Duas & adhkar
أدعية الكرب والشدة
Several of these are the calls of earlier prophets in their hardest hours, preserved in the Quran. Others are the words the Prophet ﷺ said, or taught his family to say, when distress came.
حَسْبِىَ ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَهُوَ رَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
Hasbiyallahu la ilaha illa huwa, 'alayhi tawakkaltu, wa huwa rabbul-'arshil-'azim
Allah sufficeth me. There is no Allah save Him. In Him have I put my trust, and He is Lord of the Tremendous Throne.
أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
An la ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimin
There is no Allah save Thee. Be Thou Glorified! Lo! I have been a wrong-doer.
The next verse (21:88) tells us that Allah answered him and rescued him from his distress, and that He rescues believers in the same way. Jami' at-Tirmidhi reports that no Muslim calls on Allah with these words without being answered. It is usually recited starting from “La ilaha”.
أَنِّى مَغْلُوبٌۭ فَٱنتَصِرْ
Anni maghlubun fantasir
I am vanquished, so give help.
The Quran reports that Nuh (Noah) called on his Lord with these words. Many people pray with them in the form “Rabbi inni maghlubun fantasir” (My Lord, I am overcome, so help me).
أَنِّى مَسَّنِىَ ٱلضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
Anni massaniyad-durru wa anta arhamur-rahimin
Lo! adversity afflicteth me, and Thou art Most Merciful of all who show mercy.
The words of Ayyub (Job) in his long illness. He asks for nothing directly; he simply tells his Lord of his pain and of His mercy.
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي وَأَخْلِفْ لِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. Allahumma'jurni fi musibati wa akhlif li khayran minha
We belong to Allah and to Him we return. O Allah, reward me in this calamity and give me something better than what I have lost.
Umm Salamah said these words when her husband Abu Salamah died, wondering who could be better than him. Allah later gave her the Prophet ﷺ as her husband.
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْعَظِيمُ الْحَلِيمُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ رَبُّ السَّمَوَاتِ وَرَبُّ الأَرْضِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ
La ilaha illallahul-'azimul-halim. La ilaha illallahu rabbul-'arshil-'azim. La ilaha illallahu rabbus-samawati wa rabbul-ardi wa rabbul-'arshil-karim
There is no god but Allah, the Magnificent, the Forbearing. There is no god but Allah, Lord of the mighty Throne. There is no god but Allah, Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth, and Lord of the noble Throne.
The Prophet ﷺ used to say this at times of distress.
اللَّهُ اللَّهُ رَبِّي لَا أُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا
Allahu Allahu rabbi, la ushriku bihi shay'a
Allah, Allah is my Lord; I associate nothing with Him.
The Prophet ﷺ taught Asma' bint 'Umays to say this at times of distress.
يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيثُ
Ya Hayyu ya Qayyum, bi rahmatika astaghith
O Ever-Living, O Sustainer of all, I call on Your mercy for help.
Anas reported that the Prophet ﷺ said this whenever something weighed heavily on him.
