And informed him that he had heard Yunus weeping, saying: 'The punishment will come upon you tomorrow.' When the king heard that, he called his people and informed them of it, and said: 'If this is true, then the punishment will come upon you tomorrow. So gather so that we may consider our affairs.' They gathered and went out from the city the next day. They looked and saw darkness and a violent wind approaching them, and they knew that it was the truth. They separated the children from their mothers and the young animals from their mothers, wore haircloth, and placed ash and dust upon their heads in humility before Allah. They besought Him, wept, and believed, so Allah averted the punishment from them. Some of them made a covenant with others that no one among them would utter a lie, or else they would cut off his tongue. Yunus came the next day and looked, and found the city as it was, with people entering and leaving. He said: 'My Lord ordered me to inform my people that the punishment would come upon them tomorrow, but it did not come to them. How, then, can I face them?'
'So he departed until he arrived at the seashore. There was a ship at sea, so he signaled to them, and they came to him and took him aboard, though they did not know him. He went to a side of the ship, veiled himself, and slept. They had not proceeded far when a wind came upon them that nearly caused the ship to sink. The people of the ship gathered and prayed to Allah, then they said: 'Wake the man to pray with us.' They did so, and Allah pushed away that wind from them. Then he went to his place and slept, and a wind came that nearly caused the ship to sink. They woke him, prayed to Allah, and the wind subsided. The righteous servant pondered and said: 'This is because of my sin!'—or as he said. He said to the people of the ship: 'Bind me'—meaning, firmly—'and cast me into the sea.' They said: 'We would not do that while you are in your condition, but we shall draw lots; whoever the lot falls upon, we shall cast into the sea.' They drew lots, and the lot fell upon him. He said: 'I have already told you.' They said: 'We would not do that; rather, draw lots again.' They drew lots a second time, and the lot fell upon him. Then they drew lots a third time, and the lot fell upon him. This is the statement of Allah: 'So he drew lots and was among the losers' [meaning: the ones upon whom the lot fell], that is: the lot fell upon him.
فَأخْبرهُ أَن سَمِعَ يُونُس يبكي. وَيَقُول: يأتيكم الْعَذَاب غَدا، فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ ذَلكَ الْملك دَعَا قومه، فَأخْبرهُم بذلك، وَقَالَ: إِن كَانَ هَذَا حقًّا فسيأتيكم الْعَذَاب غَدا، فَاجْتمعُوا حَتَّى نَنْظُر فِي أمرنَا، فَاجْتمعُوا فَخَرجُوا من الْمَدِينَة من الْغَد، فنظروا فَإِذا بِظُلمةٍ وريحٍ شَدِيدَة قد أَقبلت نحوهم، فَعَلمُوا أَنَّهُ الحقُّ، ففرّقوا بَين الصّبيان وأمهاتهم وَبَين الْبَهَائِم وَبَين أمهاتها، ولبسوا الشَّعر وَجعلُوا الرماد وَالتُّرَاب عَلَى رُءُوسهم تواضُعًا لله، وتضرَّعوا إِلَيْهِ وَبكوا وآمنوا، فصرف اللَّه عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَاب، وَاشْترط بعضُهم عَلَى بعضٍ أَلا يكذب أحدُهم كذبة إِلَّا قطعُوا لِسَانه، فجَاء يُونُس من الْغَد فَنظر فَإِذا الْمَدِينَة عَلَى حَالهَا، وَإِذا النَّاس داخلون وخارجون؛ فَقَالَ: أَمرنِي رَبِّي أَن أخبر قومِي أَن الْعَذَاب يَأْتِيهم غَدا فَلم يَأْتهمْ، فَكيف ألقاهم؟ ﴿فَانْطَلق حَتَّى أَتَى سَاحل الْبَحْر؛ فَإِذا بسفينة فِي الْبَحْر؛ فَأَشَارَ إِلَيْهِم فَأتوهُ فَحَمَلُوهُ وَلَا يعرفونه، فَانْطَلق إِلَى نَاحيَة من السَّفِينَة فتقنَّع ورقد، فَمَا مضوا إِلَّا قَلِيلا حَتَّى جَاءَتْهُم ريحٌ كَادَت السفينةُ تغرق، فَاجْتمع أهلُ السَّفِينَة ودعوا اللَّه ثمَّ قَالُوا: أيقظوا الرجل يَدْعُو مَعنا﴾ فَفَعَلُوا فَدفع اللَّه عَنْهُمْ تِلْكَ الرّيح، ثمَّ انْطلق إِلَى مَكَانَهُ فرقد، فَجَاءَت ريحٌ كَادَت السَّفِينَة تغرق، فأيقظوه ودعوا اللَّه فارتفعت الرّيح، فتفكر العَبْد الصَّالح فَقَالَ: هَذَا من خطيئتي! أَو كَمَا قَالَ، فَقَالَ لأهل السَّفِينَة (شُدوني) وثاقًا وألقوني فِي الْبَحْر، فَقَالُوا: مَا كُنَّا لنفعل وحالُك حالُك، وَلَكنَّا نقترع فَمن أَصَابَته القرعةُ ألقيناه فِي الْبَحْر، فاقترعوا فأصابته الْقرعَة، فَقَالَ: قد أَخْبَرتكُم. فَقَالُوا: مَا كُنَّا لنفعل وَلَكِن اقترعوا، فاقترعوا الثَّانِيَة فأصابته الرعة، ثمَّ اقترعوا الثَّالِثَة؛ فأصابته الْقرعَة وَهُوَ قَول اللَّه: ﴿فَسَاهَمَ فَكَانَ من المدحضين﴾ [يُرِيد: المسهومين] أَي: وَقع السهْم عَلَيْهِ.
