The supplication of Prophet Yunus in the belly of the whale

The Lord - Glory be to Him - mentioned the supplication of our Master Yunus in the belly of the whale while referring to an aspect of his story with his people. He - Glory be to Him - said: (And Dhul-Nun, when he went away in anger and thought that We would not defeat him, so he called out in the darkness: There is no god but You. Glory be to You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.) So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus We save the believers.[1]

In the interpretation of His saying - the Almighty - (And thus do We save the believers) Al-Saadi says: “And this is a promise and good news for every believer who has fallen into hardship and distress that God Almighty will save him from it, reveal him, and lighten his faith as Yunus, peace be upon him, did.”[2] This is confirmation of what was stated in the hadith that The Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - said: (The supplication of Dhul-Nun when he supplicated while he was in the belly of the whale: There is no god but You, Glory be to You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers, for no man has supplicated with it He never submits to anything except that God responds to it.[3]

Famous supplications to relieve distress

The Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - used to say when distressed: (There is no god but God, the Great, the Forbearing, there is no god but God, Lord of the Mighty Throne, there is no god but God, Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth, and Lord of the Arn The generous one). Narrated by Al-Bukhari

On the authority of Abdullah bin Masoud that the Messenger of God - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him - said: “No servant ever said when he was afflicted with worry or sadness: O God, I am your servant, the son of your servant, the son of your female slave, my forelock is in your hand, your judgment in me is just, I ask you by every name that you have been called by Yourself Or have you revealed it in your book, or taught it to one of your creation, or have preserved it in the knowledge of the unseen with you, to make the Qur’an the spring of my heart, the light of my sight, the remover of my sorrow, and the go away of my worry? Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih

On the authority of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq - may God be pleased with him - that the Messenger of God - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him - said: (The supplications of the distressed: O God, your mercy I hope, so do not leave me to myself for the blink of an eye, and rectify for me all my affairs. There is no god but You.) Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih.

On the authority of Ali bin Abi Talib - may God be pleased with him - that he said: (The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, taught me when distress befalls me to say: There is no god but God, the Forbearing, the Most Generous. Glory be to God, and blessed be God, Lord of the Great Throne, and praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.) Al-Hakim included it in his Mustadrak according to Muslim’s conditions.

Other supplications to relieve distress

God Almighty expanded the door of supplication to His servants, and gave His servants good news of the response. He said: (And when My servants ask you about Me, then I am near. I answer the call of the supplicant when he calls upon me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided), [4] and among the supplications that a Muslim can do To recite the following in a state of distress and the presence of worry:

Oh God, make my situation a relief and a way out soon and quickly, O Most Merciful of the Merciful.

Oh God, this is my condition that is not hidden from you, and this is my weakness that is evident in your hands. So be kind to me, O Lord of the worlds, and give me guidance in my affairs.

Oh God, O Judge of needs and O Answerer of prayers, relieve my anxiety, relieve my distress, remove my grief, and guide me to the paths of guidance.