Jonah, peace be upon him, three times, and so he fell, and the whale had been assigned to him. When he fell, it swallowed him and dived with him to the bottom of the earth. Jonah, peace be upon him, heard the glorification of the pebbles, so he called out in the darkness: "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers." He said: "The darkness of the whale's belly, the darkness of the sea, and the darkness of the night." He said: "Then he was cast into the open land while he was ill," meaning in the state of a plucked chick that has no feathers. Allah caused a gourd tree to grow over him, and he would seek shade under it and benefit from it. Then it withered, so he wept over it when it withered. Allah revealed to him: "Do you weep over a tree that withered, and you do not weep for a hundred thousand or more whom you wanted to destroy?" He set out and found a young boy herding sheep. He said: "To whom do you belong, O boy?" He replied: "To the people of Jonah." He said: "When you return to them, convey my greetings to them and inform them that you met Jonah." The boy said to him: "If you are Jonah, then you know that whoever lies without having proof is to be killed. So who will testify for me?" He said: "This tree and this plot of land will testify for you." The boy said to Jonah: "Order them [to do so]." Jonah, peace be upon him, said to them: "When this boy comes to you, testify on his behalf." They said: "Yes." The boy returned to his people—and he had brothers, so he was protected—and he came to the king and said: "I have met Jonah, and he conveys his greetings to you." The king ordered that he be killed. He said: "Indeed, I have proof." So he sent [people] with him, and they reached the tree and the plot of land. The boy said to them: "I adjure you by Allah, did Jonah make you testify?" They replied: "Yes." The people returned terrified, saying: "The tree and the earth testify for you!" They came to the king and told him what they had seen. The king took the boy's hand, seated him on his throne, and said: "You are more entitled to this place than I am." That young man led their affairs for forty years. (1)

18281 - Abu Ubayd Allah, the nephew of Ibn Wahb, narrated to us: My uncle narrated to us: Abu Sakhr narrated to us: That Yazid al-Raqashi narrated to him: That he heard Anas ibn Malik—and I only know that Anas attributed the hadith to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—that Jonah the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when it occurred to him to supplicate with these words while he was in the belly of the whale, he said: "O Allah, there is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers." The supplication came hovering around the Throne. The angels said: "O Lord, this is a faint, familiar voice from a distant, strange land?" He said: "Do you not recognize that?" They said: "O Lord, and who is he?" He said: "My servant Jonah." They said: "Your servant Jonah, for whom accepted deeds and an answered supplication were always being raised?" They said: "O Lord, will You not have mercy on what he used to do during ease, and save him from adversity?" He said: "Yes." So He commanded the whale, and it cast him out into the open land. (2)