Beyond its place in Yunus's own story, this exact supplication carries a distinct authenticated hadith of its own: the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, "The supplication of Dhun-Nun when he supplicated while in the belly of the whale was: 'There is none worthy of worship except You, glory to You, indeed I have been of the transgressors.' No Muslim ever supplicates with it for anything except that Allah responds to him" (recorded in Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 3505, graded authentic by Al-Albani). This turns a single prophet's private cry for help into a supplication for any believer, whatever the need. Who Yunus was, and how he came to be swallowed, is told in which prophet was swallowed by a whale, then rescued by Allah.

إلى جانب موضعه في قصة يونس نفسها، يحمل هذا الدعاء بعينه حديثًا صحيحًا مستقلًا: قال النبي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: "دعوة ذي النون إذ دعا وهو في بطن الحوت: لا إله إلا أنت سبحانك إني كنت من الظالمين، فإنه لم يدعُ بها رجلٌ مسلمٌ في شيءٍ قط إلا استجاب الله له" (رواه الترمذي، رقم 3505، وصححه الألباني). فتحوّل نداء نبيٍّ خاص إلى دعاءٍ لكل مؤمنٍ في أي حاجة.

Notably, the dua contains no direct request at all, only Allah's oneness affirmed and Yunus's own wrongdoing confessed, and Allah says, "So We answered his prayer and rescued him from anguish" (21:88). What a believer says when calamity strikes is covered in what a believer should say when a calamity strikes, and how Allah delivered Yunus in how Allah delivered Yunus from the whale's belly.

من اللافت أن الدعاء لا يتضمن طلبًا مباشرًا على الإطلاق، بل توحيدًا لله واعترافًا بالخطأ فقط، وقد قال الله تعالى: "فاستجبنا له ونجيناه من الغم" (الأنبياء 21: 88).