we quote below, if Allah wills. In a Hadith narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, he said;

تَعَرَّفْ إِلَى اللهِ فِي الرَّخَاءِ يَعْرِفْكَ فِي الشِّدَّة

Remember Allah during times of ease and He will remember you during times of difficulty.

And it was said that what was meant by the Ayah;
فَلَوْلَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنْ الْمُسَبِّحِينَ
(Had he not been of them who glorify Allah), was the meaning of the following Ayat;

فَنَادَى فِى الظُّلُمَـتِ أَن لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ سُبْحَـنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَـهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَكَذلِكَ نُنجِـى الْمُوْمِنِينَ

But he cried through the darkness (saying);

"La ilaha illa Anta, You are glorified! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers."

So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers. (21;87-88)

This was the view of Sa`id bin Jubayr and others.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him -- and I do not know of anything narrated from Anas that he did not attribute to the Messenger of Allah;

إِنَّ يُونُسَ النَّبِيَّ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَةُ وَالسَّلَمُ حِينَ بَدَا لَهُ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ بِهَذِهِ الْكَلِمَاتِ وَهُوَ فِي بَطْنِ الْحُوتِ فَقَالَ اللْهُمَّ لَا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

فَأَقْبَلَتِ الدَّعْوَةُ تَحُفُّ بِالْعَرْشِ قَالَتِ الْمَلَأيِكَةُ يَا رَبِّ هَذَا صَوْتٌ ضَعِيفٌ مَعْرُوفٌ مِنْ بِلَأدٍ بَعِيدَةٍ غَرِيبَةٍ

فَقَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى أَمَا تَعْرِفُونَ ذَلِكَ

قَالُوا يَا رَبِّ وَمَنْ هُوَ

قَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَبْدِي يُونُسُ

قَالُوا عَبْدُكَ يُونُسُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَزَلْ يُرْفَعُ لَهُ عَمَلٌ مُتَقَبَّلٌ وَدَعْوَةٌ مُسْتَجَابَةٌ

قَالُوا يَا رَبِّ أَوَلَاا تَرْحَمُ مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِي الرَّخَاءِ فَتُنْجِيَهُ فِي الْبَلَاءِ

قَالَ بَلَى

فَأَمَرَ الْحُوتَ فَطَرَحَهُ بِالْعَرَاء

When it occurred to the Prophet Yunus, upon him be peace, to call upon Allah in these words when he was in the belly of the great fish, he said,

"La ilaha illa Anta, You are glorified! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers."

This call went and hovered around the (mighty) Throne, and the angels said, "O Lord, this is the voice of one who is weak but known, in a faraway strange land.

Allah, may He be exalted, said, "How do you know this?"

They said, "O Lord, who is he?"

Allah, may He be exalted, said, "My servant Yunus."

They said, "Your servant Yunus, from whom there kept coming acceptable deeds and supplications which were answered!"

They said, "O Lord, will You not have mercy on him for what he did during his time of ease, and save him from this trial and tribulation?"

He said, "Of course."

So, He commanded the great fish, and it cast him forth on the naked shore.

Allah says