DUA LA ILAHA ILLA ANTA SUBHANAKA INNI KUNTU MINAZ ZALIMIN (AYAT E KAREEMA)

Assalamualaikum, today I will share a dua with you that will relieve you in times of distress. It’s a short and simple dua which you can memorize in just a few minutes.

It was sufficient for Prophet Yunus (may peace be upon him) when he was trapped in the darkness alone in the belly of a whale. In the Quran it says that because he recited this Dua he was relieved of this burden.

PROPHET YUNUS DUA

In Arabic:

لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

Transliteration: la ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zaliminEnglish Meaning: There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.

This ayat (commonly referred to as Ayat E Kareema or just Ayat Karima) is mentioned in Surah Anbiya Verse 87. 

The full ayah goes as follows:

“And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him. And he called out within the darknesses, “There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.” it continues on, “So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers.”

If you’re familiar with the story of Prophet Yunus you’ll know that Prophet Yunus gave up on his people. Without the permission of Allah, he decided to leave the city of Nineveh in hopes to find a city that would more readily accept him and the message of Islam. This is why the Quran mentions “the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him”.

As punishment he was kicked off and abandoned by his ship members, swallowed by a whale and left in darkness. In this moment he cried out remembering Allah, praising Allah, admitting his faults in the matter by saying “Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.”

Allah seeing the genuine and sincere apology had then relieve him.

SIGNIFICANCE OF LA ILAHA ILLA ANTA SUBHANAKA

This short dua also encompasses the concept of tawheed, one of the most basic tenets of Islam. By saying this dua, you are consciously and deliberately declaring that Allah (swt) is the only deity, the exalted. You then show your humility by admitting your faults and weakness. 

I forget who had said this, I believe it was hazrat ali, but the message is still valid, the worst sin is that which a sinner takes lightly. We should be constantly repenting to Allah (swt) in any moment we are free. We are all guilty of not making best use of our time, some are better than others but we can all improve. We should all strive to have as little idle time as possible. 

This is why we should mix this heavy ayah into our diverse toolbox of duas and azkar.

The best forms of dhikr is to recite Quran with the understanding of its meanings. 

Dispelling Myth

In researching the benefits, meaning and significance of this Dua I’ve come across many Facebook posts and threads on forums which had lots of shares. These posts often claimed something along the lines of:

That repeating this Ayat E Kareema (Tasbi E Yunus) about 100 times (some would say 200 times, 313 times, or even as high as 125000 times) then they could fulfill any need or resolve any problems like:

1. Fulfill any valid and lawful need.
2. Overcome any difficulty.
3. Marriage issues.
4. Fulfillment of heavy debts, overcome poverty and financial issues and for richness and wealth.
5. To overpower enemies.
6. To find good job or employment.
7. To win a court’s case.
8. Release from imprisonment.
9. To get Children.
10. Overcome famine and drought.
11. Defeat and overpower enemies and tyrant leaders.
12. Treat deadly incurable disease and sickness.
13. Cure any type or kind of magic.
14. To drive out any type and any number of Jinn’s from the body or homes.

This is pure biddah (a new Innovation). I’ve looked into the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saws) and there is no mention of this at all. We must be careful in perpetuating wrong information.

Likewise, I try my best to make sure information on this site is authentic, if you ever find anything you believe is incorrect please email me or leave a comment and it will be fixed. Jazakallah.