Overall meaning : Yunus (Jonah) was also one of the messengers. He fled to the ship that was fully loaded with passengers and goods. He cast lots together with the passengers to be decided who would be thrown into the sea to lighten the load of the ship and thus save it from sinking. Yunus was among those who lost, and so he was thrown overboard. The whale then swallowed him, for he was blameworthy for what he had done!
Had he not been of those who truly and devoutly praised Us, he would have remained in the whale’s belly until Resurrection Day. So we cast him forth in a desolate place that was devoid of everything while he was sick, and We caused a gourd tree to grow over him, giving him both shade and sustenance. We later sent him to a hundred thousand people or what seemed a greater number to the beholder; they believed the message he had brought them, and so We let them live in ease until the end of the period appointed for their earthly lives.