Jonahs Story in Bible and Quran - Research Paper Example

Jonah’s Story in Bible and Quran Armed Ereiqat. A Basic Guide to Understanding the Qur’an: Based on Direct Interpretation of Verses from Quran.2014 Print. According to Armed, God sent Jonah to Iraq, South of Mosul at a place called Ninawa. Jonah charged them to worship solely God and the people rejected his message. Jonah became angry and warned them against the impending God’s disaster and left. The people realized their wrong doings and cried regretting on Jonah’s rejection and repented. The entire community repented and believe in God, and God lifted the punishment. On the other hand as Jonah was in the ship, a storm came to the ship in the sea and people casted the lots every time Jonah victimized. The passengers threw him overboard, and ship was rescued (Armed 137). Jonah was swallowed by the fish and spat after third day following his prayer to God in the fish belly. Having been a righteous man, God forgave him and returned to Nineveh to lead them. Cunningham, Louise. Satanism and False Mystical Trends. Lanham: Tughra Books, 2004. Internet resources. The people of Nineveh were idolaters and characterized with shameless life amongst themselves. This life never augured well with Allah to choose on Prophet Jonah (Yunus/ pbhu) who would be sent to rescue Allah’s people based on the teachings of worshiping Allah. Unfortunately, people became discontented and rejected the Jonah, “We and our forefathers have worshipped these gods for many years and no harm has come to us.” Jonah left his people following the rejection. Jonah tried to persuade his people on the goodness of Allah’s laws poking holes on the idolatry worship, but the neglected his message. Johan sent a strong warning to his people for the consequences for the continual foolishness worship. The people however took firm ground responding that they could not be intimidated by Jonah’s threats. “Let it happen” Jonah became disheartened and lamented, “In that case, I will leave you to your misery!” and set off for never in fear of the impending Allah’s wrath. Immediately Jonah left the town; the sky changed colors making people be frightened. They attached the changes to the earlier stories of Noah and Ad, Thamud evaluating their magnitude of damage. Faith immediately penetrated their hearts, and they gathered on the mountain to worship Allah asking for forgiveness and his mercy, and they repented making Allah forgive them and withdrawn his wrath. Allah showered blessing over, and they prayed for Jonah’s return to take the lead. Henley, Karyn. Snip-and-tell Bible Stories. Loveland, Colo: Group, 1993. Print. According to Henley (1993), we get to know how God talked to Jonah, “I want you to go to a city called Nineveh. Nineveh is a city full of people who do bad things. I want you to tell them to start doing what’s right (Henley 55).” However, Jonah never wanted to go and ran away from God to and aboard the ship. While, en route, God had realized he was escaping and sent a great storm making sailors frightened, and the captain wondered against the storm, “Why has this terrible storm come (Henley 55). He charged Jonah to pray for their rescue but Jonah became blameworthy and told them how he was responsible for the disaster as he had escaped from God’s task. However, the sailors were hesitant to throw him overboard maneuvering their ways to row the ship on shore but in vain as it was God’s teachings to Jonah. The sailors threw Jonah overboard, and the people were safe as the storm calmed. Jonah was swallowed by the fish and prayed for repentance, and he was spared by God. The fish spit Jonah out on a dry land, and God spoke to him again, Go to the city called Nineveh and tell the people what I told you to say before (Henley 55). Jonah followed God’s command thereafter and returned to Nineveh. Sharing Mary, Bible and Qur’an Side by Side Marlies ter Borg / Create Space. 2010. Print According to Marry, Jonah is described as the unwilling prophet who attempted to run away from what he rated as difficult duty assigned to him. He was given the duty by God to warn the people of Nineveh according to the Bible. The Quran attached Jonah to have been tasked by God to warn his people against the looming wrath. Jonah ran away from God’s duty and boarded a ship to a different destination. Mary indicates that the storm emerged, and he was thrown into the sea by the crew to remove some weight. Fish swallowed Jonah, and he prayed for God’s assistance while in the fish’s belly. The author indicates that Jonah repented and restored his relationships with God. Jonah stayed within the fish, and he was spit out at the third day on to the beach where the author indicates that God introduced a plant to grow sheltering him from sun exposure. According to Mary, Jonah recovered and returned to his people as illustrated by Quran while the Bible indicates that he returned to Nineveh, who had repented. God withdrew the impending disaster, and Jonah led his people to God. Tlili, Sarra. Animals in the Quran. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print. According to Tlili based on the story of Jonah and the Whale, the story differed with others that are believed by exegetes to portray punishments (Tlili 107). The Quran explains that Jonah was sent to warn but fled to a different direction. He then cast the lots upon strong storm in the ship and rejected. The fish then swallowed him and became blameworthy (37/al-Saffat: 139-45). Jonah however God rescued as he prayed to God in whilst in the fish belly otherwise Jonah would have terrified till then the moment he would have been raised (Tlili 107). According to Tlili 2012, different dissenting argument are attached to Jonah’s rage; some versions attribute his rage to his rush into the mission he was called fo. In addition, some portray Jonah as to being let down by God hence his rage with Allah as God withdrew the punishment against Nineveh. The third of exegetes concluded that Jonah was angry with people