The sign of the Prophet Jonah, AS.

I just read something that amazed me.It was a story I had read so many times before I could easily tell it to others. It is the story of Yunus (as). You see, before Islam I was studying to be a minister. I had read the bible many times before, and two of the stories I knew very well is the story of Isa and Yunus (alaihimus-salaam). Particularly because the two stories are uniquely linked together. Yet it was a small little detail that I had not thought about before. One that was so OBVIOUS that I had to slap my forehead. One so profound I was shocked, and could only say "Allahu Akbar! Thank Yoooooouuuuu Mr. Deedat!" I shall try and explain for others to use in dealings with pesky missionaries, insha Allah.

According to the bible, the learned men of the jews came to Isa to ask him for a sign, (Mt 12:38) "Master, we would see a sign from thee". They asked this, because after his baptism, he proclaimed himself to be the Messiah sent to the Jewish people. Naturally they wanted proof. They wanted some miracle. Raise the dead, stop the sun, saw someone in half, etc.

What was his response to them? He said, "an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign (no miracle) be given to it, but the sign (miracle) of the Prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was 3 days and 3 nights in the whale's belly: so shall the son of Man be 3 days and 3 nights int he heart of the earth" (Mt 12:39-40)

He said that this was the ONLY sign they would get. Nothing else. The proof of his being the Messiah, the Christ (which has his TITLE by the way, not his NAME), was his fulfilling of the sign, this miracle.

So who was Yunus? He was sent by God to preach to the city of Ninevah. As this particular town was known for its badness, he did not want to go. So he ran. He got on a ship and headed for Joppa, not Nineveh.

While he was at sea, a terrible storm hit, almost sinking the ship. The captain gathered the crew and cast lots to see who was at fault, whose evil brought the storm. (Jonah 1:7) When the lot was cast, guess who it fell on? That's right, Jonah. He said he was the one who brought the storm, so cast him into the sea. If they did this, the storm would stop. (Jonah 1:12)

So, since Jonah went willingly, there was no need to kill or maim him in order to throw him off. This raises a question: was Jonah alive or dead when they threw him over board? Was he alive or dead when they threw him off the ship? Was he alive or dead when he was swallowed by the great fish? Was he alive or dead when he was vomited out by the fish onto land? The answer to all of these questions is ALIVE!!!

What had Jesus prophecied regarding himself? That he would be like Jonah. LIKE JONAH!!! And how was Jonah? Alive or dead for three days and three nights? ALIVE, ALIVE ALLIVE. Jews say it, Muslims say it and so do the Christians.

If Jonah was alive went he went into the tomb, Jesus also should alive when he went to the grave. If he wasn't then he would be very unlike Jonah.  But Christianity hangs on the death of Jesus, and so they invalidate the very thing, the only proof as to his status of Messiah.