Al-Yunusiyya Dhikr
 | |
| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Name | Al-Yunusiyya Dhikr |
| Sura | al-Anbiya' |
| Verse | 87 |
| Juz' | 17 |
| Content Information | |
| Place of Revelation | Mecca |
| About | Jonah's supplication to rescue from the stomach of the fish |
Al-Yunusīyya Dhikr (Arabic:ذكر الیونسیه) is the Prophet Yūnus's (a) (Jonah) supplication to rescue from the stomach of the fish. This supplication is mentioned in the Qur'an 21 (Sura al-Anbiya'), verse 87 and is recited in the first rak'a of Ghufayla prayer. It is narrated from the Prophet (s) that this supplication is the great name of God and if it is recited, God will answer it. Teachers of ethics and mysticism have emphasized about repeating this supplication especially in prostration.
In the Qur'an
As it is mentioned in the Qur'an[1] and hadiths, the Prophet Yunus (a) preached among his people for a while, but since they did not believe, cursed them, left them and went on a ship. God locked him in the stomach of a fish for his lack of perseverance; then, he (a) repented and made a supplication to be released.[2] The Qur'an has mentioned his supplication as follows,
| “ | ” | |
| — Qur'an 21:87 | ||
In Hadiths
In Sunni sources, it has been narrated from the Prophet (s) that this supplication is the Great name of God and if it is recited, God will answer it. Once a companion of the Prophet (s) asked him if this supplication was the only way of rescuing Prophet Yunus (a). The Prophet (s) referred to its next verse in the Qur'an saying that, "and thus do We deliver the faithful."[3] In another hadith from the Prophet (a), it has been emphasized that every Muslim who recites this supplication for the fulfillment of his request, God will fulfill his request.[4] It is transmitted from Imam al-Sadiq (a) that, "I will be surprised about someone who has a sadness and does not seek refuge to this verse of the Qur'an which says, "There is no god except You! You are immaculate! I have indeed been among the wrongdoers!", while after it, God continues that "We answered his prayer and delivered him from the agony and thus do We deliver the faithful."[5]
Also verses 87 and 88 of Qur'an 21 which are about the story of Prophet Yunus (a) and contain al-Yunusiyya supplication are recited in the first rak'a of Ghufayla prayer after reciting Qur'an 1.
In Mysticism
Masters of ethics and mysticism greatly emphasize on saying Yunusiyya supplication and consider its repetition always solving the difficulties for spiritual wayfarers.[6] It is narrated from Sayyid 'Ali Qadi Tabataba'i, the contemporary Shi'a scholar and mystic, that he advised to repeat al-Yunusiyya supplication 400 times. It is also narrated from Ayatollah Kashmiri that the best action for a spiritual wayfarer is a prostration in which he recites Yunusiyya supplication.
Notes
References
- Jawrī Nayshābūrī, Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-. Qawāriʿ al-Qurʾān. Riyadh: Maktabat al-Maʿārif li-l-Nashr, 1432 AH.
- Kafʿamī, Ibrāhīm b. ʿAlī al-ʿĀmilī. Al-Miṣbāḥ. Qom: Dār al-Raḍī, 1405 AH.
- Maẓāhirī, Ḥusayn. Sayr wa sulūk. Qom: Muʾassisa-yi Farhangī Muṭāliʿātī al-Zahrā, [n.d].
- Qummī, ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm al-. Tafsīr al-Qummī. Qom: Dār al-Kutub, 1404 AH.
- Ṣadūq, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-. Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh. Edited by ʿAlī Akbar Ghaffārī. Qom: Daftar-i Nashr-i Islāmī, 1413 AH.