Dua’a when under stress and anxiety
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah Most-Compassionate, Most-Merciful
Alhamdulillah, here are some beauitful dua’a to make when under stress and anxiety – as a means of dispelling fear, of seeking forgiveness of Allah, seeking His aid, protection and guidance. May it be of benefit to us all. for there is not a time in the life of a Mu’min when he does not need the protection and guidance of Allah. And those that turn to Allah sincerely imploring His aid, know that in reality it is Allah that is turning to His slave and servant. Ameen. And know that “When Allah wants to be good to someone, He tries him with some hardship.” (Abu Hurairah)
Link to the original article: http://makkah.wordpress.com/2006/12/02/stress-management-part-2/
General advice from Prophet Muhammad (s) when you are in distress or suffering from anxiety:
In hadith #599 narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas in Sunan Abu Dawood, The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If anyone continually asks pardon, Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress, and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide for him from where he did not reckon.
When in distress or difficulty or sorrow:
Source for this dua subsection: Fiqh-us-Sunnah, volume 4, no 128
1. Ibn ‘Abbas reported, “The Prophet, peace be upon him, at times of sorrow and grief used to supplicate, La ilaha illa Allah Al-’Azim, Al-’Alim, la ilaha illa Allah, Rabbul ‘arshil ‘Azim, la ilaha illa Allahu, Rabbus-Samawati wa rabbul ardi wa rabbul ‘arshi karim (There is no god but Allah, the Mighty, the Forbearing, there is no god but Allah, the Lord of the mighty throne, there is no god but Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and the Lord of the throne of honor)’.”
Source: Bukhari and Muslim.
2. Anas said that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, was faced with a serious difficulty, he would always supplicate, “Ya Hayyu, ya Qayyumu, bi-rahmatika astaghithu (O the Living, O the Eternal, I seek help in Your grace).
Source: Tirmidhi
3. Abu Hurairah reported that whenever the Prophet, peace be upon him, was faced with a serious difficulty, he would raise his head to the sky and supplicate, “Subhan-Allah al-’Azim (glory be to Allah, the Mighty).” And when he implored seriously and strongly, he would say “Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyum (O the Living, the Eternal One).”
Source: Tirmidhi
4. Abu Bakrah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “The supplications of distress are, ‘Allahumma rahmataka arju, fala takilni ila nafsi tarfata ‘ain, wa aslah li sha’ni kullahu, la ilaha illa anta (O Allah, I hope for Your mercy, so give me not over to my self even for as little as wink of an eye, and set right all my affairs, there is no god but You).”
Source: Abu Daw’ud
5. Asma, daughter of ‘Amais, reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, asked her, “Shall I tell you words that you may say in times of pain or distress. These are, ‘Allah, Allah, Rabbi la ushriku bihi shai’an (Allah, Allah, my Lord, I associate none with Him).” Another narration says that these words should be said seven times.
Source: Abu Daw’ud
6. Sa’d ibn Waqas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “The supplication made by the Companion of the Fish (Prophet Yunus) in the belly of the fish was, ‘La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka, inni kuntu minaz-zalimin (there is no god but You, You are far exalted and above all weaknesses, and I was indeed the wrongdoer)’. If any Muslim supplicates in these words, his supplication will be accepted.” In another report we read, “I know words that will cause Allah to remove one’s distress. These are the words (of supplication) of my brother Yunus, peace be upon him,”
Source: Tirmidhi
7. Ibn Mas’ud reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “If any servant of Allah afflicted with distress or grief makes this supplication, his supplication will be accepted: ‘O Allah, I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of your maidservant. My forehead is in Your hand. Your command conceming me prevails, and Your decision concerning me is just. I call upon You by every one of the beautiful names by which You have described Yourself, or which You have revealed in Your book, or have taught anyone of Your creatures, or which You have chosen to keep in the knowledge of the unseen with You, to make the Qur’an the delight of my heart, the light of my breast, and remover of my griefs, sorrows, and afflictions‘.” A supplication in these words will be answered. Allah will remove one’s affliction and replace it with joy and happiness.
Source: Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Hibban
8. Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to supplicate, “O Allah, there is no ease except what You make easy, and you alone can turn a difficulty into ease.” (Ibn As-sinni)
Source: Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, #131
9. Allah’s Apostle used to say at the time of difficulty, “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Majestic, the Most Forbearing. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Lord of the Tremendous Throne. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Lord of the Heavens and the Lord of the Honourable Throne.”
Source: narrated by Ibn Abbas in Sahih Bukhari, volume 9, #526.
Remember that sickness expiates evil deeds and wipes out sins.
Abu Hurairah narrates that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “When Allah wants to be good to someone, He tries him with some hardship.”
Abu Hurairah also reports that Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him, said:
“For every misfortune, illness, anxiety, grief, or hurt that afflicts a Muslim
-even the hurt caused by the pricking of a thorn – Allah removes some of his
sins.” Ibn Mas’ud said: “I visited the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
while he had a fever. I exclaimed: ‘O Messenger of Allah! You have a high
fever! ‘ He said: ‘My fever is as much as two among you [might have]. ‘ I
asked: ‘Is it because you have a double reward?’ He replied: ‘Yes, that is right.
“No Muslim is afflicted with any hurt, even if it is no more than the pricking of a thorn, but Allah wipes off his sins because of it and his sins fall away from him as leaves fall from a tree‘.”
