Surah Al-Anbya
Surah 21 · The Prophets · 112 verses · meccan
The Prophets — sixteen of them pass through this surah, one after another.
The story
This surah tells us about lots of prophets very quickly — Ibrahim, Nuh, Ayyub, Yunus, Maryam and more. Every one of them called on Allah when things were hard, and every single one of them was answered.
How it unfolds
AYAH 1-29
People are heedless
The reckoning draws near while people turn away — and the sky and earth were once one mass, split apart.
AYAH 51-73
Ibrahim and the idols
The axe, the largest idol left standing, the fire made cool — and a question his people could not answer.
AYAH 74-91
The roll call
Lut, Nuh, Dawud, Sulayman, Ayyub, Isma'il, Idris, Yunus, Zakariyya, Maryam — each called, each answered.
AYAH 92-112
A mercy to the worlds
One community, one Lord — and the Prophet ﷺ described in the surah's most quoted line.
Verses to carry
- 21:107"We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds." The Prophet's ﷺ purpose in one sentence.
- 21:87The du'a of Yunus from inside the darkness — "There is no god but You; glory be to You; I have been among the wrongdoers."
- 21:30The heavens and the earth were a joined mass, then split apart, and from water every living thing was made.
Remember this
The Prophet ﷺ was sent as a mercy to everyone and everything — not just to people.
Talk about it
Yunus عليه السلام made a du'a inside the whale, in the dark. What would you say to Allah if you were scared?