STOP Stress & Anxiety

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Authentic Supplications for Stress and Anxiety

Listed below are some authentic supplications that can be said to Allah (swt) when you are undergoing stress and anxiety.

Authentic Supplications for Stress and Anxiety

In al-Saheehayn it was reported from Ibn ‘Abbaas that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say, when he felt distressed:

“La ilaaha ill-Allaah al-‘Azeem ul-Haleem, Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah Rabb il-‘arsh il-‘azeem, Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah Rabb is-samawaati wa Rabb il-ard wa Rabb il-‘arsh il-kareem (there is no god except Allaah, the All-Mighty, the Forbearing; there is no god except Allaah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne; there is no god except Allaah, Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth and Lord of the noble Throne).”(Bukhari 7/154 and Muslim 4/2092.)

And it was reported from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say, when something upset him:

“Yaa Hayyu yaa Qayyoom, bi Rahmatika astagheeth (O Ever-Living One, O Everlasting One, by Your mercy I seek help).” (Reported by At-Tirmidthe and Al-Albani said it was a comely hadeeth.)

And it was reported that Asmaa’ bint ‘Umays (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to me: “Shall I not teach you some words to say when you feel distressed? ‘Allaah, Allaah, Rabbee laa ushriku bihi shay’an (Allaah, Allaah, my Lord, I do not associate anything with Him).’”(Abu Dawud 2/87 and see: Sahih Ibn Majah 2/335.)

It was reported from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No person suffers any anxiety or grief, and says:

‘Allaahumma innee ‘abduka wa ibn ‘abdika wa ibn amatika, naasiyati bi yadika, maadin fiyya hukmuka, ‘adlun fiyya qadaa’uka, as’aluka bi kulli ismin huwa laka sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fi kitaabika aw ‘allamtahu ahadan min khalqika aw ista’tharta bihi fi ‘ilm il-ghaybi ‘andak an taj’ala al-Qur’aana rabee’ qalbi wa noor sadri wa jalaa’a huzni wa dhahaaba hammi (O Allaah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of Your female slave, my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every Name belonging to You which You named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with You, that You make the Qur’aan the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety)’ - but Allaah will take away his sorrow and grief, and give him in their stead joy.”(Ahmad 1/391 and Al-Albaanee declared it sahih.)

O Allah, I take refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts, and from being overpowered by men. (Al-Bukhari 7/157.)

Alllahumma rahmataka 'arjoo, fala takilnee 'ila nafsee tarfata 'eynin, wa 'aslihlee sha'nee kullahu, la ilaha 'illa anta. (O Allah, it is Your mercy that I hope for, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for a blink of an eye and rectify for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshipped except You.) (Abu Dawud 4/324 and Ahmad 5/42. Declared hasan by Al-Albaanee and Al-Arna'uut.)

La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka innee kuntu minath-thalimeen. (None has the right to be worshipped except You. How perfect You are, verily I was among the wrong-doers.) (At-Tirmidhee 5/529 and Al-Haakim and he declared it authentic.)

Relieving Stress

Ibn Abbas narrated that Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said: "Allah will dispel his worries of one who regularly prays for forgiveness, He will lead him out of trying situations, and grant him earnings from sources he does not anticipate." (Reported in Sunan Abu Dawud. /Medicine of the Prophet pg. 159.)

It is also narrated in the masnad that whenever Allah's Messenger experienced difficulties, he hastened to prayers, remarking that Allah Almighty said: Find strength in exercising patience, and in prayers. (Qur'an 2:45)

Ibn Abbas narrated that Allah's Messenger said: "When overwhelmed with worries and dispiritedness, one should oft-recite: "La Hawla wa la quwatta illah billa" (There is no Might or power except that of Allah.) This prayer is also authenticated in Bukhari and Muslim to be one of the hidden treasures of jannah. If these prayers do not cause a cure for one's worries, grief, and dispiritedness, it means that one's condition is serious, and requires thorough cleansing of his system through complete purgation or detoxification, followed by sincere repentance and assiduous devotion. The supplication represents 14 kinds of spiritual remedies including:

Recognizing the Oneness of the divine sustaining remedies (Rububiyya); Recognizing the Oneness of the divine controlling attributes (Uluhiyya); Recognizing the 'fait accompli' and the manifest fact of God's supremacy through logical signs, with absolute faith regarding their source;

