What Was the Supplication of the Messengers?
ما هو دعاء الأنبياء؟
Nuh (Noah) PBUH. He called his people, but they did not listen and rejected the signs of Allah. They denied him: "And remember when Noah had cried out to Us earlier, so We responded to him and delivered him and his family from the great distress. And We made him prevail over those who had rejected Our signs. They were truly an evil people, so We drowned them all" (Al-Anbiya 21:76-77). They described him as insane: "calling ˹him˺ insane. And he was intimidated" (Al-Qamar 54:9). "Indeed, Noah cried out to Us, and how excellent are We in responding! We delivered him and his family from the great distress" (As-Saffat 37:75-76). They rebuked him: "If you do not desist, O Noah, you will surely be stoned ˹to death˺" (Ash-Shu'ara 26:116). "Noah had prayed, 'My Lord! Do not leave a single disbeliever on earth'" (Nuh 71:26).
Ayoub (Job) PBUH. He spent a long part of his life suffering from a grave illness. All his children died and all his friends left him, yet despite all this he was patient. His wife cared for him until their money ran out, and Ayoub called upon his Lord with this supplication: "And remember when Job cried out to his Lord, 'I have been touched with adversity, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.' So We answered his prayer and removed his adversity, and gave him back his family, twice as many, as a mercy from Us and a lesson for the devoted worshippers" (Al-Anbiya 21:83-84). "And remember Our servant Job, when he cried out to his Lord, 'Satan has afflicted me with distress and suffering.' ˹We responded,˺ 'Stomp your foot: ˹now˺ here is a cool ˹and refreshing˺ spring for washing and drinking.'" (Sad 38:41-42).
Yunus (Jonah) PBUH. When he was swallowed by a whale, he admitted his wrong-doing and asked for 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).
Zachariah. Zachariah asked for a child at his very old age while his wife was barren. "And remember when Zachariah cried out to his Lord, 'My Lord! Do not leave me childless, though You are the Best of Successors.' So We answered his prayer, granted him John, and made his wife fertile" (Al-Anbiya 21:89-90).
Musa (Moses) PBUH. The prayer of Prophet Musa (Moses) PBUH after arriving in Midian and helping the two ladies by watering their flock for them: "My Lord! I am truly in ˹desperate˺ need of whatever provision You may have in store for me" (Al-Qasas 28:24).
Yusuf (Joseph) PBUH. The prayer of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) PBUH in Surah Yusuf after his parents came to Egypt: "My Lord! You have surely granted me authority and taught me the interpretation of dreams. ˹O˺ Originator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Guardian in this world and the Hereafter. Allow me to die as one who submits and join me with the righteous" (Yusuf 12:101).
Yaqoub (Jacob) PBUH. After losing his son Yusuf and then his other son Binyamin, Yaqoub's grief was so great that his sons questioned him over it, yet he never complained to anyone but Allah: "He replied, 'I complain of my anguish and sorrow only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know'" (Surah Yusuf 12:86).
نوح عليه السلام. نوح عليه السلام دعا قومه ولكنهم لم يسمعوا وكفروا بآيات الله. كذبوه. وَنُوحًا إِذْ نَادَىٰ مِن قَبْلُ فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ مِنَ الْكَرْبِ الْعَظِيمِ ﴿٧٦﴾ وَنَصَرْنَاهُ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمَ سَوْءٍ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (الأنبياء: 76-77). وصفوه بالجنون: قَالُوا مَجْنُونٌ وَازْدُجِرَ (القمر: 9). وَلَقَدْ نَادَانَا نُوحٌ فَلَنِعْمَ الْمُجِيبُونَ ﴿٧٥﴾ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ مِنَ الْكَرْبِ الْعَظِيمِ (الصافات: 75-76). زجروه: لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهِ يَا نُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمَرْجُومِينَ (الشعراء: 116). وَقَالَ نُوحٌ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ دَيَّارًا (نوح: 26).
أيوب عليه السلام. أيوب عليه السلام قضى وقتا طويلا من عمره يتعذب من مرض عضال. كل أولاده ماتوا وكل أصدقائه تركوه، ورغم كل هذا صبر. وكانت زوجته تعتني به إلى أن نفد عندهم المال. ونادى أيوب عليه السلام ربه، ودعاؤه: أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ (الأنبياء: 83). أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الشَّيْطَانُ بِنُصْبٍ وَعَذَابٍ (ص: 41).
يونس عليه السلام. يونس عليه السلام عندما ابتلعه الحوت، لبث في بطنه ودعا ربه واستغفر. لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُنجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (الأنبياء: 87-88).
زكريا عليه السلام. زكريا عليه السلام طلب من ربه أن يرزقه الله بولد وهو في عمر كبير وزوجته لا تنجب (عقيم). رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِي فَرْدًا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثِينَ ﴿٨٩﴾ فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَىٰ وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ (الأنبياء: 89-90).
