The Content & Significance Of Ayat-e-Karima (Dua of Yunus A.S)

There is endless wisdom in each and every ayah of Quran. The ayahs are not just straightforward commandments of Allah Almighty, which a Muslim follows blindly. Rather, the ayah carry meanings and far reaching application which sometimes carry historical, religious, political, economic and social significance. Therefore, the ayahs are not just to be read for reward they bring, rather, the message underlying in them should also be given due importance.

Pertaining to the ayahs of Quran, there are different ayahs that have gained extreme popularity among Muslim masses because of the significance of these ayahs either stressed in Quran or mentioned by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). One of such renowned ayahs of Quran is the Ayat-e-Karima.

The lines below discuss the event associated with Ayat-e-Kareema and its significance in the light of hadith.

Ayat-e-Kareema:

The Context of Ayah:

This particular Ayat-e-Kareema was recited by Hazrat Yonus (AS) when he was stuck in the stomach of a big fish. There ee remained for days and recited this ayah as an invocation to Allah Almighty as a result of which he finally succeeded in getting out of his misery and be among the people once again. Quran speaks of this incident in the following way:

“And (remember) (Yonus), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e. the calamities which had befallen him)! But he cried through the darkness (saying): La ilaha illa Anta Subhanaka Inni Kuntu Minazalimeen.” (21:87)

The ayah shows that Prophet Yonus (AS) got angry because of some reason and due to that reason he did not think properly and did something wrong. As a penalty for that Allah Almighty gave him the punishment of being captured in the belly of fish where in the utter darkness He recited the Ayat-e-Kareema. Allah Almighty responded to his request, regarding which Allah mentions in Quran in the following way:

“So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness.)” (21:88)

From this ayah it is clear that Allah Almighty responded the call of Hazrat Yonus (AS) and delivered him from the situation and plight he was going through. The other thing that this ayah tells is that it was not only Hazrat Yonus (AS) who was delivered from the problem, rather, Allah Almighty gives delivers all those from problem who are believers. Thus, the most common use of recitation of Ayat-e-Kareema can be the deliverance from problems and becoming free from them.

The Components of Ayah:

For the sake of understanding and the kind of wordings that the Ayat-e-Kareema has it can be divided into three components. The three components or parts of the ayah that can be deduced are as follows.

Component#1:

The first component of the Ayat-e-Kareema is ‘La ilaha Illah’ which means that “there is no God other than You or there is no one worthy of worship other than You“. Saying this acknowledges the fact that a Muslim has faith in Allah Almighty and the recitation of this ayah in the times of calamity shows that a person realizes who is the Lord and who is going to bring the supplicant out of his or her misery and difficulty. Therefore, like any other invocation this Ayat-e-Kareema also starts with acknowledging the Lordship of Allah Almighty.

Component#2:

The second part or component of the ayah is ‘Anta Subhanaka’ which means ‘Glorified be you’. Now it is a general trend that whenever one is to ask someone of help or assistance of any kind, that person is glorified for the qualities he or she has, therefore, when invoking Allah Almighty it is imperative that a person believes and declares the fact that all the Glory rests with Him and only He is the glorified.

Component#3:

The third component of the ayah is ‘Inni kuntu Minazalimeen’, which means that ‘Surely I am among the wrongdoers.’ This phrase is extremely important for any supplication that is made for seeking help from Allah Almighty. Acknowledging the fact that a person is a wrongdoer means that he or she realizes that whatever calamity or suffering he or she is under is because of the fact that they have done something wrong and Allah has punished them for their wrongdoing. Thus, their acknowledgment of their wrongdoing and accepting it in front of Allah means that they are ashamed of it and are repenting for it.

Therefore, in a whole the components of the Ayat-e-Kareema all combine to create such an effect that Allah Almighty responds to it. It is what a best invocation can be where a person accepts the Lordship of Allah, praises Him, and confesses in front of Him. Thus, such a recitation is surely to increase the chances of the prayer getting accepted and a person being relieved from the trouble and worry.

Supporting Hadiths:

There are quite a few hadiths in which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has spoken about the significance of Aya-e-Kareema and encouraged the Muslims to recite this ayah as well. In one of the hadiths, Prophet (PBUH) said:

“I know words that will cause Allah to remove one’s distress. These are the words (of supplication) of my brother Yonus (AS).” (Tirmidhi)

Therefore, the hadith supports the fact that if a Muslim is in some kind of distress or problem and wants to get free from it, then the recitation of Ayat-e-Kareema is surely something that can benefit the person. The same idea is presented by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in another hadith in the following way:

“The supplication made by the Companion of the Fish (Prophet Yunus) in the belly of the fish was (Ayat-e-Kareema). If any Muslim supplicates in these words, his supplication will be accepted/responded to.” (Tirmidhi)

Therefore, if a Muslim wishes to get relief from any distress or wants anything to be accepted from Allah Almighty, then the excessive recitation of Ayat-e-Kareema is one of the best ways of doing so.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, Ayat-e-Kareema is one of the most renowned ayahs of Quran and Muslims across the world use it as a supplication as well as a supplement to supplication in order to have their worries removed and their needs fulfilled.