DIFFICULTIES & DISTRESS

WHEN SOMETHING YOU DISLIKE HAPPENS

1. اَلْحَمْدُ للهِ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ حَالٍ.

All praise is for Allah in every situation.

Al-ḥamdu li-llāhi ʿalā kulli ḥāl.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw anything which displeased him, he used to say [the above]. (Ibn Mājah 3803, Ibn al-Sunnī 378)

2. قَدَّرَ اللهُ وَمَا شَاءَ فَعَلَ.

Allah has decreed and He does whatever He wills.

Qaddara-llāhu wa mā shā’a faʿal.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone. Be keen on what benefits you and seek help from Allah, and do not give up. If anything afflicts you, do not say: ‘If I had done (something else), such and such would have happened.’ But say [the above], for (the utterance) ‘If I had’ provides an opening for the deeds of the devil.” (Muslim 2664)

WHEN ONE IS IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION

3. اَللّٰهُمَّ لَا سَهْلَ إِلَّا مَا جَعَلْتَهُ سَهْلًا ، وَأَنْتَ تَجْعَلُ الْحَزْنَ إِذَا شِئْتَ سَهْلًا.

O Allah, there is no ease except in that which You have made easy, and You make the difficulty easy when You wish. (Ibn Hibbān 2427, Ibn al-Sunnī 351)

Allāhumma lā sahla illā mā jaʿaltahū sahlā, wa anta tajʿalu-l-ḥazna idhā shi’ta sahlā.

WHEN STRUCK BY A CALAMITY

4. إِنَّا للهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اْجُرْنِيْ فِيْ مُصِيْبَتِيْ ، وَأَخْلِفْ لِيْ خَيْرًا مِنْهَا.

To Allah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allah, recompense me for my affliction and replace it for me with something better.

Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn, Allāhumma-‘jurnī fī muṣībatī, wa akhlif lī khayram-minha.

Umm Salama (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhā), the wife of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: “If any servant (of Allah) who suffers a calamity says: [the above], Allah will give him reward for affliction, and would give him something better than it in exchange. She (Umm Salama (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhā)) said: When Abū Salama died. I uttered (these very words) as I was commanded (to do) by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). So Allah gave me better in exchange than him. i. e. (I was taken as the wife of) the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. (Muslim 918)

GRIEF AND ANXIETY

5. اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ عَبْدُكَ ، وَابْنُ عَبْدِكَ ، وَابْنُ أَمَتِكَ ، نَاصِيَتِيْ بِيَدِكَ ، مَاضٍ فِيَّ حُكْمُكَ ، عَدْلٌ فِيَّ قَضَاؤُكَ ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ ، سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ ، أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ ، أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِيْ كِتَابِكَ ، أَوِ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِيْ عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ ، أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيْعَ قَلْبِيْ ، وَنُوْرَ صَدْرِيْ وَجَلَاءَ حُزْنِيْ ، وَذَهَابَ هَمِّيْ.

O Allah, I am Your slave and the son of Your male slave and the son of Your female slave. My forehead is in Your Hand (i.e. you have control over me). I am subject to Your judgement and Your decree concerning me is just. I ask You – by every name that is Yours, by which You have named Yourself, or taught any one of Your creation, or revealed in Your Book, or kept unto Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen that is with You – to make the Qur’ān the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the banisher of my grief and the reliever of my anxiety.

Allāhumma innī ʿabduk, wa-bnu ʿabdik, wa-bnu amatik, nāṣiyatī bi-yadik, māḍin fiyya ḥukmuk, ʿadlun fiyya qaḍā’uk, as’aluka bi-kulli-smin huwa lak, sammayta bihi nafsak, aw ʿallamtahū aḥadam-min khalqik, aw anzaltahū fī Kitābik, awi-sta’tharta bihī fī ʿilmi-l-ghaybi ʿindak, an tajʿala-l-Qur’āna rabīʿa qalbī, wa nūra ṣadrī wa jalā’a ḥuznī, wa dhahāba hammī.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “There is no one amongst you who, when he is stricken with grief and anxiety, says [the above] except that Allah will remove his grief and anxiety, and will give him joy instead.” The companions said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we not learn these words?’ He ﷺ replied, ‘Of course! One who hears it should learn it.'” (Ahmad 3712)

6. لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ الْعَظِيْمُ الْحَلِيْمُ ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيْمِ ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ رَبُّ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَرَبُّ الْأَرْضِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيْمِ.

