Prophet Yunus (Jonah) - Eyup Sultan Mosque

يونس

Supplication from the Depths of Darkness

Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) was the prophet sent to the people of Nineveh and is also known by the epithet "Dhun-Nun," meaning the companion of the fish. Yunus invited his people to believe in Allah for a long time, but they rejected his invitation. Thereupon Yunus left his people without Allah's permission and boarded a ship. The ship was caught in a storm, and by the drawing of lots, Yunus was cast into the sea and swallowed by a great fish. In the belly of the fish, at the bottom of the sea, in the darkness of the night, Yunus made one of the most famous supplications in history: "La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu mina az-zalimin" (There is no god but You; glory be to You. Indeed, I was among the wrongdoers). Allah accepted this sincere repentance and commanded the fish to cast him ashore. When Yunus returned to his people, they believed. The people of Nineveh are unique in being the only community that believed upon seeing the punishment and from whom the punishment was lifted.