as they rejected God’s message and continued their idolatry worships (Tlili 107). Tucker, Mary, and Kim Rankin. Bible Stories & Crafts: Animals. Westminster, CA: Teacher Created Resources, 2006. Print. According to Tucker, Mary and Kim (2006), the story reveals how Jonah was sent by God to deliver the people of Nineveh from worshiping idolatry but Jonah found it unbearable. In page 85, Jonah took another direction and headed to Tarshish in an attempt to escape from God. As Jonah was taking a nap, a strong storm came upon the boat. The crashing waves made them almost capsized. Sailors throughout the ship cargos into water to lighten to ship but in vain. The captain woke up Jonah and wondered how he was calm despite the disastrous moment and beseech him to pray. The sailors cast the lots and found out it was Jonah. Jonah explained how he was trying to flee away from God. The sailors probed Jonah, and the way forward Jonah affirmed that they had to throw him overboard. The sailors threw him into the sea, and calmness restored. In the sea, he was swallowed by a big fish and Jonah realized his mistake and prayed to God to forgive him. God forgave him and later spat out on dry ground after three days and returned to Nineveh hurriedly and took the lead to his people who had repented following with the reversed disaster. Wheeler, Brannon M. Introduction to the Quran: Stories of the Prophets. New York: Continuum, 2001. Print. According to Wheeler (2001), the narration of Jonah is uncovered in the following manager; as explained by Ibn Kathir, Jonah was sent to dwellers of Nineveh adjustment to Mosul. Jonah went and summoned his people who would barely listen to him and continued with their immoral worships. This is revealed in Quran 37:139 as Jonah is portrayed as one of the messengers of Allah. The story states that after Jonah had seen their persistence in such worships he pulled out and invoked a punishment after three days to the people. The people realized that the disaster would come to them after Jonah left, and they were repentant. The female animal got removed from their young and put on sackcloth. God’s rage came to the people and beseeched Him with men, children and women crying for help. The pack animals, sheep and riding animal also prayed. They had realized that the great hour had come, but God withdrew the punishment (Wheeler 169). Woodhall, Ruth, and Haqq S. S. Abdul. Stories of the Prophets in the Holy Qurʼan. Somerset, NJ: Tughra Books, 2008. Print. According to Woodhall (2008), Jonah is amongst the God’s messengers sent to save his people. Jonah however ran away from God and would be punished in the sea when God sent a strong wind. Jonah and other passengers were subjected to lots, and Jonah would trap. Jonah was thrown into the sea and swallowed by the fish and would stay its belly for three days crying for God’s help as he had realized he was blameworthy. Meanwhile, the people are converted to God and the impending disaster withdrawn. God spared Jonah, and the fish spat him out off-beach. He later recovered and went back to his people and led them towards moral worships and praised Allah. Conclusion The development and narration of Jonah’s stories comparison between Bible and Quran. The paper driven by quoting from both Bible and Quran to unravel Jonah’s story as God and Allah’s messenger to Nineveh (Biblical) and to his people (Qur’anic). In Jonah 1:1-2, the word of God came to Jonah saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it. For their wickedness has come up before (Jonah 1-1-2).” On the other hand, “So also Jonah among those sent (Quran by Us 37, The Saffat, 139). These two quotes showcase the similarity and difference on how the story is told. The story unfolds indicating how Jonah fled to the sea (Bible) or ran away to the ship (Quran). The bible narrates how Jonah arose and boarded a ship in an attempt to hide from God. The strong wind engulfed the sea, and the crew cast lots to determine the slave who had run away from God. “Come, let us cast lots that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” The Quran on the other side indicates how Jonah ran away to the ship disguised as a slave from captivity. He was full laden and ceded to casting lots when the storm came, “he agreed to cast lots, and people condemned him (37 The Saffat, 140-141).” According to the Biblical story, the lots fell onto Jonah, and the crew inquired from him what measures they had to undertake against him. “What do we do to you that the sea may calm for us (Jonah 3-5, 7) The story indicated how Jonah replied the crew telling them to pick him and dump him into the sea, and the sea was calm again. The story brings to our realization that Jonah had realized his mistakes and attached his tribulation to God’s wrath. “For I know that this great tempest is because of me (Jonah 11-12, 15). Jonah got swallowed by the fish and stayed in its belly for three days and night crying for God. Nineveh was saved from God’s disaster, and Jonah spared. Jonah returned to Nineveh and found already repented people waiting for him with happiness having regretted about what they had done him, and he led Nineveh. Work Cited Armed Ereiqat. A Basic Guide to Understanding the Qur’an: Based on Direct Interpretation of Verses from Quran.2014 Print. Cunningham, Louise. Satanism and False Mystical Trends. Lanham: Tughra Books, 2004. Internet resource. Henley, Karyn. Snip-and-tell Bible Stories. Loveland, Colo: Group, 1993. Print. Sharing Mary, Bible and Qur’an Side by Side Marlies ter Borg / Create Space. 2010. Print Tlili, Sarra. Animals in the Quran. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print. Tucker, Mary, and Kim Rankin. Bible Stories & Crafts: Animals. Westminster, CA: Teacher Created Resources, 2006. Print. Wheeler, Brannon M. Introduction to the Quran: Stories of the Prophets. New York: Continuum, 2001. Print. Woodhall, Ruth, and Haqq S. S. Abdul. Stories of the Prophets in the Holy Qurʼan. Somerset, NJ: Tughra Books, 2008. Print. Read More