151 / Supplication for Distress, Worry, and Sorrow

In this life, a servant may be afflicted by various kinds of pain, and many concerns may assail his heart, depriving it of rest, distressing his soul, and bringing him anguish and unease. If the pain afflicting the heart concerns matters of the past, it is sorrow; if it concerns matters of the future, it is worry; and if it concerns a person’s present circumstances, it is distress. These three—sorrow, worry, and distress—are removed from the heart and dispelled from within only by sincerely returning to Allah, becoming utterly broken before Him, humbling oneself before Him—Glorified is He—submitting to Him, surrendering to His command, believing in His decree and predestination, knowing Him—Glorified is He—and knowing His names and attributes, believing in His Book, and devoting oneself to reading it, reflecting upon it, and acting upon its teachings. Through this, and nothing else, these afflictions are removed, the heart finds relief, and true happiness is attained.

It is related in Imam Ahmad’s Musnad, Ibn Hibbān’s Sahīh, and other works, from Abdullah ibn Masūd—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “Whenever a servant is afflicted by worry or sorrow and says: ‘O Allah, I am Your servant, the son of Your male servant and the son of Your female servant. My forelock is in Your hand; Your judgment concerning me is inexorably carried out, and Your decree concerning me is just. I ask You by every name that belongs to You—with which You have named Yourself, which You have revealed in Your Book, which You have taught to any of Your creation, or which You have kept exclusively with Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen—to make the Quran the spring of my heart, the light of my breast, the dispeller of my sorrow, and the remover of my worry,’ Allah—Mighty and Majestic—will remove his worry and replace his sorrow with joy.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, we ought to learn these words.” He replied, “Indeed, whoever hears them ought to learn them.”1.