Dhul-Nun
Definition
Dhul-Nun — the companion of the whale — is one of the Quran's names for Prophet Yunus (Jonah), marking the defining event of his prophetic career. After leaving his people without divine permission, boarding a ship, being cast by lot into the sea when a storm threatened to sink the vessel, and being swallowed by a great fish, Yunus found himself in a darkness that had no precedent in prophetic experience. Ibn Kathir notes that the title 'companion of the whale' is not a title of shame but of honor — the whale was a means of both consequence and salvation, carrying Yunus through the consequences of his action and eventually returning him to dry land for the completion of his mission.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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