Supplications for Relief from Distress and Worry
Supplications from the Prophetic Tradition
In the prophetic tradition, several established prayers have been documented that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recited during times of distress and anxiety. The following are some notable examples:
- (O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and sorrow, from incapacity and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from the burden of debts, and from being overcome by men).
- (O Allah, I hope for Your mercy; do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye. Rectify for me all my affairs; there is no deity except You).
- (No one suffers from worry or sorrow, then says: “O Allah, I am Your servant, the son of Your servant, the son of Your maidservant. My forelock is in Your hand, Your decree is in effect in me, and Your judgment upon me is just. I ask You by every name that You have named Yourself, or revealed in Your Book, or taught to any of Your creation, or reserved with You in the knowledge of the unseen, to make the Quran the light of my heart, the light in my chest, the removal of my sorrow, and the departure of my worry,” but Allah will remove his worry and replace his sorrow with joy).
- (O Living, O Sustainer, I seek Your assistance through Your mercy).
- (I seek refuge in the complete words of Allah from His anger, His punishment, the evil of His servants, and the whispers of the devils that they may come near me).
- (The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would pray during moments of duress, saying: “There is no deity except Allah, the Most Great, the Most Forbearing; there is no deity except Allah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne; there is no deity except Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the earth and the Lord of the Noble Throne”).
- (Whenever a servant is stricken by a calamity and says: “Indeed, we belong to Allah and indeed, to Him we will return,” and prays: “O Allah, reward me in my calamity and replace it with something better,” Allah will grant him a reward for his affliction and provide him with something better).
General Supplications for Relief from Distress
A Muslim is encouraged to pray for whatever relief they seek when facing challenges. Below are some general supplications for alleviating distress and worry:
- O Allah, You are my refuge. I beseech You by Your singular name, the Eternal, and by Your magnificent name to relieve me from what I faced last night and what I face this morning. Let not the dust of fear of anyone but You cloud my thoughts and worries. Rescue me, rescue me, rescue me, O Allah.
- O Ever-Living, O Sustainer, O Light, O Holy One, O Living Allah, O Most Merciful, forgive me the sins that unleash calamities, forgive me the sins that lead to regret, and forgive me the sins that hinder my provisions.
- O Allah, forgive me the sins that tear apart protections, forgive me the sins that cut off hope, and forgive me the sins that hasten demise.
- O Allah, relieve me from every calamity, O Knower of all hidden matters, O Turner of every affliction, I call upon You with the call of one who is deeply in need, weakened in strength, and lacking resources; the prayer of one who is drowning and desperate. O Allah, have mercy on me and assist me, be gentle with me, and support me with Your help.
- O Allah, I ask You, O Remover of Worry, O Dispenser of Relief, Answerer of the distressed, Most Merciful in this world and the Hereafter, grant me mercy from You that will make me self-sufficient from the mercy of others.
- Help me, help me, O Mighty, O Praiseworthy, O Lord of the Glorious Throne, divert from me the evil of every stubborn oppressor. O Allah, You know that despite my misdeeds, wrongdoings, and excesses, I have not set up a rival, offspring, or partner to You. If You punish, I am Your servant, and if You forgive, You are the Almighty, the Wise.
- O Allah, forgive me the sins that hinder my supplications, forgive me the sins that prevent the rain from falling, forgive me the sins that darken the atmosphere, and forgive me the sins that lift the veil.
- O Allah, You who relieves worries and sorrows, and who alleviates great distress, You who merely commands a thing to be and it comes to be, my Lord, overwhelming sins and disobedience surround me, and I find no mercy or care other than from You. Therefore, grant me Your mercy.