There is no god but Allah, the Supreme, The Forbearing. There is no god but Allah, Lord of the Magnificent Throne. There is no god but Allah, Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth, Lord of the Noble Throne.

Lā ilāha illā-llāhu-l-ʿĀẓīmu-l-Ḥalīm, lā ilāha illā-llāhu Rabbu-l-ʿĀrshi-l-ʿAẓīm, lā ilāha illā-llāhu Rabbu-s-samāwāti wa Rabbu-l-arḍi wa Rabbu-l-ʿĀrshi-l-karīm.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would invoke Allah at the time of distress with [the above] (Bukhārī 6345, Muslim 2730)

WHEN ONE IS AFRAID OF PEOPLE

7. اَللّٰهُمَّ اكْفِنِيْهِمْ بِمَا شِئْتَ.

O Allah, suffice me from them, with what You choose.

Allāhumma-kfinīhim bimā shi’ta.

(Muslim 3005)

8. حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الوَكِيْلُ.

)3:173(

Allah is enough for us and He is the Best Protector.

Ḥasbunallāhu wa niʿmal Wakīl.

Ibn ‘Abbas (radiy Allāhū ‘anhumā) narrated: ‘[the above] was said by Ibrahim (‘alayhis-salām) when he was thrown into the fire; and it was said by Muhammad ﷺ when they (i.e. the hypocrites) said, “A great army is gathering against you, therefore, fear them,” but it only increased their faith and they said: “Allah is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer (of affairs, for us).” (3.173) (Bukhārī 4563)

9. اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَجْعَلُكَ فِي نُحُورِهِمْ ، وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شُرُورِهِمْ .

O Allah, we make You responsible for their slaughter and we seek refuge in You from their evil.

Allāhumma innā najʿaluka fī nuḥūrihim, wa naʿūdhu bika min shurūrihim.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was apprehensive of [a group of] of people he would say: [the above]. (Abū Dāwūd 1537)

WHEN ONE FEELS FRIGHTENED

10. لَا إِلٰهََ إِلَّا اللهُ.

There is no god but Allah. (Bukhārī)

Lā ilāha illā-llāh.

Zainab bint Jahsh (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhā) said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ once came to her in a state of fear and said, [the above] Woe unto the Arabs from a danger that has come near. An opening has been made in the wall of Yājūj and Mājūj like this, making a circle with his thumb and index finger. Zainab bint Jahsh said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Shall we be destroyed even though there are pious persons among us?” He said, “Yes, when evil (people) will increase.” (Bukhārī 3346)

WHEN DIFFICULTIES MAKE YOU YEARN FOR DEATH

11. اَللّٰهُمَّ أَحْيِنِيْ مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِيْ ، وَتَوَفَّنِيْ إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِيْ.

O Allah, let me live as long as life is better for me; and give me death when death is better for me.

Allāhumma aḥyinī mā kānati-l-ḥayātu khayral-lī, wa tawaffanī idhā kānati-l-wafātu khayral-lī.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “None of you should wish for death because of a difficulty that befalls him. Rather he should say [the above].” (Bukhārī 5671, Muslim 2680)

FOR DIFFICULT TIMES: ALL YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED

12. لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ ، إِنِّيْ كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِيْنَ.

There is no god worthy of worship except You; You are free from all imperfection. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers. (21:87)

Lā ilāha illā Anta subḥānaka innī kuntu mina-ẓ-ẓālimīn.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The supplication of Dhun-Nun (Prophet Yunus) when he supplicated, while in the belly of the whale was: [the above]. ”No Muslim man ever supplicates with [the above] except that Allah answers his supplication.” (Tirmidhī 3505)

Protection of Iman
The Sunnah Deeds of Jumu'ah