The story of the prophet Jonah (Yunus) is briefly sketched out in the Qur’an (37:139-148): Jonah is a messenger on the run, bent on eluding the message, the God who gave it to him, and the duty to deliver it. He ends up aboard a vessel that soon sails into stormy weather. Lots are cast, and blame for the misfortune falls on Jonah, who is pitched overboard. After being swallowed by a big fish, Jonah repents and is spewed ashore in less than mint condition. Allah sends a vine to bring shade, and reminds his wayward messenger of the charge to preach to the city of Nineveh (present-day Mosul). At last Jonah rises to the occasion, the city’s 100,000 plus inhabitants repent, and Allah holds off on their destruction for the time being.
The story is fleshed out in greater detail in the Old Testament, where the compact Book of Jonah constitutes ‘one of the smallest strands in the mighty cable of Scripture,’ as Father Mapple puts it in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. God’s instructions are straightforward and clear: ‘Go to Nineveh and cry against it.’ Instead, Jonah goes to Joppa and takes ship for Tarshish. God sends a mighty wind that his messenger contrives to sleep through until, the ship on the verge of sinking, he is shaken awake by frantic members of the crew. Lots are cast to determine who has brought on this precarious state of affairs. Jonah loses, at which point he admits that he is ‘fleeing from the presence of the Lord.’ The crew does everything in its power to save the day, but is forced in the end to accept Jonah’s recommendation that he be thrown overboard. The storm abates. Jonah’s former shipmates fear God, offer sacrifice, and take up vows. The reluctant prophet has proven effective despite himself.
God appoints a great fish to swallow Jonah, who spends three days and nights in its belly. As the cramped accommodations inspire prayer and supplication, God authorises the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land, repeating His original directive: ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.’ This time Jonah obeys, warning the people of Assyrian Nineveh that in forty days their city will be destroyed. The people repent, fasting and putting on sackcloth. The royal court follows suit, going so far as to issue a decree that not only the people of Nineveh but their livestock as well should take up fasting and sackcloth. Once again, Jonah has improbably, almost inadvertently got the job done. God is satisfied that Nineveh’s display of repentance is genuine, and stays His hand.
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