This is a text page: the authentic supplications for grief, distress and matters that will not open, arranged by their chapters in Hisn al-Muslim, each with its source. Start with the first supplication; the explanation and the table follow.
Supplication for grief and sorrow
The supplication
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 executed, Your judgement of me is just. I ask You by every name You have named Yourself with, revealed in Your book, taught to any of Your creation, or kept for Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen, that You make the Quran the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the departure of my sorrow and the removal of my grief.
Reported by Ahmad (3712) and graded acceptable by a number of scholars. It ends: "Allah will remove his grief and sorrow and replace it with joy."
The supplication
O Allah, I seek refuge in You from grief and sorrow, from weakness and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from the burden of debt and from being overpowered by men.
Reported by al-Bukhari (6369). Notice that it seeks refuge from grief and from its practical causes together: incapacity, laziness and debt. The supplication is paired with fixing the cause.
Supplication for severe distress
The supplication
There is no god but Allah, the Great, 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.
Reported by al-Bukhari (6346) and Muslim (2730). It is the best known and most authentic supplication for distress.
The supplication
O Allah, it is Your mercy I hope for, so do not leave me to myself. Set right all my affairs. There is no god but You.
Reported by Abu Dawud (5090) and graded acceptable. It is for a person overtaken by anxiety or inner constriction.
Relief through declaring Allah's oneness
Surah Al-Anbya 21:87
Verified recitation
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَٰضِبًۭا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ There is no god but You, glory be to You. Indeed I was among the wrongdoers
This was the call of Yunus, peace be upon him, inside the whale. The hadith states that no Muslim supplicates with it for anything without Allah answering him, reported by al-Tirmidhi (3505). Whoever says it in distress affirms Allah's oneness and admits his own fault before asking for relief.
Supplication when a matter will not open
The supplication
O Allah, nothing is easy except what You make easy, so make this affair of mine easy.
Its basis is with Ibn Hibban (974) and it is graded acceptable by some scholars. Whoever prefers to stay with the highest grade of authenticity may say: "Allah is sufficient for us and He is the best disposer of affairs", which is in the Quran and in Sahih al-Bukhari (4563) as the word of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, when he was thrown into the fire.
Table: the situation, the text and the source
| Situation | What is said | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy grief and sorrow | O Allah, I am Your servant... make the Quran the spring of my heart | Ahmad 3712 |
| Daily refuge from grief and its causes | O Allah, I seek refuge in You from grief, sorrow, weakness and laziness | al-Bukhari 6369 |
| Severe distress or a calamity | There is no god but Allah, the Great, the Forbearing | al-Bukhari 6346 |
| Inner constriction and fear of incapacity | O Allah, it is Your mercy I hope for, so do not leave me to myself | Abu Dawud 5090 |
| Distress mixed with a sense of sin | There is no god but You, glory be to You, I was among the wrongdoers | al-Tirmidhi 3505 |
| A difficult task: a paper, an interview, a decision | O Allah, nothing is easy except what You make easy | Ibn Hibban 974 |
| Surrender when the outcome is feared | Allah is sufficient for us and He is the best disposer of affairs | al-Bukhari 4563 |
| Fear of an oppressor or an opponent | O Allah, we place You before them | Abu Dawud 1537 |
| Long and intense affliction | Allah, Allah is my Lord, I associate none with Him | Abu Dawud 1525 |
| Anxiety before choosing between two options | The reported Istikharah supplication, see the Istikharah prayer | al-Bukhari 1166 |
Hardship does not stay as it is
Surah Ash-Sharh 94:5-6
Verified recitation
فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًۭا So indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease
The repetition is not filler. It settles the person whose chest is tight: ease accompanies hardship rather than standing far from it. That is the intended effect of these supplications, moving you from waiting for relief to trusting in it.
A practical routine for hard days
- After Fajr: the supplication for grief once, slowly and with reflection.
- During the day, at every obstacle: "O Allah, nothing is easy except what You make easy", then act on the practical step at once.
- In prostration during every prayer: one sentence naming your actual need.
- Before sleeping: the supplication for distress once, then the adhkar of sleep in order.
- Keep your daily count on the tasbih counter; the remaining texts are on the adhkar page.
Important notes
- These are supplications and worship, not a substitute for psychological or medical treatment. Anyone suffering from clinical depression or anxiety must see a specialist; supplication accompanies treatment rather than replacing it.
- Do not tie your supplication to an invented count or to a promised result within a set period. The promise of response is by Allah's wisdom: the thing asked for, a delay that is better, or harm turned away.
- Supplications circulated in messages without a source are not attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him. What is on this page is sufficient.
Frequently asked
- Which supplication brings relief fastest? Supplications are not ranked by speed. The most authentic for distress is al-Bukhari 6346, and the most comprehensive for grief is Ahmad 3712.
- Must I supplicate in Arabic? Best with the reported wording, then ask for your need in your own language.
- Should I pray first and then supplicate? Yes, prayer is a means of seeking help; see the prayer of need.
- What if waiting has worn me down? Remembrance of Allah and reciting the Quran settle the heart most; begin with the verses of tranquillity.
Related articles
Data sources
- Hisn al-Muslim, chapters on supplication for grief and for distress: ordering of the texts
- Musnad Ahmad, supplication for grief: O Allah, I am Your servant
- Sahih al-Bukhari, seeking refuge from grief, sorrow, weakness and laziness
- Sahih al-Bukhari, supplication for distress: there is no god but Allah, the Great
- Sahih Muslim, supplication for distress
- Sunan Abi Dawud, O Allah, it is Your mercy I hope for
- Jami at-Tirmidhi, the call of Yunus, peace be upon him
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Allah is sufficient for us, said by Ibrahim, peace be upon him
- Sunan Abi Dawud, Allah, Allah is my Lord, I associate none with Him
- Sunan Abi Dawud, O Allah, we place You before them
Last updated: 8 October 2026