Quranic Verses for Easing Childbirth

Qur’anic Verses for Easing Labor

The verses from the Qur’an that are recited to facilitate childbirth are derived from experiences and the sayings of Islamic scholars and the early generations, rather than established Sunnah from the Messenger of God, peace be upon him. It is important to clarify this point. Without a doubt, the Holy Qur’an is a source of goodness and healing for those who adhere to it. Allah (SWT) states: “And We reveal from the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy for the believers.” (Qur’an 17:82). Below are some sayings by scholars and early generations regarding verses that, with God’s permission, may benefit those in labor. These are based on beneficial experiences, not fixed traditions, as previously mentioned. Al-Suyuti stated: “Most of what is mentioned in this regard is based on the experiences of the righteous.” The following are those sayings:

• Al-Bayhaqi relates in “Al-Duʿāt” that Ibn Abbas stated, regarding a woman experiencing difficulty in childbirth: “It is written on a piece of paper and then given to her to drink. Say: In the name of Allah, there is no deity but He, the Forbearing, the Generous, Glory be to Allah, the Lord of the Magnificent Throne, All praise is to Allah, Lord of the worlds, (As if they had not remained except for an afternoon or its dawn), (As if they had not remained except for an hour of the day. A proclamation. So is there anything to perish except the disobedient people?).”
• In “The Prophetic Medicine,” Ibn Qayyim states: “It is narrated from Ikrimah that Ibn Abbas said: Jesus, peace be upon him, passed by a cow, and its calf was obstructed in its womb. The cow said: O Word of God, pray to Allah to release me from my distress. He said: O Creator of the soul from the soul, and Deliverer of the soul from the soul, and Extractor of the soul from the soul, release it. Then she expelled her calf, and she stood there smelling it. He said: If a woman experiences difficulty in her labor, write it down.”
• Ibn Qayyim advises to write in a clean vessel: “(When the heaven is split open) And He has given permission to his Lord, and it must be done. And when the earth is extended, and it casts out whatever is in it and becomes empty)” and the pregnant woman should drink from it and it should be sprinkled on her abdomen.
• It is mentioned that: “These are some verses that have been beneficial to many women approaching the time of labor. The process is as follows: a liter of water, preferably Zamzam water, is mixed with a small amount of saffron and rosewater, then strained. These verses and supplications should be read over it in odd numbers—once, three times, or seven times—and then blown into it. The reading should be done with the intention of easing labor, and at the onset of labor pains, the pregnant woman drinks from it, and any remaining liquid should be sprinkled on her abdomen and below her navel. Allah is the best protector.” The verses are:
• (Indeed, Allah knows what every female carries and what the wombs lose and what they gain, and everything with Him is by due measure).
• (And Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing. And He made for you hearing and vision and hearts that perhaps you would be grateful).
• (And Allah created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then He made you into pairs. And no female conceives or gives birth except with His knowledge. And no old age is granted to one who is granted life or lessened of his lifespan, except that it is in a Book. Indeed, that for Allah is easy).
• (When the heaven is split open, and it has given permission to its Lord, and it must be done. And when the earth is spread out and casts out what is in it and becomes empty).
• (As if they had not remained except for an afternoon or its dawn).
• Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “Recite over water, or write with saffron on the walls of the vessel the verses that show Allah’s care for pregnancy, such as: (Indeed, Allah knows what every female carries and what the wombs lose and what they gain), and such as: (And no female conceives or gives birth except with His knowledge), and like: (When the earth is shaken with its quaking and the earth has discharged its burdens). Then the woman who is experiencing difficulty in labor should drink from it and wipe around her area, and with Allah’s permission, the labor will facilitate, but as I said, the matter requires belief from both the reader and those being read to. In summary, the Qur’an is all goodness.”

Supplications for Easing Labor

Labor can be one of the most challenging experiences for a woman, who naturally worries about her health and that of her baby. Here are some heartfelt supplications that may help ease the childbirth process:

• O Facilitator of the difficult, O Softener of iron, release me from this tight situation to the broadest pathway. With You, I repel what is bearable and what is unbearable, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Exalted.
• O Allah, show us Your generosity and mercy, and bring forth the newborn in safety, soundness, health, and well-being, free of harm or distress. O Allah, make him one of Your righteous servants and protect him from Satan, and make him a support, a blessing, and goodness for Islam and Muslims.
• Recite Surah Al-Fatiha seven times, Ayat Al-Kursi once, and Surah Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, and An-Nas, each three times, along with Surah Al-Zalzalah and Surah Maryam.
• My sufficiency is Allah; there is no deity but Him. Upon Him, I rely; He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne (recite this verse seven times).
• O Allah, there is no ease except what You have made easy. If You will, You can make sorrow easy.
• Say: “O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and take sovereignty from whom You will. You honor whom You will and humble whom You will. In Your hand is all good; indeed, You have power over everything.”
• O Allah, I beseech You for good character and an easy labor, O Creator of the soul from the soul, O Deliverer of the soul from the soul, O Extractor of the soul from the soul, relieve me.
• There is no deity but Allah, the Most Great, the Most Forbearing. There is no deity but Allah, Lord of the Mighty Throne. There is no deity but Allah, Lord of the heavens and the earth and the Mighty Throne. O Allah, I ask You, as You deserve all praise; there is no deity but You, the Bestower of blessings, Creator of the heavens and the earth, O Lord of Glory and Honor, O Ever-Living, O Sustainer.
• O Allah, I place my child, who is in my womb, in Your trust. You are the One Who does not lose deposits, O Allah.
• O Allah, I ask You by Your might that cannot be challenged, by Your sovereignty that cannot be exceeded, by Your light that fills the corners of Your throne, to have mercy on my condition, relieve my worries, and remove my distress. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad and his family and companions.
• O Allah, You are the reliever of distress, the remedy for worries. You are the Most Merciful, there is no deity but You. O Allah, I call upon You by every name of Yours with which You named Yourself, or revealed to one of Your creatures, or kept hidden in the knowledge of the unseen with You, or preserved in Your Book, O Ever-Living, O Sustainer. O Allah, I seek Your help with the might that cannot be challenged, and the sovereignty that cannot be exceeded, and by Your light which fills the corners of Your throne, to have mercy upon my circumstance, relieve my distress, and release my worries. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad and his family and companions.

