The short answer
Prophet Yunus, peace be upon him, is named in the Quran in Yunus 10:98 and As-Saffat 37:139. The verses tell of his departure, of the fish that swallowed him, and of his being cast onto a shore. The Quran gives no number of days he spent in the fish, so this page does not give one as fact.
يُونُسَ
Who is Yunus in the Quran?
The Quran names him in several places, and each one has its own job. The English on this site renders the name as Jonah, so the translation uses Jonah where the Arabic says Yunus.
| Passage | What it says about him |
|---|---|
| An-Nisa 4:163 | Named in a list of the prophets to whom Allah sent revelation. |
| Al-An'am 6:86 | Named in a list of prophets whom Allah preferred above His creatures. |
| Yunus 10:98 | Names his people, who believed and were spared (see the section on his people). |
| Al-Anbiya 21:87 to 88 | Calls him Dhu al-Nun, and gives his call in the darkness and Allah's answer. |
| As-Saffat 37:139 to 148 | The fullest account in one passage: the ship, the lots, the fish and the shore. |
| Al-Qalam 68:48 to 50 | Allah tells the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to wait for his Lord's decree and not be like the one of the fish. |
What does the account in As-Saffat say?
As-Saffat 37:139 to 148 gives the account in one passage. The translation has the verse say that "Jonah truly was of those sent":
وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ إِذْ أَبَقَ إِلَى ٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلْمَشْحُونِ فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُدْحَضِينَ فَٱلْتَقَمَهُ ٱلْحُوتُ وَهُوَ مُلِيمٌ فَلَوْلَآ أَنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسَبِّحِينَ لَلَبِثَ فِى بَطْنِهِۦٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ ۞ فَنَبَذْنَـٰهُ بِٱلْعَرَآءِ وَهُوَ سَقِيمٌ وَأَنۢبَتْنَا عَلَيْهِ شَجَرَةً مِّن يَقْطِينٍ وَأَرْسَلْنَـٰهُ إِلَىٰ مِا۟ئَةِ أَلْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ فَـَٔامَنُوا۟ فَمَتَّعْنَـٰهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ
The verses say that he fled to the laden ship, drew lots and was among those rejected (37:140 to 141). "the fish swallowed him while he was blameworthy" (37:142). Verse 143 says that had he not been one of those who glorify Allah, he would have stayed in its belly until the day they are raised, and "would have tarried in its belly" (37:143 to 144). He was cast onto a desert shore while sick, and a tree of gourd grew over him (37:145 to 146). He was sent to a hundred thousand or more, who believed and were given comfort for a while (37:147 to 148).
This passage gives no reason for his leaving and no words of his own. This page adds none.
The word the verses use for the fish is al-hut. The translation on this site renders it as the fish. The verses name no species, so this page does not say whale.
What did he say in the darkness?
Al-Anbiya 21:87 says that he went off in anger, and that "he cried out in the darkness", and then gives the words he said. Those words are the supplication on the dua of Yunus page, which has the Arabic, transliteration and meaning.
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَـٰضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
Verse 88 says that Allah answered him and "saved him from the anguish", and that He saves the believers in the same way.
فَٱسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُۥ وَنَجَّيْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلْغَمِّ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُـۨجِى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
In his commentary on Al-Anbiya 21:87, in Jami' al-Bayan, al-Tabari (died 310 AH) says that Dhun-Nun is Yunus ibn Matta and that al-nun is the fish (source 2). He reads the words as Yunus's acknowledgement of his wrongdoing and his repentance from his error (source 3).
Jami at-Tirmidhi 3505, graded sahih on sunnah.com (the grading shown there, not Tirmidhi's own), has the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, say that Allah responds to any Muslim who makes this supplication for something. The report sets no count and no time.
1AuthenticJami' at-Tirmidhi 3505
What does Yunus 10:98 say about his people?
The verse sets the people of Yunus apart from the communities of old. The translation has the verse hold them up as the example: "as did the folk of Jonah". When they believed, the verse says, "We drew off from them the torment of disgrace".
فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ ءَامَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَآ إِيمَـٰنُهَآ إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّآ ءَامَنُوا۟ كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ ٱلْخِزْىِ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَـٰهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ
As-Saffat 37:147 to 148 adds that he was sent to a hundred thousand or more, and that they believed. The verses do not give a more precise number.
How long was Yunus in the fish?
The Quran gives no number. Al-Qalam 68:48 names the fish without a count, and As-Saffat 37:144 is a condition about the Day of Resurrection, not a count of days.
Our search of dorar.net on 26 October 2026 found one report with a number: forty days, attributed to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, in al-Mustadrak, number 4175 (source 4). Al-Hakim, who compiled al-Mustadrak, says nothing about its grade. dorar.net lists no other grader for it. A silence does not make a report sound, so this page does not rely on the figure.
The other reports that the search found describe the fish and the angels in a long narration, and give no number of days. The page does not retell them, because the Quran gives no such dialogue (source 4).
