Duas for the Heavy Heart

When the worry won't leave you alone

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ، وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ، وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ

Allāhumma innī a'ūdhu bika minal-hammi wal-ḥazan, wal-'ajzi wal-kasal, wal-bukhli wal-jubn, wa ḍala'id-dayni wa ghalabatir-rijāl.

O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and grief, from weakness and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from the burden of debt and from being overpowered by people.

Anas ibn Malik said he would often hear the Prophet ﷺ say this dua.

Scholars explain that worry is fear about what might happen, and grief is sadness about what already has. This one dua covers both: the future you can't control and the past you can't change.

When it all feels like too much

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْعَظِيمُ الْحَلِيمُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَرَبُّ الْأَرْضِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ

Lā ilāha illallāhul-'Aẓīmul-Ḥalīm, lā ilāha illallāhu Rabbul-'arshil-'aẓīm, lā ilāha illallāhu Rabbus-samāwāti wa Rabbul-arḍi wa Rabbul-'arshil-karīm.

There is no god but Allah, the Mighty, 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 would say this at times of distress. When everything feels big, it reminds the heart Who is bigger.

حَسْبُنَا ٱللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ ٱلْوَكِيلُ

Ḥasbunallāhu wa ni'mal-wakīl

Allah is enough for us, and He is the best to rely on.

When your heart is heavy with sadness

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي عَبْدُكَ، ابْنُ عَبْدِكَ، ابْنُ أَمَتِكَ، نَاصِيَتِي بِيَدِكَ، مَاضٍ فِيَّ حُكْمُكَ، عَدْلٌ فِيَّ قَضَاؤُكَ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ، سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ، أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِي كِتَابِكَ، أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ، أَوِ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِي عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ، أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيعَ قَلْبِي، وَنُورَ صَدْرِي، وَجَلَاءَ حُزْنِي، وَذَهَابَ هَمِّي

Allāhumma innī 'abduk, ibnu 'abdik, ibnu amatik, nāṣiyatī biyadik, māḍin fiyya ḥukmuk, 'adlun fiyya qaḍā'uk. As'aluka bikulli-smin huwa lak, sammayta bihi nafsak, aw anzaltahu fī kitābik, aw 'allamtahu aḥadan min khalqik, awista'tharta bihi fī 'ilmil-ghaybi 'indak, an taj'alal-Qur'āna rabī'a qalbī, wa nūra ṣadrī, wa jalā'a ḥuznī, wa dhahāba hammī.

O Allah, I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maidservant. My forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is done, and Your decree for me is just. I ask You by every name that is Yours, with which You named Yourself, or revealed in Your Book, or taught to any of Your creation, or kept with You in the knowledge of the unseen, to make the Qur'an the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the remover of my sadness and the release of my worry.

The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever says this, Allah will take away their worry and replace their sadness with joy.

Sisters may begin: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَمَتُكَ، بِنْتُ عَبْدِكَ، بِنْتُ أَمَتِكَ Allāhumma innī amatuk, bintu 'abdik, bintu amatik.

When nothing seems to go right

اللَّهُمَّ لَا سَهْلَ إِلَّا مَا جَعَلْتَهُ سَهْلًا، وَأَنْتَ تَجْعَلُ الْحَزْنَ إِذَا شِئْتَ سَهْلًا

Allāhumma lā sahla illā mā ja'altahu sahlā, wa anta taj'alul-ḥazna idhā shi'ta sahlā.

O Allah, nothing is easy except what You make easy, and You make the difficult easy if You will.

Hard things stay hard until Allah makes them easy, and He can make them easy whenever He wills. And remember His promise:

فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ۝ إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

"For indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease."

When you feel far from Allah

لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

Lā ilāha illā anta, subḥānaka innī kuntu minaẓ-ẓālimīn.

There is no god but You, glory be to You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.

Prophet Yunus عليه السلام called out with these words from the darkness of the whale. The Prophet ﷺ said no Muslim calls upon Allah with them for anything except that He answers (Jāmi' at-Tirmidhī 3505). However far you feel, you are never too far to call Him.

يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ

Yā Muqallibal-qulūb, thabbit qalbī 'alā dīnik.

O Turner of hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your religion.

When no one seems to understand

رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

Rabbi innī limā anzalta ilayya min khayrin faqīr.

My Lord, I am truly in need of whatever good You send down to me.

Prophet Musa عليه السلام said this when he was alone in a strange land, tired, with nowhere to go, sitting in the shade of a tree. He didn't explain everything. He simply told Allah he was in need, and Allah opened a way for him.

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ

"And when My servants ask you about Me, indeed I am near."

When you've let yourself down

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

Allāhumma anta Rabbī, lā ilāha illā ant, khalaqtanī wa ana 'abduk, wa ana 'alā 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastaṭa't, a'ūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣana't, abū'u laka bini'matika 'alayy, wa abū'u laka bidhanbī faghfir lī, fa innahu lā yaghfirudh-dhunūba illā ant.

O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I keep to Your covenant and promise as much as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me, and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.

The Prophet ﷺ called this Sayyid al-Istighfār, the best way to ask for forgiveness. He said that whoever says it with certainty during the day and dies before evening will be among the people of Paradise, and the same for whoever says it at night and dies before morning.

Feeling bad about a mistake is a sign your heart is still alive. Don't let it push you away. Let it bring you back.

When the night feels long

اللَّهُمَّ رَحْمَتَكَ أَرْجُو فَلَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

Allāhumma raḥmataka arjū, falā takilnī ilā nafsī ṭarfata 'ayn, wa aṣliḥ lī sha'nī kullah, lā ilāha illā ant.

O Allah, it is Your mercy I hope for, so do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye, and set right all of my affairs. There is no god but You.

The Prophet ﷺ taught this as a dua for the one in distress. When your mind keeps running at night, hand it back to Allah, then let yourself rest with this:

بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا

Bismika Allāhumma amūtu wa aḥyā.

In Your name, O Allah, I die and I live.

SAHIH AL-BUKHARI 6324 · BEFORE SLEEPING