Al-Anbya 21:87
The Prophets · Meccan · Juz 17 · Page 329
The Prayer of Jonah
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَٰضِبࣰا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقۡدِرَ عَلَيۡهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِي ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبۡحَٰنَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ٨٧
And (mention) Dhu’n-Nun, when he went off in anger and deemed that We had no power over him, but he cried out in the darkness, saying: There is no Allah save Thee. Be Thou Glorified! Lo! I have been a wrong-doer.
Translation: Marmaduke Pickthall
Meaning
The prophet Jonah had left in anger, then called out to Allah in the darkness: ‘There is no god but You, glory be to You; I have indeed been among the wrongdoers.’
Insight
Elmalılı reads this prayer in three parts: affirming Allah’s oneness, declaring Him free of every imperfection, and confessing one’s own fault. The essence of the prayer is to place the blame on oneself, not on Allah.
Reflect
Today, accept a mistake as your own without blaming anyone.
This short note is based on Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır’s Turkish commentary and has not yet been reviewed by a scholar.
Elmalılı’s commentary
An English translation of Elmalılı’s full commentary is coming soon. Read the original Turkish ›