سُوْرَةُ يُوْنُسَ
Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 98
فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ ءَامَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَآ إِيمَـٰنُهَآ إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّآ ءَامَنُوا۟ كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ ٱلْخِزْىِ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَـٰهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ ﴿98﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Was there any town (community) that believed (after seeing the punishment), and its Faith (at that moment) saved it (from the punishment)? (The answer is none) - except the people of Yûnus (Jonah); when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the (present) world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَلَوْلَا
falawlā
So why not
كَانَتْ
kānat
was
قَرْيَةٌ
qaryatun
any town
ءَامَنَتْ
āmanat
that believed
فَنَفَعَهَآ
fanafaʿahā
and benefited it
إِيمَـٰنُهَآ
īmānuhā
its faith
إِلَّا
illā
except
قَوْمَ
qawma
the people
يُونُسَ
yūnusa
(of) Yunus
لَمَّآ
lammā
When
ءَامَنُوا۟
āmanū
they believed
كَشَفْنَا
kashafnā
We removed
عَنْهُمْ
ʿanhum
from them
عَذَابَ
ʿadhāba
(the) punishment
ٱلْخِزْىِ
l-khiz'yi
(of) the disgrace
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ
l-ḥayati
the life
ٱلدُّنْيَا
l-dun'yā
of the world
وَمَتَّعْنَـٰهُمْ
wamattaʿnāhum
and We granted them enjoyment
إِلَىٰ
ilā
for
حِينٍۢ
ḥīnin
a time
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
98. So, is there any example, apart from the people of Yunus, of a community that believed (after seeing the punishment) and its faith benefited it? When they believed, We removed from them the disgraceful punishment in the life of this world [106] and allowed them to enjoy life for a while.
[106]
The Center of Propagation of Sayyiduna Yunusؑ: Nineveh
The mention of Sayyiduna Yunusؑ appears here for the first time, and probably for this reason, this surah is named Surah Yunus. However, his mention will also come in summary at three other places ahead: in Surah Anbiya, verses 87–88; in Surah Saffat, verses 139 to 148; and in Surah Qalam, verses 48 to 50. He was sent to the people of Nineveh approximately eight hundred years before Christ. At that time, Nineveh was a very large and flourishing city on the bank of the river Tigris, and the ruins of this city are found directly opposite the present city of Mosul (Iraq). This very city was the capital of the Assyrians (the people of Yunus), and from its ruins, it is estimated that the city was spread over about sixty square miles.
The Flight of Yunusؑ and the Averting of Punishment
The Assyrians were also idolaters. Sayyiduna Yunusؑ preached to them and conveyed Allah’s message for seven years, but it had no effect on them, and they remained determined in their denial and opposition to their prophet. Regarding such rebellious and stubborn people, the established practice of Allah is that He sends punishment upon them and destroys them, and the prophets have always warned their rebellious nations of such punishment. Sayyiduna Yunusؑ, having become disappointed and distressed with these people, threatened them with the coming of punishment at a fixed time (according to some narrations, after 3 days, and according to others, after forty days), even though threatening with punishment at a fixed time is against the established practice of Allah. Still, the people paid no heed, and when only a day or so remained until the promised time of punishment and no signs of punishment appeared, Sayyiduna Yunusؑ departed from there without Allah’s permission, fearing that the punishment might not come and he would be proven false in the eyes of the people. Although leaving in this manner without divine command was against Allah’s pleasure, in order to prove him truthful, the punishment did come at the appointed time: black clouds covered the sky, and dark smoke began to move toward the homes of the people. At that time, the people began searching for Sayyiduna Yunusؑ, and when they could not find him, they gathered together in a vast field with their families and even their animals, confessed their sins before Allah, and began to weep and wail. They exaggerated so much in their lamentation that Allah accepted their repentance and saved them from the punishment that was to befall them. This is the only exceptional example in the established practice of Allah where the coming punishment upon a nation was averted.
Reasons for the Averting of Punishment
Here, the question arises: why was this exceptional and distinctive treatment shown to this nation? The answer is that this distinctive treatment also occurred according to another law of Allah, which was that Sayyiduna Yunusؑ left them without divine command, and the time for the completion of proof upon them had not yet been fulfilled. Another reason could be that the way these people wept and repented before Allah, no nation had ever done so before.
[106]
The Center of Propagation of Sayyiduna Yunusؑ: Nineveh
The mention of Sayyiduna Yunusؑ appears here for the first time, and probably for this reason, this surah is named Surah Yunus. However, his mention will also come in summary at three other places ahead: in Surah Anbiya, verses 87–88; in Surah Saffat, verses 139 to 148; and in Surah Qalam, verses 48 to 50. He was sent to the people of Nineveh approximately eight hundred years before Christ. At that time, Nineveh was a very large and flourishing city on the bank of the river Tigris, and the ruins of this city are found directly opposite the present city of Mosul (Iraq). This very city was the capital of the Assyrians (the people of Yunus), and from its ruins, it is estimated that the city was spread over about sixty square miles.
The Flight of Yunusؑ and the Averting of Punishment
The Assyrians were also idolaters. Sayyiduna Yunusؑ preached to them and conveyed Allah’s message for seven years, but it had no effect on them, and they remained determined in their denial and opposition to their prophet. Regarding such rebellious and stubborn people, the established practice of Allah is that He sends punishment upon them and destroys them, and the prophets have always warned their rebellious nations of such punishment. Sayyiduna Yunusؑ, having become disappointed and distressed with these people, threatened them with the coming of punishment at a fixed time (according to some narrations, after 3 days, and according to others, after forty days), even though threatening with punishment at a fixed time is against the established practice of Allah. Still, the people paid no heed, and when only a day or so remained until the promised time of punishment and no signs of punishment appeared, Sayyiduna Yunusؑ departed from there without Allah’s permission, fearing that the punishment might not come and he would be proven false in the eyes of the people. Although leaving in this manner without divine command was against Allah’s pleasure, in order to prove him truthful, the punishment did come at the appointed time: black clouds covered the sky, and dark smoke began to move toward the homes of the people. At that time, the people began searching for Sayyiduna Yunusؑ, and when they could not find him, they gathered together in a vast field with their families and even their animals, confessed their sins before Allah, and began to weep and wail. They exaggerated so much in their lamentation that Allah accepted their repentance and saved them from the punishment that was to befall them. This is the only exceptional example in the established practice of Allah where the coming punishment upon a nation was averted.
Reasons for the Averting of Punishment
Here, the question arises: why was this exceptional and distinctive treatment shown to this nation? The answer is that this distinctive treatment also occurred according to another law of Allah, which was that Sayyiduna Yunusؑ left them without divine command, and the time for the completion of proof upon them had not yet been fulfilled. Another reason could be that the way these people wept and repented before Allah, no nation had ever done so before.
