What to Say at Times of Grief, Concern, and Sadness


At times of distress the Messenger of Allah (SAW) would say:



"La ilaha illa allahu al-atheemu al-haleemu, la ilaha illa allahu
rabbul ar shil-atheemi, la ilaha illa allahu rabbus-samawati wa
rabbul-ar thi wa rabbul-ar shil-kareem"

(Agreed Upon by Bukhari and Muslim)

The English meaning is: There is no ilah except Allah the
Magnificent, The Forbearing. There is no ilah except Allah Lord of
the Magnificent Throne. There is no ilah except Allah Lord of the
Heavens, Lord of the Earth, and Lord of the Noble Throne.

It is reported of the Prophet (SAW) that if something distressed him
he would say:



"Ya hayyu ya qayyumu, bi-rahmatika astagheeth" (At Tirmidhi)

The English meaning is: O' Living (a life not followed by death), O
Sustainer, in your Mercy I plead for rescue

Abu Bakr (RA) stated that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said "The
supplications of the distressed are:



"Allahumma rah mataka ar joo, fala takilnee ila naf see tar fata ay
nin, wa as lih lee sha'nee kullahu, la ilaha illa an t" (Abu Dawud)

The English meaning is: O' my ilah it is your Mercy that I beseech,
so do not entrust me to myself for even a twinkle of an eye, and
correct for me all my affairs, there is no ilah other than You.

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Asma bint Umaysin: "Shall I not
teach you a few words which you can say when you are distressed - or
at the time of distress -



"Allahu allahu rabbee la ush riku bihi shay an" (Abu Dawud)

The English meaning is: Allah, Allah my Lord I associate not with
Him
a thing.

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "The petition of Thin-Noon
(Jonah)
which he petitioned with when he was inside the whale:



"La ilaha illah an ta, sub hanaka innee kun tu minath-thalimeen" (At-
Tirmithi)

The English meaning is: There is no ilah except You, Glorified are
Thee, I have been one of the unjust.

"No Muslim ever supplicated Allah with this supplication in any
matter at all, except that Allah answered his supplication" (At-
Tirmithi)

It is reported of the Prophet (SAW) that he said: "No preoccupying
concern, or sadness inflicts a bondservant whereupon he says:



"Allahumma innee ab duka, wab nu ab dika, wab nu amatika, nasiyatee
biyadika, mathin fiyya huk muka, ad lun fiyya qatha'uka, as aluka
bikulli is min huwalaka, sammay ta bihi naf saka, aw an zal tahu fee
kitabika, aw allamtahu ahadan min khal qika, aw is ta thar ta bihi
fee il mil ghay bi in daka, an taj a'la al-qur ana rabee'a, qal bee,
wa noora sawdree, wa jala'a huz nee, wa thahaba hammee" (Ahmad and
Ibn Hibban)

The English meaning is: O' my ilah I am your bondservant, son of
your
bondsman, and son of your bondwoman. My forelock is in your Hands;
your judgement is continuously being carried out upon me; your
sentence upon me is juste. I ask You with every name that is yours,
with which You have named yourself, brought down in your book,
taught
to one of your creation, or have preferred for Yourself in the
hidden
knoweldge, with You; that You make the Quran the spring of my heart,
and the light of my chest, and the despellation of my sadness, and
deportation of my (preoccupying) concern.

...except that Allah would dispel his concern and his sadness, and
would replace it with ease and relaxation for him." (Ahmad and Ibn
Hibban)