Close your eyes and picture the sea at night. The waves roll softly, the sky is black, and deep, deep down, the water keeps its secrets. Tonight's story goes all the way down there, deeper than any boat can reach. And here is the wonderful thing: Allah sees and hears everything, even there.
A long time ago, Allah sent a prophet called Yunus (alayhis salam), which means peace be upon him. Yunus was sent to a big city with more than one hundred thousand people. He told them, Allah made you, so worship Allah alone. But the people would not listen.
Yunus felt sad and tired of waiting. So he left the city, even though Allah had not yet told him to go. He walked to the coast and climbed onto a big wooden ship, packed full and heavy.
Out at sea, a storm came. The wind pushed and the waves lifted the ship up and down. The sailors decided the ship was carrying too much; someone had to go into the water. They picked names, and every single time, the name that came up was Yunus. So Yunus went into the sea. And Allah did not forget him, not for one moment.
Allah sent a great fish, a huge one, and it swallowed Yunus in one gulp, without hurting him at all. Now Yunus was inside three darks at once: the dark of the night, the dark of the deep sea, and the dark inside the fish.
What do you do in the darkest dark? Yunus prayed. He said that there is no god except Allah, that Allah is perfect, and that he himself had made a mistake. He did not even ask to be rescued. He just talked to Allah, because Allah always listens.
And Allah heard him, all the way from the bottom of the ocean. The Qur'an says, "And thus do We save the believers." The great fish carried Yunus to the shore and set him down safely on the sand. Yunus was weak, so Allah grew a leafy plant right over him, to shade him and help him get strong again.
Then Yunus went back to his city. And do you know what happened? This time the people believed, every single one of them, and Allah kept them all safe. It was the city whose faith came just in time.
Yunus's prayer from the dark is still ours today. Anyone who feels lost or worried can say it, and Allah hears. So tonight, remember: there is no place too deep, too dark, or too far away for Allah. He heard Yunus inside a fish under the sea. He can always hear you, right here in your cozy bed.