In this post, you will learn about the spiritual practice(wazifa) of Ayat al-Karimah, its historical background, and the blessings and benefits that many believers have personally experienced through its recitation. This blessed verse appears in Surah Al-Anbiya, verse 87, and Surah Al-Anbiya is found in Para 17 of the Qur’an.
Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) was one of the noble Prophets of Allah, sent to guide the people of Nineveh. Nineveh was a great settlement located near present-day Mosul in Iraq. The people living there had become deeply involved in idol worship, disobedience, and sinful behaviour. For this reason, Allah sent Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) to call them towards the worship of One God and the path of righteousness.
In the Qur’an, Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) is also referred to as Dhun-Nun. According to historical estimates, he appeared nearly 1,400 years before the blessed arrival of Prophet Muhammad. Some narrations mention that he spent between 30 and 40 years دعوتing his people towards faith and the worship of Allah alone, but most of them continued to reject his message.
When the majority of the people still refused to believe, Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) became deeply saddened and left the town before receiving Allah’s final command. As he travelled, he reached the seashore where a ship was preparing to depart, and he boarded it.
At first, the journey seemed peaceful, but soon afterwards, a violent storm struck the sea. Powerful waves began crashing against the ship, and it came close to sinking. The people aboard believed the ship had become too heavy, so according to their custom, they decided to cast lots so that one person could be thrown overboard to save the others.
When the lots were drawn, the name of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) appeared. Seeing him as a righteous and honourable man, the passengers repeated the draw, yet his name appeared again a second and third time. Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) realised that this was a decision from Allah, so he willingly cast himself into the sea.
As soon as he entered the water, by the command of Allah, a great fish swallowed him. However, Allah commanded the fish not to harm him in any way. In this miraculous state, Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) remained alive inside the belly of the fish for forty days. Some narrations mention three days, while others mention seven.
According to hadith narrations, while inside the darkness of the fish’s belly, Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) admitted his mistake before Allah and repeatedly recited the supplication:
“La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu minaz zalimin”
This blessed prayer later became famously known as Ayat al-Karimah. By the blessing of this supplication, Allah accepted his repentance, and the fish released him safely onto the shore. Afterwards, Allah sent him once again to the same people, and this time his nation accepted faith.
This blessed supplication appears only once in the Qur’an, while Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) is mentioned in approximately six different surahs, with various parts of his story appearing throughout several verses.
The meaning of this prayer teaches a believer humility, repentance, glorifying Allah, and admitting one’s mistakes. Spiritually, Ayat al-Karimah is widely regarded as a powerful supplication for relief from hardship, illness, financial difficulties, emotional stress, fear, family problems, harmful influences, and many other forms of distress. According to many scholars, regularly reciting this supplication brings peace to the heart, tranquillity to the soul, and ease into one’s life.
One of the unique beauties of Ayat al-Karimah is that it combines Tawheed (belief in the Oneness of Allah), Tasbeeh (glorifying Allah), and Tawbah (repentance) all within a single Dua. Because of this, it is considered by many to be a deeply powerful means for the acceptance of supplications.
Since our topic is to explain the benefits of the Ayate Karima and its virtues, this post has also told you about the special wazifas of the Ayate Karima and the benefits of these wazifas that have been observed.