وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِدْرِيسَ وَذَا الْكِفْلِ كُلٌّ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ ﴿۸۵﴾ وَأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ فِي رَحْمَتِنَا إِنَّهُمْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ﴿۸۶﴾ وَذَا النُّونِ إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ نَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَى فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿۸۷﴾

﴾85﴿ Wa Ismaa'eela wa Idreesa wa Zal Kifli kullum minas saabireen
﴾86﴿ Wa adkhalnaahum fee rahmatinaa innahum minas saaliheen
﴾87﴿ Wa Zan Nooni iz zahaba mughaadiban fa zannaa al lan naqdira 'alaihi fanaadaa fiz zulumaati al laaa ilaaha illaaa Anta Subhaanaka innee kuntu minaz zaalimeen

﴾85﴿ And remember Ishmael, and Idris, and Dhul-Kifl; all of them were among the patient
﴾86﴿ And We admitted them into Our mercy; indeed, they were among the righteous
﴾87﴿ And remember the man of the fish (Jonah), when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree anything upon him. Then he called out in the darknesses, "There is no god but You; glory be to You, Indeed, I was among the wrongdoers

[85,86] This also presents transmitted evidence through three prophets, showing that they were in need of Allah’s mercy and engaged in acts of patience and servitude.
Their patience itself is proof that they faced trials and hardships.
For Ismā‘īl (peace be upon him), his trials included the test of being sacrificed, living alone with his mother in a barren and infertile land, and being tasked with helping to build the House of Allah (Ka‘bah).
As for the detailed life stories of Idrīs and Dhū’l-Kifl (peace be upon them), the Qur’an and authentic marfū‘ ḥadīths do not provide clear accounts.
Therefore, we believe in them with general faith (īmān ijmālī).
Ibn Kathīr states that from the apparent wording of the Qur’an, it is clear that Dhū’l-Kifl was a prophet.
However, some have said he was a righteous man, and Ibn Jarīr (al-Ṭabarī) withheld judgment on the matter.
[87] This is also a transmitted proof through Yūnus (peace be upon him), showing his helplessness and dependence on Allah the Exalted, serving as a reminder of Tawḥīd.
An-nūn refers to the great fish (whale), in whose belly Yūnus (peace be upon him) remained for a period. Through that very fish, Allah protected him. Because of this, he is often referred to by the title Dhū’n-Nūn (the one of the fish).
Mughāḍiban means he left while angry—not at Allah, but at his people, because they had denied him. He had used his ijtihād (independent reasoning), believing that the punishment was certainly coming upon them and, as is the Sunnah of prophets, the prophet departs before the punishment descends. So he left his people, but without waiting for Allah’s permission.
Ẓ-ẓulumāt (the darknesses) refers to three layers of darkness: the night, the sea, and the belly of the fish.
In his du‘ā’, Yūnus (peace be upon him) fulfilled the three essential conditions for supplication: 1. Beginning with the Kalimah of Tawḥīd (lā ilāha illā anta) — indicating that du‘ā’ is to be directed to none besides Allah, as no one else possesses the qualities of divinity or the power to fulfill needs. 2. Declaring Allah's perfection (subḥānaka) — showing that Allah is free from any weakness, deficiency, or flaw. He alone has full power to fulfill all needs and perfect knowledge of the one asking. 3. Confessing one’s own weakness and fault (innī kuntu min aẓ-ẓālimīn) — because one who does not acknowledge their own helplessness before Allah, their du‘ā’ is not accepted. Refutation of misconceptions by innovators: Some ignorant innovators have taken this verse as proof that prophets (peace be upon them) commit sins. They argue this based on three points: First claim: Mughāḍiban means Yūnus was angry with Allah, and being angry with Allah is a sin. Second claim: They say he believed Allah couldn’t overpower him (fa-ẓanna an lan naqdira ‘alayh), which implies denying Allah’s power—a sin. Third claim: He admitted “I am among the wrongdoers,” and all wrongdoing is sin. Responses to these claims: The meaning of mughāḍiban is that he was angry with his people, not with Allah. Even commentators who say li-rabbihi (to his Lord) mean he was upset for Allah’s sake, due to the people's denial. This is not a sin; in fact, it is part of his devotion. The word naqdira here means "to restrict or tighten" — not "to lack power." As in the verse: "Allāh expands and restricts provision for whom He wills" (Qur’an 13:26). So it means he didn’t think Allah would restrict his situation. Not every form of ẓulm (wrongdoing) is sin. Sometimes ẓulm is used to express humility and admission of imperfection—as in the du‘ā’ taught by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): “O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly…” Additionally, some actions are termed khilāf al-awlā (contrary to what is better), not sinful. Yūnus (peace be upon him) leaving without waiting for divine permission was khilāf al-awlā—not a sin.