Supplications for Protecting Children

Righteous offspring are a treasured blessing from Allah, and children are indeed the adornment of worldly life as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. Parents should be diligent in raising their children with proper guidance and fortify them with remembrance and supplications. Here are some beautiful supplications for children:

• O Allah, I seek refuge in You for what is in my womb with Your complete words, and from every devil and poisonous creature, and from every envious eye. O Allah, I ask You to protect him and make him whole and perfect in creation. O Allah, beautify his appearance and conduct, ease my pregnancy and delivery, and make him a source of comfort for me and his father. Make him one of Your righteous servants.
• O Allah, make him a source of comfort for me, his father, his siblings, and all Muslims. O Allah, I seek refuge with You for him and his offspring from the accursed devil. O Allah, ease my pregnancy and make my delivery easy. You are the One who created him, fashioned him, and molded him. I entrust my strength and ability to You. There is no deity but You. O Allah, protect him from front, back, right, and left. Imbue his heart with the oneness of You, and aid me in raising him, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
• O Allah, I entrust my child, who is in my womb, to You, and return him to me upon birth safe and sound, free from any evil, illness, or harm. O Allah, bring him back to me in the best state, with neither increase nor decrease, and grant him the beauty of Prophet Joseph and the character of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, for Your deposits never get lost, and there is no disappointment for those who entrust You.
• O Allah, make my progeny and those whom I am responsible for a reason for my salvation, O Most Merciful, the Most Merciful.
• O Allah, forgive their sins, purify their hearts, guard their modesty, beautify their character, and fill their hearts with light and wisdom.
• O Allah, inspire me to be thankful for the grace You have bestowed upon me and my parents, and enable me to do good deeds that please You. Rectify my offspring; indeed, I turn to You in repentance, and I am among the Muslims, and protect me and my offspring from the accursed devil.
• O Allah, make our offspring happy, pious, pure, affluent, and merciful. O Allah, do not make our offspring among the wretched. O Allah, honor them and do not humiliate them; O You who never loses deposits, protect me, my family, my children, and the believers as You have preserved Your Holy Book.
• O Allah, do not leave a sin for us except that You forgave it, nor a worry except that You relieved it, nor a debt except that You settled it, nor a sick one except that You healed, nor one tested except that You granted well-being, nor misguided one except that You guided them, nor absent one except that You returned them, nor wronged one except that You aided them, nor captive except that You freed them, nor deceased one except that You had mercy on them, nor a need of ours except that You fulfilled it with Your grace, O Most Generous of the generous.
• O Allah, do not let their hearts deviate after You have guided them and grant them from Yourself mercy and guide them in their affairs.
• O Allah, bless me with my children, keep harm away from them, grant them success in obeying You, and bestow upon me their kindness. O Allah, O Teacher of Moses and Adam, teach them; O Giver of Wisdom, bestow wisdom upon them; O Allah, teach them what they do not know and remind them of what they forget, and open up for them the blessings from the heavens and the earth; indeed, You are the Hearing One who responds to supplications.
• O Allah, make them guided and rightfully guided, without misguidance or causing others to stray. Our Lord, grant us from our spouses and progeny comfort to our eyes and make us leaders for the pious. O Allah, make them the most fortunate of Your servants in this world and the Hereafter and make them among Your allies and chosen ones, whose light shines before them and they shall not fear nor grieve.
• O Allah, forgive their sins; purify their hearts; make them among the guardians of faith and among those who remember You and are remembered. Show them mercy, O Allah; make them the protectors of Your Book, advocates of Your path, and messengers of Your Messenger, peace be upon him.
• O Allah, make the Great Qur’an the spring of their hearts, the healing of their chests, the light of their eyes. O Allah, grant them wisdom and useful knowledge, adorn their character with forbearance, honor them with piety, and beautify them with health, give them well-being, and forgive their transgressions.
• O Allah, open for them the doors of Your lawful sustenance from Your vast bounty and suffice them with Your lawful from haram. O Allah, protect them from shameful deeds, trials, earthquakes, and tribulations, whether apparent or hidden. O Allah, keep them away from bad companions, O Allah, safeguard them from diseases, calamities, and epidemics. Safeguard them from the evil of the evildoers throughout the night and during the day, and forgive them, O Ever-Forgiving.
• O Allah, make them among Your righteous servants, guardians of Your Book, among the best in religion, worship, and character, and among those who are happiest in life and enjoy a prosperous living.
• O Lord, keep away from them the diseases of the hearts and bodies, and fulfill my utmost hopes for them with Your might and strength, O Generous, O Bestower.
• O Allah, make them obedient to me, without disobedience, rebellion, or mistakes. O Allah, aid me in raising, educating, and showing kindness to them, and let this be a source of goodness for them and for me. O Allah, attach their hearts to the mosques and to Your obedience, and make them among the foremost to turn to You, love You, and desire you.
• O Allah, keep them away from bad companions. O Allah, grant them health in their bodies, hearing, eyesight, souls, and senses. O Allah, give their souls their piety, and purify them; You are the best of those who purify. Guide them to the right path; O Allah, make them righteous, pious, insightful, hearing, and obedient to You, to Your allies, loving and advising, and disliking Your enemies.