Du'ā to Remove Distress

Du'ā to Remove Distress

Ibn Sāleh

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-'ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.

Life sometime may be tough and challenging.  Allāh says, “You shall certainly be tried and tested in your wealth and properties and in your personal selves.” (Ali-‘Imran, 3: 186). The trail, test and distress are part of Allāh’s Will Wisdom. Thus importantly, we seek his Mercy.

Adhkār to be recited for such situation.

Bismillāhir-Rahmânir-Raheem. Al-Hamdulillāhi Rabbil `ālameen. (In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise is to Allāh, the Lord of the universe) 

1. Allāhumma salli 'ala Muhammadiñ wa 'ala āli Muhammad kamā sallaita 'ala āli Ibrāhīm, Wa bārik 'ala Muhammadiñ wa 'ala āli Muhammad kama bārakta 'ala āli Ibrāhīm, fil-'ālameen; Innaka Hamīdum Majeed. (O Allāh! Send Prayers upon Muhammad and the members of his household as Thou Sent Prayers upon the members of Ibrahim's household. And Send Blessings to Muhammad and the members of his household as Thou  granted Blessings upon the members of the household of Ibrahim, among all the nations’ Verily Thou are Most Praiseworthy) Full of Glory) [Muslim (803); Abu Dawud, Book on Blessings on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) after Tashahhud (976: from Ka‘ab bin ‘Ujrah; 980: from Abu Mas’ud Al-Ansari uses the phrase “‘ala āli Ibrāhīm, fil-‘ālamīn; Innaka Hamīduñ Majīd”); At-Tirmidzi (3220) - includes Fil’ālamīn,  Ibrāhīm wa ala); Al-Nasā’ie; this version is linguistically sound].

2. 'Abdullah bin 'Amr (radiyallāhu’anhu) narrated that Abu Bakar As-Siddiq (radiyallāhu'anhu) reported: I requested the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) to teach me a supplication which I could recite in my Solāt. Thereupon he said, “Recite: ‘Allāhumma inni dzalamtu nafsi dzulman kathira, Wa la yaghfirudz-dzunuba illa Anta, Faghfir li maghfiratan min ‘indika, warhamni, Innaka Antal-Ghafūr-ur-Raheem (O Allāh! I have considerably wronged myself. There is none to forgive the sins but You. So grant me pardon and have mercy on me. You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Compassionate).” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

2.1. dAbdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radhiyallāhu'anhu) said: We would count for the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) in one sitting 100 times: ‘Rabb ighfir li wa tubb ‘alayya innaka anta al-tawwābul- ghafūrur raheem’ (O Allāh, forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are the Accepter of Repentance, Oft-Forgiving ,Most Merciful). [This is narrated by Abu Dawud (1516) and At-Tirmidzi (3434) and others: sahih].

Dzikirullāh 

3. Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu'anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said:  "He who utters a hundred times in a day these words:  “Lā ilāha illallāhu, wahdahu la sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa 'ala kulli shay iñ Qadeer (There is no true god except Allāh. He is One and He has no partner with Him; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent),”

He will have a reward equivalent to that for emancipating ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be recorded to his credit, hundred of his sins will be blotted out from his scroll, and he will be safeguarded against the devil on that day till the evening; and no one will exceed him in doing more excellent good deeds except someone who has recited these words more often than him.

And he who utters:  “Subhān-Allāhi wa bihamdihi, Subhān-Allāhil-'Azeem” (Glory is to Allāh and to Him is the praise; Glory is to Allāh, the Greatest, devoid of imperfection), one hundred times a day; His sins will be obliterated even if they are equal to the extent of the foam of the ocean.''

[This is narrated by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Ahmad]

3.1 Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu’anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said, "He who recites after every prayer: Subhān-Allāh (Allāh is free from imperfection) thirty-three times; Al-hamdu lillāh (praise be to Allāh) thirty-three times; Allāhu Akbar (Allāh is Greatest) thirty-three times; and completes the hundred with: La ilaha ill Allāhu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa 'ala kulli shai ‘iñ Qadeer (there is no true god except Allāh. He is One and He has no partner with Him. His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent), will have all his sins pardoned even if they may be as large as the foam on the surface of the sea.'' [Muslim]

Then Reciting the Following Du'ā.

4. Ibn 'Abbas (radiyallāhu’anhu) that the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) used to say, when he felt distressed: “Lā ilāha ill-Allāh al-'Azeem ul-Haleem, Lā ilāha ill-Allāh Rabb il-'Arsh il-'Azeem, Lā ilāha ill-Allāh Rabb is-Samawāti wa Rabb il-Ardhi wa Rabb il-'arsh il-Kareem  (There is no god except Allāh, the All-Mighty, the Forbearing; there is no god except Allāh, the Lord of the Mighty Throne; there is no god except Allāh, Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth and Lord of the noble Throne)”   [This is narrated by Al-Bukhari, Muslim]

4.1. Anas bin Mālik (radhiyallāhu'anhu) said: “When a matter would distress him, the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) would say: “Yā Hayyu Yā Qayyūm, bi Rahmatika astaghīth (O Ever-Living One, O Everlasting One, by Your mercy I seek help)” [This is narrated by al-Tirmidzi, no. 3446].

