the morning of which, he slipped away. The people saw him and became wary, so they went out from the town to an open field among their lands, and they separated every beast from its offspring. Then they cried out to Allah, turned in repentance, and asked for His pardon, so He granted them pardon. Yunus was waiting for news about the town and its people until a passerby passed by him and said, 'What have the people of the town done?' He said: 'They have done that because when their Prophet went out from among them, they knew that he had truly promised them the punishment, so they went out from their town to an open field, then they separated every animal from its offspring, then they cried out to Allah and repented to Him, so He accepted from them and deferred the punishment from them.'

10602 - My father told us, 'Abd Allah ibn Abi Ziyad al-Qatuni told us, Sayyar ibn Hatim told us, Salih al-Mazni told us, from Abu 'Imran al-Jawni, from Abu al-Jild, who said: 'When the punishment descended upon the people of Yunus, it began to revolve over their heads like pieces of the dark night. The wise among them went to one of their scholars and said: 'We have been afflicted by what you see, so teach us a supplication that we may call upon Allah with, perhaps He may remove His punishment from us.' He said: 'Say: O Living One, O Living One, and O Living One, the Giver of life to the dead, and O Living One, there is no god but You.' So the punishment was removed from them.'

10603 - Abu Sa'id al-Ashaj told us, Abu Nu'aym told us, from Isma'il ibn 'Abd al-Malik, from Sa'id ibn Jubayr, who said: 'The punishment covered the people of Yunus as a garment covers the grave.'

10604 - Abu Zur'ah told us, Safwan told us, al-Walid ibn Muslim told us, Khalil ibn 'Ilj told us, Ma'ruf al-Mawsili told me that a cloud covered them, raining sparks of fire upon them.

10605 - Abu Zur'ah told us, Safwan told us, al-Walid told us, Khulayd told us, from Qatadah regarding 'We removed from them the punishment of disgrace'—he said: 'The punishment was removed from them after it had hung over them; there was nothing between them and the punishment but a mile.'

His saying, the Almighty: 'And We granted them enjoyment for a time.'

10606 - Abu Sa'id al-Ashaj told us, 'Abd Allah ibn Musa told us, Israel told us, from al-Suddi, from 'Ikrimah, from Ibn 'Abbas: 'And enjoyment for a time'—he said: 'Life.'

10607 - My father told us, Muhammad ibn Hatim al-Zimmi told us, 'Abidah ibn Humayd told us, from 'Ammar al-Duhni, from Humayd al-Madani, from Kurayb, the freed slave of Ibn 'Abbas, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding the saying of the Almighty: 'For a time'—he said: 'Until we arrive at Paradise or at the Fire.'