Allah says,

﴿فَاصْبِرْ﴾

(So wait with patience) `O Muhammad, persevere against the harm your people cause you and their rejection. For verily, Allah will give you authority over them, and make the final victory for you and your followers in this life and the Hereafter.'

﴿وَلاَ تَكُن كَصَـحِبِ الْحُوتِ﴾

(and be not like the Companion of the Fish) meaning, Dhun-Nun, who was Yunus bin Matta, when he went off angry with his people. Various things happened to him, such as riding on a ship at sea, being swallowed by a (large) fish, the fish carrying him off into the ocean, being in the darkness and depth of the sea and hearing the sea's and its dwellers glorification of the Most High, the Most Able (Allah). For He (Allah) is the One Whose execution of divine decree cannot be resisted. After all of this, he (Yunus) called out from the layers of darkness,

﴿أَن لاَّ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ سُبْحَـنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ﴾

("That none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) are You! Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers.'') (21:87) Then Allah said concerning him,

﴿فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَـهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَكَذلِكَ نُنجِـى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴾

(So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers.) (21:88) Allah also says,

﴿فَلَوْلاَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُسَبِّحِينَ - لَلَبِثَ فِى بَطْنِهِ إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ ﴾

(Had he not been of them who glorify Allah, he would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day when they are resurrected.) (37:143,144) So here (in this Surah), Allah says,

﴿إِذْ نَادَى وَهُوَ مَكْظُومٌ﴾

(when he cried out (to Us) while he was Makzum.) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and As-Suddi, all said, "while he was distressed.'' Then Allah goes on to say,

﴿فَاجْتَبَـهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّـلِحِينَ ﴾

(Then his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous.) Imam Ahmad recorded from `Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah said,

«لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَقُولَ: أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ مَتَّى»

(It is not befitting for anyone to say that I am better than Yunus bin Matta.) Al-Bukhari recorded this Hadith and it is in the Two Sahihs reported from Abu Hurayrah. Concerning Allah's statement,

﴿وَإِن يَكَادُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَـرِهِمْ﴾

(And verily, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and others have said,

﴿لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ﴾

(would make you slip) "In order to have some effect on you.''

﴿بِأَبْصَـرِهِمْ﴾

(with their eyes) meaning, `they will affect you by looking at you with their eyes (i.e., the evil eye).' This means `they are jealous of you due to their hatred of you, and were it not for Allah's protection of you, defending you against them (then their evil eye would harm you).'