Man has ever been grateful to his Creator. For as long all goes well, he never takes a minute out of his leisure to thank Allah for the countless bounties bestowed upon him. But the moment an infliction is caused, he suddenly remembers Allah and cries out for help.
There are many dua / supplications mentioned in Qur'an attributed to Prophets who turned to Allah when in distress and acute danger. One such dua / supplication is mentioned in the 87th verse of Al-Anbiyāʼ " الْأَنْبِيَاء ":
وَ ذَا النُّوۡنِ اِذْ ذَّهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ اَنۡ لَّنۡ نَّـقۡدِرَ عَلَيۡهِ فَنَادٰى فِى الظُّلُمٰتِ اَنۡ لَّاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡتَ سُبۡحٰنَكَ ۖ اِنِّىۡ كُنۡتُ مِنَ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ ۖ ۚ
"And We bestowed Our favour upon Dhu al-Nun. Recall, when he went forth enraged, thinking We have no power to take him to task. Eventually he cried out in the darkness:" There is no god but You. Glory be to You! I have done wrong."
This verse is attributed to Prophet Yunus (Jonah, peace be upon him) who is here refereed to as Dhun-Nun, that means the man of the fish. He was called so because he was devoured by a fish by the command of Allah. (Also See (Surah As-Saffaat, Ayat 142) and (Surah Younus, Ayat 98).
Prophet Jonah was sent on a people for guidance to follow the path of Allah. He was the prophet raised to warn the Assyrian capital Nineveh.
At that time, Nineveh, a very ancient and famous city, was their capital. Its vast remains are scattered on the left bank of the Tigris, opposite to the city of Mosul, and one of the mounds bears the name of Prophet Jonah. In order to form an estimate of the glory of these people, suffice it to say that the circumference of their capital Nineveh was 60 miles or so. (For Nineveh see x. 98. His story is told in xxxvii. 139-149.)
But despite his best efforts he could not persuade them to follow the truth as the dismissed him and were hell bent on following their own path being followed since their ancestors. So disheartened, he left left his people before he received Allah’s command for migration. He presumed that he should leave, the place which was going to be visited by the scourge of Allah. This was not by itself an offence but it was an offence for a Prophet to leave the place of his mission without the permission of Allah.
He went away to the sea and took a ship, but apparently the sailors threw him out as a man of bad omen in a storm. He was swallowed by a big Fish (or Whale), but in the depth of the darkness, he realized his mistake of abandoning Allah's mission and cried to Allah and confessed his weakness. Some references sya it was three days while some say it was 40 days that he endured his ordeal reciting the following dua / supplication in the utter darkness:
لَّاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡتَ سُبۡحٰنَكَ ۖ اِنِّىۡ كُنۡتُ مِنَ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ There is no god but You. Glory be to You! I have done wrong.
The "darkness" may be interpreted both physically and spiritually; physically, as the darkness of the night and the storm and the Fish's body; spiritually as the darkness in his soul, his extreme distress in the situation which he had brought on himself. Allah Most Gracious forgave him. He was cast out ashore; he was given the shelter of a plant in his state of mental and physical lassitude. He was refreshed and strengthened, and the work of his mission prospered. Thus he overcame all his disappointment by repentance and Faith, and Allah accepted him, and said in the very next verse:
فَاسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَهٗۙ وَنَجَّيۡنٰهُ مِنَ الۡـغَمِّؕ وَكَذٰلِكَ نُـنْجِى الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ
(21:88) Thereupon We accepted his prayer, and rescued him from grief. Thus do We rescue the believers.
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Sa`d said that the Messenger of Allah said:
«مَنْ دَعَا بِدُعَاءِ يُونُسَ اسْتُجِيبَ لَه»
(Whoever offers supplication in the words of the supplication of Yunus, will be answered.)
Taking a cue from Prophet Yunus plea when imprisoned, the last part of verse 87 above is recited by Muslims all around the world when in distress and they cry out for help from Allah as did Prophet Yunus did.
PS: This part verse of verse 87 of Surah Al-Anbiyāʼ is known as " Tasbi E Yunus " or " Ayat e Kareema" and it is usually recommended to recite it for 125,000 times when in distress to ward of the bad times for it is Allah alone Who can remove our hard times as He did for Prophet Jonah, Yunus (peace be upon him).
May Allah help us understand Qur'an and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.
