Religious Prayers for Alleviating Distress
Supplication for Worries and Sadness
It is reported from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “No servant experiences worry or sadness and then says: O Allah, indeed I am Your servant, the son of Your servant, the son of Your maidservant. My forelock is in Your hand; Your command over me is established; and Your decree regarding me is just. I ask You by every name that belongs to You, which You have named Yourself, or revealed in Your Book, or taught to one of Your creation, or kept to Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen with You, to make the Noble Quran the spring of my heart, the light in my chest, the removal of my sadness, and the departure of my worries. Except that Allah will remove his sadness and worry, and replace them with joy.”
Supplication for Seeking Refuge from Worry and Sadness
It has been established in Sahih al-Bukhari, from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and sadness, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from the burden of debt, and from the oppression of men.”
The Supplication of Dhun-Nun for Alleviating Distress
It is narrated in Sunan al-Tirmidhi from Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The supplication of Dhun-Nun (Jonah) when he called out while in the belly of the whale: ‘There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.’ Whenever a Muslim calls upon this supplication for anything, Allah will respond to him.”
A Comprehensive Supplication from the Messenger of Allah
Aisha, Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her), reported: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taught me this supplication: O Allah, I ask You for all that is good, both immediate and delayed, what I know of it and what I do not know. I seek refuge in You from all evil, both immediate and delayed, what I know of it and what I do not know. O Allah, I ask You for the best of what Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and I seek refuge in You from the worst of what Your servant and Prophet sought refuge from. O Allah, I ask You for Paradise and for whatever brings me closer to it, whether through speech or action, and I seek refuge in You from the Fire and from whatever brings me closer to it, whether through speech or action. And I ask You to make all the decrees You have made for me good.”
Written Religious Prayers for Repentance from Sins
Below are some religious prayers for seeking repentance from sins and misdeeds:
- O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness for every sin I approached with my feet, or reached out to with my hands, or contemplated with my eyes, or listened to with my ears, or uttered with my tongue. Then, I relied on Your provisions to commit disobedience, and You covered my faults, and I asked You for more, and You did not deprive me. You continuously return to me with Your forbearance and kindness, O Most Generous of the Generous.
- O Allah, You are the King; there is no deity except You. I am Your servant, and I have wronged myself and confessed my sins. Forgive all my sins; indeed, none forgives sins except You. Guide me to the best of morals; none guides to the best of them but You. Turn away from me the bad ones; none turns away from me the bad ones but You.
- Here I am, and I am at Your service; all good is in Your hands, and evil is not attributed to You. Blessed are You, and exalted. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.
- O Allah, I turn to You at this moment from both my major and minor sins, the hidden and visible faults, the lapses in my judgments, and the incidents that occurred. I repent as one who does not intend to return to sin or harbor thoughts of wrongdoing.
- O my God, You accept repentance from Your servants, You pardon bad deeds, and You love those who repent. Accept my repentance as You have promised, and pardon my sins as You have guaranteed.
- O Allah, I turn to You from everything that opposes Your will, or moves away from Your love due to the whispers of my heart, the glances of my eyes, and the stories of my tongue. I repent so that every limb of my body may be secured from sins and misdeeds.