48 Preface فَاصبِر لِحُكمِ رَبِّكَ وَلا تَكُن كَصاحِبِ الحوتِ إِذ نادىٰ وَهُوَ مَكظومٌYusuf AliSo wait with patience for the Command of thy Lord, and be not like the Companion1 of the Fish,- when he cried out in agony. This was Dhu al Nun, or Jonah, for whom see n. 2744 to 21:87-88. Cf. also 37:139-148 and the notes there. Jonah was asked to preach to the people of Nineveh, a wicked city. He met with hostility and persecution, fled from his enemies, and took a boat. He was caught in a storm and thrown into the sea. He was swallowed by a fish or whale, but he repented in his living prison, and was forgiven. But the people of Nineveh were also forgiven, for they, too, repented. Here is a double allegory of God’s mercy and forgiveness, and a command to patience, and complete and joyful submission to the Will of God.