Abu Hurairah (r) said: “The Prophet, peace be upon him, remarked: ‘The example of a believer is like a fresh tender plant; from whichever direction the wind blows, it bends the plant. But when the wind dies down, it straightens up again. (Similarly a believer is tested by afflictions to strengthen his faith and heart, and he remains patient and firm). And an evil person is like a pine tree which remains hard and stiff until Allah breaks it whenever He wills.”
Source: Fiqh-us-Sunnah, volume 4, #1
SubhanALLAH we have read this article while in the University Lib and it has given us great comfort!
Please pray for us 4 our exams!
Fimanillah
Umbreen & Ozy!!!!
26 March 2009 at 3:06 pm
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
Alhamdulillah, may Allah grant you success and happiness in both your dunya and akhira. Ameen. Good luck with your exams, insha’Allah.
Adeeb
26 March 2009 at 4:10 pm
Assalaaam-o-alaikum. Thank you for posting this article. It is exactly what I needed to read right now. I am facing many difficulties with my future plans and have been feeling completely dejected and alone. I try hard to remain positive and to pray and ask Allah swt for help – but it is very hard. I know that only Allah swt has control of what happens but I feel as though I have been facing difficulties for such a long time now, and the situation is not improving. I have prayed for a specific outcome, which does not seem likely to happen now and have faced many problems to even get to this stage. I feel like I am being tested continuously and will never reach this goal which I have wanted for such a long time. Alhamdulillah I am grateful for what I have and i know that this post must make me sound as though I am not, but I feel as though this one thing would make me happy, make my family happy and only lead to better things, has been taken out of my reach. Please pray for me. JazakAllah Khair
Farah
5 April 2009 at 5:54 pm
Wa Alaikum as Salaam Dear Sister,
Insha’Allah, sorry to hear about your difficutlies, but there are many ways through them insha’Allah. I will seek to mention a few of the key ways insha’Allah.
Firstly keep turning to Allah and seeking His guidance. If you are doing this then know, that our turning to Allah is in reality, His turning to us. In other words, if Allah wills a soul good, then He will test that person, and all tests are intended for us to develop a greater awreness of Allah, and ultimately to grow closer to Him. Hence there is always immense blessing in difficulties.
In terms of praying for a certain outcome, it is only possible to do this if one knows with absolute certainty that what we seek is actually for our benefit. Allah says in the Quran, ‘You may dislike a thing but in it is good” (2:216). Hence for this reason we tend to avoid praying for certain outcomes even though we may be convinced that what we seek is good. Instead, and with a view to changing our condition for the better, we begin by making sincere tauba to Allah for all our past and present sins, and to return and remain on the path of obedience to Him. The greatest happiness and satisfaction a soul experiences is through obedience to Allah. Then once in this state one seeks the guidance of Allah, and specifically guidance in whatever is best for us, not what we seek, but whatever is best. This assigns guidance to Allah and is our testifying to Him that we do not have knowledge only He does, we cannot guide ourselves only He can. Then, whilst we have done everything on our part to achieve what we understand, to the limit of our intellect, to be good, we leave the rest to Allah, to guide us to whatever is best. Remember that in general it is best not to seek a specific outcome because we never know what Allah may have in store for us, or where goodnes may come from, but rather simply to seek His guidance come what may. And more importantly to posess the trust and faith to be able to accept His guidance when it comes to us.
Finally remember that the concern of Allah is with you. And He wants only goodness for you. Everything that Allah does for us is only for our goodness, and only what is best for us. And it is only ourselves and action that take us away from that goodness. Hence, the best way to maintain the pleasure of Allah, to maximise our chances of being successful in our dua for success and happiness, in this life and the next, is through His constant remembrance. The soul delights most in the remembrance of Allah. As Allah says, “Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction”. (13:28).
Dhikr’Allah is the true source of happiness, it is the nourishment of the soul, it is the heart’s content, it is the freeing of the self from the desires of this world, it is the elevation of the spirit to a plain where the effects of worldly desires diminish. This is not theory but can be easily practiced and its benefits felt simply through reciting short wird’s after fajr, after Isha, or before going to sleep. If you don’t already have it, I would recommend “The Prophetic Invocation”. Its a beautiful book with litanies, taken from the dua’as of the prophet (s), – well practiced throughout the Muslim world for centuries. Also seek the company of good righteous people, people that will strengthen your emaan, and help you on your journey to Allah. I hope this has been of help insha’Allah.
All goodness belongs to Allah, and any faults therein are mine alone.
Adeeb
8 April 2009 at 9:01 am
salamu alikoum
i want to thank you very much for this post, i was feeling very down and i googled dua and came across this blog, and i feel so much better now after reading, the when God wants to be good to someone, he tries him with hardships. it brought tears to my eyes. thank you very much and jazakkalahu kairan ameen
flower girl
11 October 2009 at 9:30 pm
Wa alaikum as Salaam,
You’re welcome. Suabha’Allah its quite true, that when Allah wills good for His servant He tries them. When we realise that in our trials and tests there is actually much blessing then we see those tests in a different light altogether. It also makes dealing with our tests an easier process, we might not be able to prevent those tests, because ultimately they’re for our own good, and only God know what is truly good for us, but simply knowing that Allah has chosen goodness for us and because of that we are tested, that truly is humbling and a reminder that He is with us all the time even though we may not always realise it.
There’s another hadith along similar lines when the Prophet (s) said, “Whomever Allah wishes well for, He grants deep understanding of religion.” [Bukhari and Muslim]. Again, in the short term our difficulties may not make sense but over time we gain considerable knowledge and experience which actually deepens our understanding of religion – in short knowledge is that one thing that makes life much easier because it enables us to understand what is happening to us and why…
Khushu
15 October 2009 at 4:34 pm