06/03/2025
THE PRAYER OF PROPHET YUNUS IN THE QUR’AN AND ITS WISDOM
Friends, prayer is a bridge that connects our hearts to the Creator. One deeply meaningful prayer, emanating from an astonishing event, is the Prayer of Prophet Yunus. Let’s explore the significance of this prayer, which reveals the wisdom-laden life of Prophet Yunus.
Prophet Yunus was a messenger of Allah, sent to guide and redeem the people of Nineveh, who had gone astray. Known for their stubbornness and reluctance to heed guidance, the community posed significant challenges to Prophet Yunus, testing his patience and the persistence of his message.
Faced with what seemed like futile efforts and no notable change in the people’s behavior, despair began to take hold of him.
Without fully grasping Allah’s will, Prophet Yunus left his mission behind and decided to depart from the city. This decision, however, was intertwined with Allah’s wisdom, serving as a test of Prophet Yunus’s faith and endurance.
The Prayer of Prophet Yunus in the Qur’an
found in Surah Al-Anbiya (Chapter 21), verses 87-88, is a profound testament to the power of repentance, documented in the Qur’an:
وَذَا النُّوْنِ اِذْ ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ اَنْ لَّنْ نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادٰى فِى الظُّلُمٰتِ اَنْ لَّآ اِلٰهَ اِلَّآ اَنْتَ سُبْحٰنَكَ اِنِّيْ كُنْتُ مِنَ الظّٰلِمِيْنَ ۚ
Wa żan-nūni iż żahaba mugāḍiban fa ẓanna allan naqdira ‘alaihi fa nādā fiẓ-ẓulumāti allā ilāha illā anta subḥānaka innī kuntu minaẓ-ẓālimīn(a).
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهٗۙ وَنَجَّيْنٰهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّۗ وَكَذٰلِكَ نُـْۨجِى الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ
Fastajabnā lahū wa najjaināhu minal-gamm(i), wa każālika nunjil-mu’minīn(a).
“And (remember) Yunus, when he departed in anger, thinking We would not constrain him. He called out in the darkness, ‘There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.’ So We responded to him and saved him from distress. And thus We save the believers.”
This heartfelt plea by Prophet Yunus, a model of repentance, was the sole expression of his despair, which Allah, the Merciful, graciously answered.
Prayer Text: “La ilaha illa anta, Subhanaka, inni kuntu minaz-zalimin.”
Meaning: “There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.”
This prayer embodies Prophet Yunus’s humility before Allah’s greatness, acknowledging his transgressions.
Messages & Wisdom from the Prayer of Prophet Yunus
Repentance and Self-Acknowledgment:
The prayer teaches us the importance of repentance and owning up to our mistakes before Allah. Imperfect as we are, genuine acknowledgment is the first step towards transformation.
The Power of Prayer in Adversity:
Prophet Yunus’s situation inside the fish’s belly illustrates that prayer is a beacon of hope and light in the darkest times. Similarly, in our lives, prayer holds the potential to elevate us from despair.
