Quick answer: The Quran preserves the actual words of several prophets calling on Allah in hard moments: Yunus from inside the whale, Ayyub during years of illness, Musa before facing Pharaoh, and Ibrahim asking for steadfastness in prayer and forgiveness for his parents. Each dua is short, each names Allah’s attribute that fits the moment, and each is still recited by Muslims today in similar situations.
These are not the only prophetic supplications in the Quran. Scholars count dozens of verses that open with “Rabbana” (Our Lord) or “Rabbi” (My Lord), spoken by figures from Adam to Zakariyya. This article looks closely at four of the best known, with the Arabic and English brought in directly from the Quran, and one hadith on the manner of making dua.
The dua of Yunus, from inside the whale
Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) left his people before Allah gave him permission to do so, and the Quran describes him being swallowed by a great fish as a consequence. Prophet Yunus (AS) left his people before receiving Allah’s permission, and was swallowed by a whale as a consequence. In that darkness, he turned to Allah with a short sentence that combines three things at once: a declaration that only Allah is worthy of worship, praise of Allah’s perfection, and an honest admission of his own fault.
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَٰضِبًۭا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
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."
This is the dua recorded in Surah al-Anbiya, verse 87. It does not ask for anything directly. It starts with Allah, then moves to self-correction. The following verse in the same surah describes Allah answering him and saving him from distress, which is part of why this short sentence is so often recommended for anyone facing a crisis that feels bigger than they are.
The virtue of reciting this exact sentence in times of need is also described in hadith collections outside Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, which this article does not quote, since it only cites those two collections. What can be said with confidence is that the wording itself is the Quran’s own account of Yunus’s words, not a later addition.
The dua of Ayyub, during prolonged illness
Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) is remembered in the Quran mainly for patience through years of serious illness and loss. Ayyub lost his health, wealth, and family, yet remained patient for years. He did not complain, he simply stated his condition and affirmed Allah’s mercy. Allah restored everything he had lost, and more.
۞ وَأَيُّوبَ إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥٓ أَنِّى مَسَّنِىَ ٱلضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
And [mention] Job, when he called to his Lord, "Indeed, adversity has touched me, and you are the Most Merciful of the merciful."
Notice what the dua does not contain. There is no demand, no timeline, no comparison to anyone else’s situation. Ayyub names what has happened to him in a single word (adversity) and then turns straight to who Allah is: the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. The verses that follow in the same surah describe Allah lifting the hardship from him.
This dua is often shared with people going through illness or a long, grinding difficulty. It is worth being clear about what that means in practice: dua is an act of worship and a source of spiritual comfort, not a substitute for medical treatment, and a person who is unwell should continue to see a doctor and follow medical advice alongside their prayers.
The dua of Musa, before speaking to Pharaoh
When Allah commanded Musa (peace be upon him) to go and speak to Pharaoh, a known tyrant, Musa did not go straight away. He prayed first. In four short phrases, Musa asks for inner courage, ease in his task, freedom of speech, and listeners who actually understand him, before confronting one of the most powerful men of his time.
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱشْرَحْ لِى صَدْرِى ﴿25﴾ وَيَسِّرْ لِىٓ أَمْرِى ﴿26﴾ وَٱحْلُلْ عُقْدَةًۭ مِّن لِّسَانِى ﴿27﴾ يَفْقَهُوا۟ قَوْلِى ﴿28﴾
[25] [Moses] said, "My Lord, expand for me my breast [with assurance] [26] And ease for me my task [27] And untie the knot from my tongue [28] That they may understand my speech.
The dua moves from the inside outward: first the chest (meaning calm and confidence), then the task itself, then the tongue, then the listener’s understanding. Musa had a speech difficulty, so the request about his tongue is specific and personal to him, not a generic phrase. In the verses that follow, Musa also asks Allah to appoint his brother Harun as a helper, showing that a dua can be followed by practical steps, not only words.
This supplication is widely recited before a hard conversation, an exam, an interview, or any situation where someone has to speak and be understood under pressure. It does not promise an easy outcome. It asks for the inner state needed to face a difficult one.
The dua of Ibrahim, for prayer, offspring and parents
Prophet Ibrahim’s (peace be upon him) dua in Surah Ibrahim comes after he has settled his family near the Kaaba and thanked Allah for his provision. He then asks for something that outlasts any single difficulty: steadiness in prayer, for himself and his children, and acceptance of his supplication.
رَبِّ ٱجْعَلْنِى مُقِيمَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِى ۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَآءِ ﴿40﴾ رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلْحِسَابُ ﴿41﴾
[40] My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [many] from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication. [41] Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and the believers the Day the account is established."
The second half of the dua asks forgiveness for Ibrahim, his parents and the believers, on the Day of Judgement. Classical commentary notes that Ibrahim prayed for his father here before it became clear to him that his father stood against Allah, after which point he distanced himself from that relationship. Ibrahim said this before he declared himself innocent from his father, after he became sure that he was an enemy of Allah, a detail tafsir scholars bring up to explain why a prophet would ask forgiveness for a parent who did not share his faith.
This dua is recited by parents asking for their children to grow up attentive to prayer, and by anyone asking forgiveness for their own parents, living or deceased.
How to approach these duas: patience, not haste
None of the four prophets above received an instant answer written into the same breath as their prayer. Ayyub’s relief came after years. Musa still had to walk into Pharaoh’s court. The Quran itself teaches that an answer to dua is not always immediate, and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ addressed this directly.
يُسْتَجَابُ لأَحَدِكُمْ مَا لَمْ يَعْجَلْ فَيَقُولُ قَدْ دَعَوْتُ فَلاَ أَوْ فَلَمْ يُسْتَجَبْ لِي
Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:The supplication of every one of you is granted if he does not grow impatient and says: I supplicated but it was not granted
This report is agreed upon by both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. It warns against the specific habit of giving up on a dua because the answer has not arrived yet, or concluding that Allah has not heard it. The prophetic duas in this article model the opposite approach: naming the difficulty honestly, praising Allah’s relevant attribute, and continuing to ask.
Situation, timing and source at a glance
| Prophet | Situation | When it was said | Quran reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yunus | Trapped and in despair | Inside the whale, at night | 21:87 |
| Ayyub | Long illness and loss | During years of affliction | 21:83 |
| Musa | Facing a powerful opponent | Before confronting Pharaoh | 20:25-28 |
| Ibrahim | Prayer, family, old age | After settling his family at the Kaaba | 14:40-41 |
Each of these verses can be said as they are in Arabic, read in translation while reflecting on the meaning, or used as a starting point before adding a personal request in one’s own words. None of them require a specific time of day. They are tied to a situation rather than a clock.
Reading the words, not only the story
It is easy to read the story around each dua and skip past the actual words. The four duas above are short enough to memorise within a single sitting, and the Quran gives the exact Arabic each prophet used, not a paraphrase. Many Muslims keep a small set of these in mind for the situations they correspond to: Yunus’s words for sudden hardship, Ayyub’s for illness or a long trial, Musa’s before something that requires courage and clear speech, and Ibrahim’s for prayer and for parents.
A reader who wants to build a daily habit around short, memorable supplications might also find it useful to pair this with a regular reading plan; see the 30-day Quran reading plan for a structured way to meet verses like these in their full context rather than in isolation.