موسى عليه السلام. دعاء النبي موسى عليه السلام بعد وصوله إلى مدين ومساعدته امرأتين على سقي غنمهما: رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ (القصص: 24).
يوسف عليه السلام. دعاء النبي يوسف عليه السلام في سورة يوسف بعد وصول والديه إلى مصر: رَبِّ قَدْ آتَيْتَنِي مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمْتَنِي مِن تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ ۚ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنتَ وَلِيِّي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۖ تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ (يوسف: 101).
يعقوب عليه السلام. بعد فقدانه ابنه يوسف ثم ابنه بنيامين، بلغ حزن يعقوب حدا استغرب منه أبناؤه، لكنه لم يشتك إلا لله: قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ وَأَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (يوسف: 86).
1. Four Prophets, One Chapter of Surah Al-Anbiya | أربعة أنبياء، فصل واحد من سورة الأنبياء
Most of these prayers, Nuh, Ayoub, Yunus, and Zachariah, are recorded close together within Surah Al-Anbiya, "The Prophets," making this single surah a concentrated record of how different Messengers turned to Allah when facing rejection, illness, personal failing, or the simple longing for a child. Each account follows the same pattern: hardship, sincere prayer, and Allah's direct response.
تُسجَّل معظم هذه الأدعية، دعاء نوح وأيوب ويونس وزكريا، في آيات متقاربة ضمن سورة الأنبياء، مما يجعل هذه السورة الواحدة سجلا مكثفا لكيفية لجوء الأنبياء المختلفين إلى الله عند مواجهة الرفض أو المرض أو الخطأ الشخصي أو مجرد الشوق إلى الولد. ويتبع كل موقف النمط نفسه: شدة، ثم دعاء صادق، ثم استجابة مباشرة من الله.
2. Different Trials, the Same Sincerity | محن مختلفة، نفس الإخلاص
The trials behind each prayer could not be more different: Nuh faced centuries of public rejection, covered in Who Were the Two Nations Whom Allah Drowned?; Yunus faced the consequence of his own mistake, covered in Which Prophet Was Swallowed by a Whale?; and Zachariah faced the quiet ache of old age without an heir, covered in How Did Zachariah Ask for a Child? What unites them is not the nature of the hardship but the sincerity of turning directly to Allah in the midst of it.
اختلفت المحن التي سبقت كل دعاء اختلافا كبيرا: فقد واجه نوح قرونا من الرفض العلني، وواجه يونس نتيجة خطئه الخاص، وواجه زكريا وحشة الشيخوخة بلا وريث. وما يجمع بينهم ليس طبيعة الشدة، بل صدق التوجه إلى الله مباشرة في خضمها.
3. Prayers of Provision and Gratitude | أدعية الرزق والشكر
Musa's prayer in Midian, covered in What Was Prophet Musa's Prayer After Arriving in Midian?, and Yusuf's prayer after his family's reunion, covered in What Was Prophet Yusuf's Prayer After His Parents Arrived in Egypt?, complete this picture. Not every prayer recorded here comes from crisis; some come from need, and some from gratitude, showing that turning to Allah was constant across every stage of a Messenger's life. Yaqoub's words in the same surah show this too: while grieving the loss of Yusuf for years, he directed that grief to Allah alone rather than to the people around him, a restraint that mirrors Ayoub's patience through illness and loss earlier in this same list.
ويكمل دعاء موسى في مدين، ودعاء يوسف بعد لم شمل أسرته، هذه الصورة. فليست كل الأدعية المذكورة هنا نابعة من أزمة؛ فبعضها ينبع من الحاجة وبعضها من الشكر، مما يدل على أن التوجه إلى الله كان ثابتا في كل مرحلة من حياة الرسول. وتُظهر كلمات يعقوب في سورة يوسف نفسها ذلك أيضا: فبعد أن حزن على فقدان يوسف سنوات طويلة، وجّه ذلك الحزن إلى الله وحده لا إلى من حوله، وهو صبر يشبه صبر أيوب على المرض والفقد في وقت سابق من هذه القائمة.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which prophets' prayers are recorded together in Surah Al-Anbiya?
Nuh, Ayoub, Yunus, and Zachariah, each in moments of hardship.
What did Ayoub (Job) suffer before his prayer was answered?
According to reports in the tafsir books, a long and severe illness, the death of his children, and abandonment by his friends, while his wife stayed with him.
Are all the prayers in this passage from moments of crisis?
No. Musa's and Yusuf's prayers reflect need and gratitude in different circumstances, showing prayer was constant throughout a Messenger's life.
To whom did Yaqoub (Jacob) direct his grief over losing Yusuf?
To Allah alone, as recorded in Surah Yusuf 12:86, even while his own sons questioned the extent of his sorrow.