What Was the Affliction of Prophet Yunus, and What Was His Prayer?
ما هو البلاء الذي ابتلي به نبي الله يونس، وما هو دعاؤه؟
Answer:
When the whale swallowed Yunus (Jonah), peace be upon him, he remained in its belly, called upon his Lord and sought His forgiveness.
(And ˹remember˺ when the Man of the Whale stormed off ˹from his city˺ in a rage, thinking We would not restrain him. Then in the ˹veils of˺ darkness he cried out, “There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except You. Glory be to You! I have certainly done wrong.” So We answered his prayer and rescued him from anguish. And so do We save the ˹true˺ believers.) Al-Anbiya 21:87-88
يونس عليه السلام عندما ابتلعه الحوت، لبث في بطنه ودعا ربه واستغفر.
(لاَّ إِلَـٰهَ إِلاَّ أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّالِمِينَ * فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُنجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ) (الأنبياء 21: 87-88)
1. Why Yunus Was Tested | لماذا ابتلي يونس عليه السلام؟
Ibn Kathir explains that Yunus ibn Matta was sent to the people of Nineveh, in the land of Mosul. When they persisted in disbelief, he left them in anger and warned them of punishment after three days. The words "thinking We would not restrain him" mean that he thought Allah would not constrict him, as Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and ad-Dahhak explained and as Ibn Jarir preferred; they do not mean that he doubted Allah's power.
وَذَا النُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَن لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ (سورة الأنبياء: 87)
ذكر ابن كثير أن الله بعث يونس بن متى عليه السلام إلى أهل نينوى من أرض الموصل، فلما أصروا على كفرهم خرج من بينهم مغاضبا لهم وتوعدهم بالعذاب بعد ثلاث. ومعنى قوله تعالى (فظن أن لن نقدر عليه): أي ظن أن لن نضيق عليه، كما روي عن ابن عباس ومجاهد والضحاك واختاره ابن جرير، لا أنه شك في قدرة الله تعالى.
2. A Prayer Answered, and a Promise to Every Believer | دعاء مستجاب ووعد لكل مؤمن
Allah answered Yunus and rescued him from his anguish, then added: "And so do We save the believers." The Prophet ﷺ said: "The supplication of Dhun-Nun when he called out while in the belly of the whale: There is no god but You, glory be to You, I have indeed been among the wrongdoers. No Muslim man supplicates with it for anything, ever, except that Allah responds to him" (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3505; al-Albani graded it sahih).
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُنجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (سورة الأنبياء: 88)
استجاب الله ليونس ونجاه من الغم، ثم قال: (وكذلك ننجي المؤمنين). وقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "دعوة ذي النون إذ دعا وهو في بطن الحوت: لا إله إلا أنت سبحانك إني كنت من الظالمين، فإنه لم يدع بها رجل مسلم في شيء قط إلا استجاب الله له" (رواه الترمذي 3505، وصححه الألباني).
3. A People Saved by Their Repentance | قوم نفعهم إيمانهم
Ibn Kathir relates that once Yunus had left, his people became certain the punishment would come. They went out into the open land with their children and livestock and implored Allah, and He lifted the punishment from them. The Quran singles them out as the one town whose faith benefited them at that moment.
فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ آمَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَا إِيمَانُهَا إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّا آمَنُوا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ الْخِزْيِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَاهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ (سورة يونس: 98)
ذكر ابن كثير أن قوم يونس لما تحققوا من نزول العذاب بعد خروجه، خرجوا إلى الصحراء بأطفالهم وأنعامهم ومواشيهم، وتضرعوا إلى الله وجأروا إليه، فرفع الله عنهم العذاب؛ فكانوا القرية التي نفعها إيمانها كما قال تعالى في سورة يونس.
4. Saved by What He Did Before the Trial | نجاه ما قدمه قبل البلاء
Surah As-Saffat states that had Yunus not been among those who glorify Allah, he would have remained in the whale's belly until the Day of Resurrection. Ibn Kathir reports from ad-Dahhak, Abu al-Aliyah, Qatadah and others that this refers to the good deeds he had done in times of ease, a view Ibn Jarir preferred, while Ibn Abbas and Sa'id ibn Jubayr said it means he was among those who pray. The trial began when the lot fell on him aboard the ship.
فَلَوْلَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُسَبِّحِينَ * لَلَبِثَ فِي بَطْنِهِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ (سورة الصافات: 143-144)
قال تعالى: (فلولا أنه كان من المسبحين * للبث في بطنه إلى يوم يبعثون). ونقل ابن كثير عن الضحاك وأبي العالية وقتادة وغيرهم أن المراد ما تقدم له من العمل الصالح في الرخاء، واختاره ابن جرير، وقال ابن عباس وسعيد بن جبير: أي من المصلين.
5. His Rank Was Never Lowered | مكانته عند الله محفوظة
The trial did not lower his station. Allah says that He chose Yunus and made him one of the righteous, and the Prophet ﷺ said: "It is not fitting for a servant to say: I am better than Yunus ibn Matta" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3413, Sahih Muslim 2377). The Quran calls him by more than one name, including Dhun-Nun and the Companion of the Whale.
فَاجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَجَعَلَهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (سورة القلم: 50)
لم ينقص هذا البلاء من منزلته عند الله، فقد قال تعالى: (فاجتباه ربه فجعله من الصالحين)، وقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "ما ينبغي لعبد أن يقول: أنا خير من يونس بن متى" (رواه البخاري 3413 ومسلم 2377).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What was the affliction of Prophet Yunus?
After he left his people in anger, the whale swallowed him and he remained in its belly, in layers of darkness, until Allah rescued him.
What did Yunus pray in the belly of the whale?
He said: "There is no god but You, glory be to You, I have indeed been among the wrongdoers" (Al-Anbiya 21:87).
Does the prayer of Yunus help other believers?
Yes. Allah said "And so do We save the believers" (21:88), and the Prophet said that no Muslim calls upon Allah with it for anything except that Allah responds to him (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3505).
Did the trial lower the rank of Yunus?
No. Allah chose him and made him one of the righteous (Al-Qalam 68:50), and the Prophet forbade anyone to say he is better than Yunus ibn Matta (Sahih al-Bukhari 3413).