Return of Jonah

Jonah is among the least spoken prophets, yet the story of each and every messenger of God is presented to us as a timeless lesson. The prayers and the lessons we learn from them are like secret codes that hack into the mercy and generosity of our Gracious Lord.

And (mention) Dhu'n-Nun (Jonah), when he went off in anger and deemed that We had no power over him, but he cried out in the darkness, saying: There is no Allah save Thee. Be Thou Glorified! Lo! I have been a wrong-doer. (21/87)

This cry of prophet Jonah pbuh immediately reminds another prayer by prophet David that we read in Psalms 130:

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord...

In fact, when you are buried under layers of darkness but still alive, your all mental constructs would break down, and you would call your Lord for help in the most irrational and impossible ways, because you know that there is no impossible for God. Sooner or later, you would burst into tears as your means or hopes of survival fade. Even if there seems to be no glimpse of relief, an idea irritates you in a nice way!

While your mind is telling you a story of misery and peril by connecting the dots according to past experiences and current observations, your heart whispers an irrational hope: "if He wanted you to die, you would already be dead by now. He wants you to survive, and that's for a reason." And with that, you would find yourself in a violent argument with yourself, where you are trying to kill the hope and at the same time wishing that hope a clear victory. This is an argument in which you win, if you lose, and you lose if you win. As the exchange of sentences between your mind and heart goes on, your heart brings everything to a halt: "Look! You are still speaking in good condition, and even are able to fight! Don't tell me about the irrationality of getting out of here. Tell me about your projects to do when you get out!"

And indeed, Jonah was among the messengers. When he fled unto the laden ship, And then drew lots and was of those rejected; Then the fish swallowed him, while he was blameworthy. Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified (Allah), He would have remained inside its belly until the Day they are resurrected. But We cast him forth on the naked shore while he was sick, We made a plant of gourd grow up for him. And We sent him (on a mission) to a hundred thousand (men) or more. (37/139-147)

As soon as you start thinking about what to do after getting out, your mind is engulfed by the events and facts before you were swallowed by the misfortunes. Consistent failure of your hopes was the reason that you abandoned your efforts, in the first place. Now, what has changed so that you should make new plans? Even if somethings have changed or are changing, there is no way you can learn about them. Then again, how are you going to make new plans, according to what surrounding conditions? These uncertainties make you angry against the hope that is incessantly pushing you to think for the future.

Prophet Jonah must have gone through similar situations and mental storms while in the belly of the fish. Despite all negatives, he was still alive, and his heart was whispering him to think forward. Given the countless failures of his invitations for people to the way of God, what next could he do? Given the threats of destruction from God, but then His perfect inaction in the face of the rejection and cruelty of Jonah's people, what could he do other than looking for eager minds to address elsewhere?

Similar frustration was present in Moses' pbuh mind when he said:

"Our Lord, indeed You have given Pharaoh and his establishment splendor and wealth in the worldly life, our Lord, that they may lead [men] astray from Your way."(10/88)

 And Muhammad pbuh was no exception, either, as he voiced in the following words that were uttered in context of the battle of Uhud:

"How should a people prosper who have done this to their prophet while he was inviting them to their Lord?" (Sahih Muslim/1791)

 These facts translate to one rational conclusion: you need a miracle for things to change, because all rational, logical ways have been exhausted. In fact, just like the retrieval of water before a tsunami comes, rational ways are expected to disappear if a miracle is to come. In case of prophet Jonah, that is what happened. In case of prophet Moses, that is what happened. In case of prophet Muhammad, that is what happened. But let's remember, miracles do not happen so that you remain the same or return to the same person you were (Miracle Forecast). They come so that you are born into a completely new personality and life. This notion is what you should design your projects around. Complete renewal... Renaissance...