What do the passages point to?
These are the points the verses make, in their own words. They are not a reading of his character.
- Calling in the darkness. Al-Anbiya 21:87 gives his call in the Quran's words, and 21:88 says that Allah answered him.
- Glorifying Allah. As-Saffat 37:143 to 144 names the condition under which he would have stayed in the fish until the Day of Resurrection.
- A people who believed. Yunus 10:98 and As-Saffat 37:147 to 148 speak of a people who believed and were given comfort for a while.
Where do the sources stop or differ?
| Question | What the sources give |
|---|---|
| His name | Yunus in the Arabic. The translation on this site says Jonah. |
| The fish | Al-hut in 37:142 and 68:48. The translation says the fish. No species is named. |
| Length of stay | No number in the Quran. One report with forty days, not relied on (source 4). |
| Dhun-Nun | Named in 21:87. Al-Tabari identifies him as Yunus ibn Matta (source 2). |
| The supplication | The words are in 21:87. The Tirmidhi report says Allah responds to them (source 1). Neither source gives a count. |
A teacher at Saturday school told us about Yunus and the whale, and I spent the lesson asking how anyone could breathe in there. He let me finish, then told us the words Yunus called out in the dark. That was the part I remembered on the bus home.
Try it: three quick questions
Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1Which verse says the fish swallowed him while he was blameworthy?
Answer: As-Saffat 37:142. As-Saffat 37:142 says it. Al-Anbiya 21:88 describes his rescue from the anguish.
2Does the Quran give a number of days for how long he stayed in the fish?
Answer: No, it gives no number. As-Saffat 37:144 is a condition about the Day of Resurrection, not a count. The forty-day figure comes from one report this page does not rely on.
3What does the translation on this site call al-hut in As-Saffat 37:142?
Answer: The fish. The translation gives "the fish", and the verses name no species, so this page does not say whale.
Questions people ask
How long was Prophet Yunus in the fish?
The Quran gives no number of days. One report found in our search gives forty days, but its only grading is a silence, so this page does not state that figure as fact.
Was it a whale that swallowed Yunus?
Al-hut is the word used in the verses. The translation on this site renders it as the fish, and the verses name no species, so this page does not say whale.
Is Yunus the same prophet as Jonah?
Yes. Yunus is the Arabic name, as in Yunus 10:98. The English translation on this site uses Jonah for the same prophet, as in As-Saffat 37:139.
Where is the dua of Yunus?
The supplication is in Al-Anbiya 21:87. The dua of Yunus page covers its words, meaning and the Tirmidhi report, and is linked from this page.
Is there a story of Yunus for children?
This page gives the account from the verses, in order, with no added dialogue. If you tell it to children, say which parts come from the verses and which are your own words.
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
Sa'd, as the chain has it, reports that the Prophet said the supplication of Dhun-Nun in the belly of the fish is one that no Muslim makes with it for anything without Allah responding to him
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3505 Book 48, Hadith 136
Authentic: Sahih (Darussalam). Remarks: Chain note only: some transmitters name the father in the chain and some do not; no grade of Al-Tirmidhi's own in the text shown on sunnah.com (Al-Tirmidhi)
- 2
Al-Tabari, commenting on Al-Anbiya 21:87, states that by Dhun-Nun the verse means Yunus ibn Matta, and that al-nun means the fish.
Al-Tabari, Jami' al-Bayan, commentary on Al-Anbiya 21:87, vol. 16 p. 374 (Dar Hajr edition, ed. al-Turki) Checked on the print page (shamela.ws).
- 3
Al-Tabari, commenting on the words la ilaha illa anta subhanaka in Al-Anbiya 21:87, says that Yunus said them acknowledging his wrongdoing and repenting of his error.
Al-Tabari, Jami' al-Bayan, commentary on Al-Anbiya 21:87, vol. 16 p. 384 (Dar Hajr edition, ed. al-Turki) Checked on the print page (shamela.ws).
- 4
A search of dorar.net on 26 October 2026, and of the Tanzil Quran text, for how long Prophet Yunus stayed in the fish found no Quranic number of days. One report found by the search gives a number, forty days, in al-Mustadrak of al-Hakim (4175), attributed to Ibn Abbas; al-Hakim gives no grade for it, and dorar.net shows no other grading for it. No other result gives a number of days.
Ilmwell search of dorar.net and the Tanzil Quran text, 26 October 2026 The forty-day report is shown as found and not relied on; its only grading is a silence.
- Q
Quran Arabic and English for Yunus 10:98, Al-Anbiya 21:87 to 88, As-Saffat 37:139 to 148 and Al-Qalam 68:48 to 50.
Tanzil Project Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
Next
- The dua of Yunus: words, meaning and contextDua lesson
- Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him: faith, trials and lessonsMeaning explained
- The Prophets in IslamThe overview
- Prophets and Islamic HistoryThe hub
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