وَأَنۢبَتْنَا عَلَيْهِ شَجَرَةً مِّن يَقْطِينٍ 146
Translations
And We caused to grow over him a gourd vine.
Transliteration
Wa-anbatnā ʿalayhi shajaratan min yaqṭīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah caused a gourd plant (yaqṭīn) to grow over Prophet Yunus (Jonah) as he lay beneath a tree, providing him shade and comfort during his recovery after being cast ashore. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir emphasize that this plant was a mercy from Allah, demonstrating divine care and provision for His prophets in times of distress, and some traditions note it grew to full maturity in a single night as a sign of Allah's power.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the narrative of Prophet Yunus in Surah As-Saffat, which recounts how he was swallowed by a whale after fleeing his people, then miraculously delivered to shore. The provision of the gourd plant follows his deliverance and represents Allah's continued mercy during his period of weakness and recovery on the barren shore.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly references this verse, the theme of divine provision is reinforced in various hadiths about trust in Allah (tawakkul), such as the hadith in Sahih Bukhari about Allah's care for His creation. Additionally, Surah Al-Qalam (68:48) mentions this same incident, emphasizing the Quranic importance of this event.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that Allah's mercy extends to all His creatures, especially during moments of vulnerability and despair, reminding believers to trust in divine providence and recognize that comfort often comes from the most unexpected sources when we surrender to Allah's will.
Related Ayahs
فَٱسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُۥ وَنَجَّيْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلْغَمِّ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُـۨجِى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers.
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ يَـٰقَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُم بِٱتِّخَاذِكُمُ ٱلْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ بَارِئِكُمْ فَٱقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
And [recall] when Moses said to his people, "O my people, indeed you have wronged yourselves by your taking of the calf [for worship]. So repent to your Creator and kill yourselves [i.e., the guilty among you]. That is best for [all of] you in the sight of your Creator." Then He accepted your repentance; indeed, He is the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful.
وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمُبْلِسِينَ
Although they were, before it was sent down upon them - before that, in despair.
رَّبُّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى يُزْجِى لَكُمُ ٱلْفُلْكَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ لِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا
It is your Lord who drives the ship for you through the sea that you may seek of His bounty. Indeed, He is ever, to you, Merciful.