What Is the Largest Number Mentioned in the Quran?
ما هو أكبر عدد ذُكر في القرآن الكريم؟
The largest number mentioned is a hundred thousand.
(And We sent him to [his people of] a hundred thousand or more) [As-Saffat 37:147]
أكبر عدد ذكر في القرآن الكريم هو مائة ألف.
(وأرسلناه إلى مائة ألف أو يزيدون) [الصافات 37: 147]
1. A Hundred Thousand or More | مائة ألف أو يزيدون
Allah says of Yunus: and We sent him to a hundred thousand or more (37:147). Ibn Kathir reports that Ibn Abbas said his mission to them came after the whale cast him out, and Mujahid said it came before the whale swallowed him; Ibn Kathir adds that both can be true, if he was sent to them first and then told to return to them after leaving the whale, when they all believed. His story is told in which prophet was swallowed by the whale.
وَأَرْسَلْنَاهُ إِلَىٰ مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ (سورة الصافات: 147)
قال تعالى عن يونس عليه السلام: (وأرسلناه إلى مائة ألف أو يزيدون) (الصافات 37: 147). نقل ابن كثير عن ابن عباس أن رسالته إليهم كانت بعد ما نبذه الحوت، وعن مجاهد أنه أرسل إليهم قبل أن يلتقمه الحوت، ثم قال: ولا مانع أن يكون الذين أرسل إليهم أولا أمر بالعود إليهم بعد خروجه من الحوت فصدقوه كلهم وآمنوا به.
2. Or More | أو يزيدون
Ibn Kathir collects the reports on how many more: from Ibn Abbas, rather more, a hundred and thirty thousand, and in other reports a hundred thousand and thirty-odd or forty-odd thousand; Sa'id ibn Jubayr said seventy thousand more; Makhul said a hundred and ten thousand.
جمع ابن كثير الأقوال في قوله تعالى (أو يزيدون): فعن ابن عباس: بل يزيدون، وكانوا مائة وثلاثين ألفا، وعنه: مائة ألف وبضعة وثلاثين ألفا، وعنه: مائة ألف وبضعة وأربعين ألفا، وقال سعيد بن جبير: يزيدون سبعين ألفا، وقال مكحول: كانوا مائة ألف وعشرة آلاف.
3. They Believed | فآمنوا فمتعناهم إلى حين
The next verse says: and they believed, so We gave them enjoyment for a while (37:148). Ibn Kathir explains that they all believed, and links it with 10:98: no town believed and benefited from its belief except the people of Yunus. The surahs named after prophets, Yunus among them, are listed in which surahs are named after prophets.
فَآمَنُوا فَمَتَّعْنَاهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ (سورة الصافات: 148)
وقال تعالى بعدها: (فآمنوا فمتعناهم إلى حين) (الصافات 37: 148)، قال ابن كثير: أي فآمن هؤلاء القوم الذين أرسل إليهم يونس عليه السلام جميعهم، إلى وقت آجالهم، كقوله: (فلولا كانت قرية آمنت فنفعها إيمانها إلا قوم يونس) (يونس 10: 98).
4. Fifty Thousand Years | خمسين ألف سنة
The Quran also speaks of a day whose length is fifty thousand years: the angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a day whose measure is fifty thousand years (70:4); this is a length of time, while a hundred thousand in 37:147 is a count of people. The same surah names another prophet, Ilyas, in two forms, as explained in the prophet with two names in Surah As-Saffat.
فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ (سورة المعارج: 4)
وذكر القرآن يوما مقداره خمسون ألف سنة: (تعرج الملائكة والروح إليه في يوم كان مقداره خمسين ألف سنة) (المعارج 70: 4)، وهو مقدار زمن، أما مائة الألف في آية الصافات فعدد من الناس.
Scholarly Insight: Ibn Kathir reconciles the two views on when Yunus was sent to the hundred thousand: there is no objection to his having been sent to them first and then ordered to return to them after leaving the whale, when they all believed. Read more in the tafsir of Surah As-Saffat.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What is the largest number mentioned in the Quran?
One hundred thousand: and We sent him to a hundred thousand or more (37:147).
Who were the hundred thousand?
The people to whom Prophet Yunus was sent; they all believed (37:148).
How many more than a hundred thousand were they?
Reports differ: Ibn Abbas is reported to have said a hundred and thirty thousand, Sa’id ibn Jubayr seventy thousand more, and Makhul a hundred and ten thousand.
Does the Quran mention fifty thousand?
Yes, as a length of time: a day whose measure is fifty thousand years (70:4).
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →