What Are Prophet Yunus’s Different Names in the Quran?
ما هي أسماء يونس المختلفة في القرآن؟
1. Yunus (Jonah), as in the previously cited verses and in the surah named after him:
(And Jonah was indeed one of the messengers.) As-Saffat 37:139
2. (Tha Al-noon) and noon in Arabic is the name of the whale. So he is the Man of the whale. (And ˹remember˺ when the Man of the Whale stormed off ˹from his city˺ in a rage) Al-Anbiya 21:87
3. The man of the whale.
(So be patient with your Lord’s decree, and do not be like ˹Jonah,˺ the Man of the Whale,) Al-Qalam 68:48
سمي يونس، كما في الآيات السابقة وفي السورة التي سميت باسمه.
“وَإِنَّ يُونُسَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ” (الصافات 37: 139)
(ذا النون): والنون هو الحوت، ومعنى (ذا) أي صاحب، فهو إذن صاحب الحوت.
“وَذَا النُّونِ إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ نَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ” (الأنبياء 21: 87)
جاء التصريح بذكر أنه صاحب الحوت
“فَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ وَلَا تَكُنْ كَصَاحِبِ الْحُوتِ إِذْ نَادَى وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ” (القلم 68: 48)
1. Yunus, His Given Name and a Surah’s Namesake | يونس، اسمه العلم واسم سورة كاملة
Yunus is his personal name, and an entire surah of the Quran, Surah Yunus, is named after him. Notably, that surah mentions him only once in closing, regarding his people’s belief, and does not itself contain the whale episode at all; that story is told in Surah As-Saffat, Al-Anbiya, and Al-Qalam instead.
يونس اسمه العلم، وسورة كاملة من القرآن الكريم، سورة يونس، سُميت باسمه. واللافت أن تلك السورة تذكره مرة واحدة فقط في ختامها، بشأن إيمان قومه، ولا تتضمن هي نفسها قصة الحوت على الإطلاق؛ إذ تُروى تلك القصة في سورة الصافات والأنبياء والقلم بدلا من ذلك.
2. Dhun-Nun, Named at the Moment He Left in Anger | ذو النون، ذُكر لحظة ذهابه مغاضبا
“Dhun-Nun” literally means “companion of the whale,” and the Quran uses it specifically at the point in the story when he stormed off from his city in anger, before the whale episode had even occurred. Scholars note this as the Quran naming him by an event that had not yet happened at that point in the narrative, a detail that only makes full sense once the rest of the story unfolds (see how Allah delivered Yunus from the whale’s belly).
“ذو النون” تعني حرفيا “صاحب الحوت”، ويستخدمه القرآن الكريم تحديدا عند نقطة القصة التي غادر فيها مدينته غاضبا، قبل أن تقع حادثة الحوت أصلا. ويلاحظ العلماء أن القرآن سماه هنا بحدث لم يقع بعد عند تلك النقطة من السرد، وهو تفصيل لا يكتمل معناه إلا بعد أن تتكشف بقية القصة (انظر مقال كيف نجى الله يونس من بطن الحوت).
3. Sahib Al-Hut, Used as a Warning to Prophet Muhammad | صاحب الحوت، ورد تحذيرا للنبي محمد
The same title appears again in Surah Al-Qalam, but here Allah addresses Prophet Muhammad ﷺ directly, instructing him to be patient with his Lord’s decree and not to be like “the companion of the whale.” Scholars read this as Yunus’s episode being cited as a cautionary example for another prophet centuries later, not simply as background information about who he was.
يرد اللقب نفسه مجددا في سورة القلم، لكن الله هنا يخاطب النبي محمدا مباشرة، آمرا إياه بالصبر لحكم ربه وألا يكون كصاحب الحوت. ويقرأ العلماء هذا استشهادا بحادثة يونس مثالا تحذيريا لنبي آخر بعد قرون، لا مجرد معلومة خلفية عمن كان.
4. Two Moods Captured in Two Verses | مزاجان مختلفان في آيتين
The Al-Anbiya verse describes him leaving “in a rage,” while the Al-Qalam verse describes him calling out “overwhelmed.” Naming him by the same title in both places while describing two very different emotional states, anger before the trial and anguish during it, traces the arc of his story through his own state of mind rather than only through outward events.
تصفه آية الأنبياء بأنه ذهب “مغاضبا”، بينما تصفه آية القلم بأنه نادى “مكظوما”. وتسميته باللقب نفسه في الموضعين مع وصف حالتين عاطفيتين مختلفتين تماما، الغضب قبل الابتلاء والكرب أثناءه، يتتبع مسار قصته عبر حالته النفسية لا عبر الأحداث الظاهرة وحدها.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What does “Dhun-Nun” mean?
“Companion of the whale,” from the Arabic word “nun,” meaning whale.
Does Surah Yunus contain the whale story?
No, Surah Yunus mentions him only once, regarding his people’s belief; the whale episode is told in other surahs.
Who is addressed in the verse that calls him “Sahib Al-Hut”?
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who is told to be patient and not act like the companion of the whale.
What emotional states are described alongside these names?
Anger when he left his city, and anguish when he called out from inside the whale.
Which verses use these names?
Al-Anbiya 21:87 and Al-Qalam 68:48.