Cast Upon the Shore

Yunus (Jonah) and the gourd vine after the great fish (Q 37:139-148)

Time of Yunus (peace be upon him)

Imagined 360° reconstruction of Cast Upon the Shore

Educational historical reconstruction

Where

A deserted shore (the casting-out of Yunus), not fixed, in the Mesopotamian world of Nineveh

30.5000, 47.8000 · View on OpenStreetMap

Background

The Qur'an tells the story of Yunus (Jonah, peace be upon him) in several passages. In Surat al-Saffat he is named among the messengers; he departed in anger to the laden ship, and when lots were cast he was among those cast out, and the great fish swallowed him while he was blameworthy; and had he not been of those who glorify Allah, he would have remained in its belly until the Day they are raised (Q 37:139-144). His prayer from the threefold darkness, there is no god but You, glory be to You, I have indeed been among the wrongdoers (Q 21:87), was answered, and Allah saved him from his grief and so saves the believers (Q 21:88). Then We cast him onto the barren shore while he was sick, the Qur'an continues, and We caused a gourd plant to grow over him; and We sent him to a hundred thousand or more, and they believed, so We gave them enjoyment for a time (Q 37:145-148). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is warned not to be like the companion of the fish (sahib al-hut) when he called out while choked with grief (Q 68:48), and he taught that no one should claim to be better than Yunus ibn Matta. This scene depicts the moment of deliverance on the deserted shore: the broad gourd vine spreading its shade over the sand, the tideline and a plain water jar. The great fish is not depicted, and the city of Nineveh, whose people later repented and were spared, is a separate matter and a separate scene. The Qur'an does not fix the shore; the Yunus cycle belongs to the Mesopotamian world of Nineveh, and the strand here is kept symbolic. No figure is shown.

What you see

A bare, deserted shore where the sea meets an empty strand; no town and no people, only the tideline and the open sky, a place of being cast out and left alone.

A broad-leaved gourd vine (yaqtin) spreads low over the sand, throwing a little shade; a plain water jar stands near the tideline.

After the great fish, Yunus (peace be upon him) was cast onto the barren shore while he was sick, and Allah caused a gourd plant to grow over him (Q 37:145-146, fa-nabadhnahu bil-'ara'i wa-huwa saqim, wa-anbatna 'alayhi shajaratan min yaqtin).

Mercy after distress and the answered prayer from the darkness: there is no god but You, glory be to You, I have been among the wrongdoers (Q 21:87). He is the man of the fish, Dhu al-Nun, whom Allah delivered from grief (Q 21:88).

No figure is shown, and the great fish is not depicted; the gourd vine, the empty strand and the water jar carry the story of deliverance and recovery.

The narrative is Q 37:139-148 (al-Saffat), with Q 21:87-88 (al-Anbiya) and Q 68:48-50 (al-Qalam, the companion of the fish). This is the casting-ashore episode, distinct from the repentance of the people of Nineveh.

Primary sources

The Qur'an, Surat al-Saffat (37:139-148), Surat al-Anbiya (21:87-88), Surat al-Qalam (68:48-50): The flight, the fish, the prayer from the darkness, the casting onto the shore, the gourd, and the mission to a great people. The primary source.

Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim (the hadith on Yunus ibn Matta): The Prophetic teaching that no one should say he is better than Yunus ibn Matta; the standing of the prophet in the Sunni tradition.

Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim and Qisas al-Anbiya' (14th c.): Standard Sunni exegesis and narrative of Yunus, the fish, and the gourd of yaqtin.

al-Tabari, Jami' al-Bayan: Standard Sunni tafsir for the passages on Yunus.

Questions & answers

Where is Cast Upon the Shore?: A deserted shore (the casting-out of Yunus), not fixed, in the Mesopotamian world of Nineveh
When did it happen?: Time of Yunus (peace be upon him)
What is the story of Cast Upon the Shore?: The Qur'an tells the story of Yunus (Jonah, peace be upon him) in several passages. In Surat al-Saffat he is named among the messengers; he departed in anger to the laden ship, and when lots were cast he was among those cast out, and the great fish swallowed him while he was blameworthy; and had he…