Acknowledging that Allah Almighty is free from injustice, and that He will never cause His servant any hardships without necessity or reason; Confessing that imperfection and failure are the servant's own;

Imploring Allah Almighty by His divine Names and Attributes, which are revelations His creation must recognize, and among them is the most embracing and comprehensive of attributes: Al-Hayy (The Living) and Al-Quyyum (The Controller) Soliciting only His help;

Confession of the servant that Allah is the only provider that can fulfill one's needs, and that He is the only One to be sought. Confirming one's dependence on Him, relying on Him, and acknowledging that one's destiny is moving according to the divine plan; that He alone has the power to change it ; that what He has decreed is pursuing its course, and that His ordinance is just;

Soliciting the blessing of understanding the divine revelation, living by it, and to recognizing it as the light of one's heart and soul. Through it, one will eschew dubiety, defeat craving, overcome passion and lust, and dispel darkness. Soliciting the blessings of regularly reciting the divine revelation also comforts one's heart, and helps focus one's intention beyond material losses, and attunes one's attachment to what is lasting versus what is ephemeral; Asking forgiveness for one's sins'.

Repenting for one's wrongdoing. Taking the course of prayers to receive guidance; and finally, disclaiming any will or power to effect things, and rightly attributing all will and power to Allah Almighty alone. (Taken from Medicine of the Prophet pages 160-161.)

Allah created human beings and provided each limb of his body with its own balance and perfection. Should the limb sense any imbalance in the standard of its innate excellence, or failure in its natural functions, it will feel pain. Allah also provided the heart, which is king of the boy, with its own balance and perfection. Should the heart become divested, and lose such equilibrium, it will feel pain, suffering, distress, depression, anxiety, and sorrow. Like that, if the eye loses its power of seeing, and the ear loses its power of hearing, and the tongue loses its power of speech, they lose their purpose and become bereft of their perfection.

The heart was created innately to recognize its Creator, love Him, celebrate His praises, glorify His Oneness, feel satisfaction in His presence, rejoice at knowing Him, and to be satisfied with His control and management of everything. The heart was created to be content with its Lord and with His decisions, to trust in Him, to rely of Him, to love what He loves, to hate what He hates, to defend His Name, to love those who defend His Name, and to constantly be mindful of Him, to be filled with Him, and to keep His remembrance. The heart was created to have no greater love than that for its Lord, to find no satisfaction in other than Him, to revere nothing more than Him, and the heart was created to know no joy, comfort, peace, pleasure, or even to feel alive, in other than that. Such knowledge is the needed nourishment the heart requires to exist. Should the heart lack any of such natural nutrients, it will definitely feel sick, and consequently be overwhelmed with worries, sorrow, anxiety, dissatisfaction, burdens, and concerns. It will feel that every calamity is descending upon it, and it becomes a victim and a hostage of their pounding.

The greatest enemies of the heart are: polytheism; sins; and heedlessness; to treat indifferently what Allah Almighty regards as cordial; judging carelessly what He considers important; discounting the knowledge and revelations of one's Creator; loving other than Him; soliciting gratification in other than Him; feeling satisfaction in other than His presence; associating partners to His control and management of the universe; objecting to His decisions; lacking trust in Him; relying on other than Him; loving other than what He loves; desiring what He hates; hating His decree; speaking His Name in vain; associating with those who use His Name blasphemously; being heedless of Him; thinking little of Him; refusing to be reminded of Him; doubting His promise; taking lightly His warnings; seeking joy, comfort, peace, and pleasure in other than His company; and lastly feeling alive in other than Him. (From the Medicine of the Prophet page 161 -162)

On the authority of Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullah he said: The Prophet (S) would instruct us to pray for guidance in all of our concerns, just as he would teach us a chapter from the Qur’an. He (S) would say ‘if any of you intends to undertake a matter then let him pray two supererogatory units (two rak’ah naafilah) of prayer and after which he should supplicate:

(i)

‘O Allaah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favour, for verily You are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allaah, if You know this affair -and here he mentions his need- to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.’

One who seeks guidance from his Creator and consults his fellow believers and then remains firm in his resolve does not regret for Allaah has said:

(ii)

‘…and consult them in the affair. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allaah…”

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May Allah save us from all kinds of stress & anxiety. Aameen

Wa'AssalamuAlaikum WaRehmatullah