They said: "O Lord, will You not have mercy on what he used to do during his time of ease and save him from this calamity?" He said: "Yes." So He commanded the whale, and it cast him out onto the open land, and Allah caused a gourd plant to grow over him.

13712 - From Sa'id ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who said: "The supplication of Dhu al-Nun when he was in the belly of the whale: 'There is no god but You; exalted are You; indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.' Never does a Muslim supplicate to his Lord with it regarding any matter, but He answers him."

His saying, the Almighty: "And thus do We save the believers."

13713 - Abu Sa'id al-Ashajj narrated to us: Abu Khalid al-Ahmar narrated to us, from Kathir ibn Zayd, from al-Muttalib ibn Hantab. Abu Khalid said: I think it is from Mus'ab, meaning ibn Sa'd, from Sa'd, who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Whoever calls upon Allah with the supplication of Jonah, it shall be answered for him." Abu Sa'id said: He means with: "And thus do We save the believers."

13714 - My father narrated to us: Ahmad ibn Abi Surayj narrated to us: Dawud ibn al-Muhabbar ibn Qahdham al-Maqdisi narrated to us, from Kathir ibn Ma'bad, who said: I asked al-Hasan, saying: "O Abu Sa'id, what is the Greatest Name of Allah, which if one calls upon Him with it, He answers, and if one asks Him by it, He gives?" He said: "O son of my brother, do you not read the Quran? The saying of Allah: 'And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger...' up to His saying: '...the believers.' O son of my brother, this is the Greatest Name of Allah, which if one calls upon Him with it, He answers, and if one asks Him by it, He gives."

His saying, the Almighty: "And We amended for him his wife."

13715 - From 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah, regarding His saying: "And We amended for him his wife," he said: "There was evil in her character and her tongue was long, which is insolence, so Allah amended that in her."

13716 - From Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi, regarding His saying: "And We amended for him his wife," he said: "There was something in her character."

13717 - From Qatadah, regarding His saying: "And We amended for him his wife," he said: "She was barren, so Allah made her fertile and granted him Yahya (John) through her." And regarding His saying: "And they were to Us humbly submissive," he said: "Humble."