Supplications for Alleviating Worries
There are numerous supplications found in the Sunnah for alleviating worries and concerns. Among them are the following:
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated: “No one ever suffers from worry or grief and says: O Allah, I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maidservant. My forelock is in Your hand; Your decree over me is past, and Your judgment regarding me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You that You have named Yourself, or revealed in Your Book, or taught to any of Your creation, or kept to Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen with You, to make the Quran the springtime of my heart, the light of my chest, the remover of my sorrow, and the banisher of my worry. Unless Allah would remove his worry and replace his sadness with joy.” The companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Should we learn these words?” He replied, “Yes, those who hear them should learn them.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The supplication of Dhul-Nun (Jonah) was: ‘There is no deity except You; Glory be to You; indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.’ No Muslim ever calls upon his Lord with it in any matter except that He responds to him.”
- At times of distress, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would recite: “There is no deity except Allah, the Almighty, the 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.”
- One day, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to Asma bint Umays (may Allah be pleased with her): “Shall I not teach you words to say during times of distress? Allah is my Lord; I do not associate anything with Him.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advised: “The supplications of the distressed are: O Allah, I hope for Your mercy; do not leave me to my own devices even for the blink of an eye. Set right for me all my affairs; there is no deity but You.” Some of his followers would add to this request.
- Abdullah ibn Masoud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) experienced worry or sorrow, he would say: “O Ever-Living, O Sustainer, in Your mercy I seek help.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sought refuge in Allah from worry and sorrow, incapacity and lethargy, stinginess and cowardice, the burden of debts, and the oppression of men.
- Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would say in his supplications: “O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the loss of Your blessings, the transition of Your wellness, the suddenness of Your wrath, and all forms of displeasure with You.”
Supplications for Facilitating Affairs
Believers turn to Allah in supplication in various aspects of their lives. Here are some supplications that can be recited to ease difficulties:
- Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “O Allah, there is no ease except what You make easy, and if You wish, You can turn sorrow into ease.”
- “O Allah, O Facilitator of the difficult, O Softener of iron, O One who fulfills promises, O One who is Every Day in a New Matter, bring me forth from the narrowness of the straits to the wideness of the paths; with You, I push away what I cannot bear, and there is no power and no strength except by Allah, the Most Exalted, the Most Great.”
- “O Allah, let us live in this world as believers in obedience. Make us die as Muslims, repentant. O Allah, have mercy on our humble supplications before You, rectify our affairs when we go astray, and aid us when we stand firm; be with us, and do not be against us.”
- “O Allah, we ask You for an increase in faith, blessings in life, health in the body, abundance in sustenance, repentance before death, martyrdom at death, forgiveness after death, pardon at the reckoning, safety from punishment, a share in Paradise, and grant us a glimpse of Your Noble Face.”
- “My Lord, do not reject my supplication, nor turn away my request, do not leave me in my despair, do not rely me on my own strength and ability. Have mercy on my weakness, for my chest is tight, my thoughts are confused, and I am lost in my affairs. You know, O Glorious One, my secret and my openness; You are the Master of my benefit and harm, capable of alleviating my grief and facilitating my hardship.”
- “O Allah, we ask You, O Forgiving, O Compassionate, O Merciful, to open for our supplications the doors of acceptance. O You who respond to the pleas of the distressed, O You who only needs to say ‘Be’ for it to be.”
- “O Allah, do not turn us away disappointed, and grant us the best of what is given to Your righteous servants. O Allah, do not deprive us of the abundance of Your generosity, nor do we go astray or mislead others. Forgive us until the Day of Judgement, through Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.”
The Significance of Supplication
Supplication is regarded as the essence of worship and one of the greatest acts of devotion. The individual making supplication should be assured of its acceptance. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated: “Supplication is worship.” Al-Mubarukfoori, in his book “Tuhfat al-Ahwdhi,” mentions that supplication is the essence of pure worship. When a supplicant begs Allah in despair of anyone else’s help, this demonstrates the true nature of monotheism and sincerity in worship.