32 – Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī narrated to me. He said: Aḥmad ibn Ṣāliḥ narrated to me; ʿAbd Allāh ibn Wahb transmitted to us; Abū Ṣakhr related to me that Yazīd al-Raqāshī had informed him, saying: “I heard Anas ibn Mālik—and, to the best of my knowledge, Anas traced the report back to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ—say:

‘When Jonah, peace be upon him, decided to call upon Allah with the words he uttered ⦗47⦘ while he was in the belly of the whale, he said: “O Allah, ‘There is no deity except You; exalted are You; indeed I was among the wrongdoers.’” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:87)

The supplication ascended toward the Throne, and the angels said, “Our Lord, this is a weak yet familiar voice coming from a distant land.” Allah, Exalted is He, said, “Do you not recognize it?” They said, “Our Lord, who is it?” He said, “That is My servant Jonah.” They said, “Your servant Jonah—the one whose deeds have always been accepted and whose prayers have always been answered?” They said, “Our Lord, will You not have mercy on what he used to do in times of ease and therefore rescue him from this affliction?” He said, “Indeed,” and He commanded the whale, so it cast him out upon the shore.’