Regarding His saying, exalted is He: “Then he thought that We would not decree punishment upon him”: that is, that We would not punish him. This was said by Mujahid, Qatadah, al-Dahhak, and al-Kalbi, and it is also al-Awfi’s narration from Ibn Abbas. One may say, “Allah decreed a thing,” using either of two verbal forms, with the same meaning. An example is His saying: “We have decreed death among you” (al-Waqi‘ah 56:60), according to the recitation in which the word is read without consonant doubling. Evidence for this interpretation is the recitation of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz and al-Zuhri: “Then he thought that We would decree against him,” with consonant doubling.

Ata and many scholars said that it means: he thought that We would not subject him to the constriction of confinement. This is like His saying, exalted is He: “Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts it” (al-Ra‘d 13:26)—that is, He restricts it. Ibn Zayd said: It is an interrogative expression, meaning: “Did he think that he could render his Lord incapable, so that He would have no power over him?” Ya‘qub recited it in the passive, with the initial letter vowelled with an u-sound, and without consonant doubling. (1)

Al-Hasan said: It has reached me that, when Jonah committed the sin, he departed angry with his Lord, and Satan caused him to slip until he thought that We would not decree against him. Yet he had a prior record of righteous deeds and worship, so Allah refused to leave him to Satan. He thus caused him to be swallowed into the belly of the fish, where he remained for forty days and nights. (2) Ata said: Seven days; [and it is also said: three days]. (3) It is also said that the fish carried him a distance equivalent to six thousand years of travel. And it is said that it took him to the farthest reaches of the seventh earth. There, in the belly of the fish, he repented to his Lord, exalted is He, and took himself to account, saying: “There is no deity except You. Glory be to You! Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers”—when I disobeyed You; and whatever I have done, I shall never worship anyone besides You. So Allah, by His mercy, brought him out from the belly of the fish.

The earlier interpretations are more fitting to the station of the Prophets: namely, that he departed angry with his people or with the king. “Then he called out in the darknesses”—that is, the darkness of the night, the darkness of the sea, and the darkness of the fish’s belly—“There is no deity except You. Glory be to You! Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.”

It is narrated from Abu Hurayrah in a report traced back to the Prophet: Allah revealed to the fish, “Take him, but do not scratch his flesh or break any of his bones.” So it took him and descended with him to its dwelling place in the sea. When it brought him to the lowest depths of the sea, Jonah heard a sound and said to himself, “What is this?” Allah then revealed to him, “This is the glorification of the creatures of the sea.” So he glorified Allah while in the belly of the fish, and the angels heard his glorification. They said, “Our Lord, we hear a faint voice in an unfamiliar land.” In another narration: “A familiar voice from an unknown place.” He said, “That is My servant Jonah. He disobeyed Me, so I confined him in the belly of the fish.” They said, “Is this the righteous servant from whom a righteous deed used to ascend to You every day and night?” He said, “Yes.” So they interceded for him. At that point,