4.2. Asmā’ bint 'Umays (radhiyallāhu`anha) reported The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to her: “Shall I not teach you some words to say when you feel distressed: “Allāhu Allāh, Rabbī lā ushriku bihi shay an(Allāh, Allāh, my Lord, I do not associate anything with Him).” [This is narrated by Al-Bukhari, Muslim]

4.3. The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to his companions: "Shall I not tell you some words which, if distress or grief befalls any of you and he offers this supplication, it will bring him joy? It is the duā’ of Dzul-Nun (i.e. Yunus or Jonah):  “Lāilā hailla Anta Subhānaka inni Kuntu Minadz dzālimeen” (There is no god but You, Glory to You; verily I was one of the wrongdoers.)[Surah Anbiya, 21:87]” [Sahih al-Jāmi‘, no. 2605]

4.4. Prophet Ayyub ('alayhissalam), after being afflicted with calamities, distress and severe skin disorder for years, called for Allāh’s Mercy: “[Allāhumma]...annī massaniyāddhurru wa anta ar hamu ar rāhimeen. ([ O Allah]…Indeed, adversity has touched me, and you are the Most Merciful of the merciful).” [Al-Anbiyā’, 21:83]. Prophet Ayyub’s condition was ultimately restored.

5. ‘Abdallāh ibn Mas’ūd (radiyallāhu‘anhu) reported that the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “No person suffers any anxiety or grief, and says:  “Allāhumma innī ‘abduka wa ‘iba ‘abdika wa ‘ieba amatika, nāsiyati bi yadika, mādeen fiyya hukmuka, 'adlun fiyya qadā 'uka, as 'aluka bi kulli ismeen huwa laka sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fi kitābika aw ‘allamtahu ahadan min khalqika aw ista’tharta bihi fi 'ilm il-ghaybi ‘andak an taj ‘ala al-Qur āna rabbī’ qalbi wa nūr sadri wa jalā 'a huzni wa dhahāba hammi (O Allāh , 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’ān the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety)”

But Allāh Almighty will take away his sorrow and grief, and give him in their stead joy.” 

[This is narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Shaddad bin Aus (radiyallāhu‘anhu) said: Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "The best supplication for seeking forgiveness (Sayyid-ul-Istighfar) is to say: ‘Allāhumma Anta Rabbi, la ilaha illa Anta, khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduka, wa ana ‘ala 'ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’ tu, a ‘udzu bika min sharri ma sana’ tu, abu ‘u laka bini’ matika ‘alayya, wa abu ‘u bidzanbi faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illā Anta. (O Allāh! You are my Rabb. There is no true god except You. You have created me, and I am Your slave, and I hold to Your Covenant as far as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge the favours that You have bestowed upon me, and I confess my sins. Pardon me, for none but You has the power to pardon).' He who supplicates in these terms during the day with firm belief in it and dies on the same day (before the evening), he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah; and if anyone supplicates in these terms during the night with firm belief in it and dies before the morning, he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah."

 Include the Hasanah supplication

6. Anas ibn Mālik (radhiyallāhu‘anhu) who said, “The supplication most often recited by the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam): ‘Allāhumma ītina fid dunya hasanah, wa fil ākhirati hasanah, wa qina ‘ādzābānnâr (O Allāh!Bestow upon us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the punishment of the Fire).’” (Al-Baqarah 2:201)  [This is narrated by Al-Bukhāri, Muslim, and Tirmidzi]

This du’ā contain three things: good in this world, Hereafter and forgiveness from the Fire. Imām Tarmidzi (rahimahullāh) said: “Hasanah is very comprehensive includes Allāh ’s bounties and favours in both worlds all kinds of good and benefits of this world and of the Hereafter and good status in Jannah, forgiveness from sins and are included in this duā’” [Recorded in Jāmi’ At-Tarmidzi]

Salawat and Praise Allah

7. Wasal lallāhu ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadiñ wa ‘ala alihi wasahbihi ajmaeen. (And Allāh's mercy be upon the Prophet Muhammad, his family, and the entire companion.) Subhāna Rabbika Rabbil ‘izzati ‘amma Yasifūn, Wasalamun ‘alal mursaleen, Walhamdulilāhi Rabbil ‘ālameen (The Blessed Lord, The Lord that has all the attributes of excellent. And Peace on all the apostles, all the praise is to Allāh, the Lord of the entire universe). Al-Saffāt, 37180-182]

8. Al-Fatihah

The Closing of the Du’a.

9 - Rabbana Taqabbal minna Innaka an-tas-sami’ul 'aleem. (O our Lord, accept our du ‘a Thou the Hearer, the Knower)[Al-Baqarah, 2:127] Watub’alaina Ya mawlana innaka anta- tat-tawwabur-Raheem. (And please accept our repentance, O Allāh! Indeed s the recipient of repentance and the Most Merciful) [Al-Baqarah, 2:128] Wala tua-khiz-na bil 'adza imi waljara-imi Ya Kareem. (Finally, the call for members of paradise in the heaven, Glory to Thee, O Allāh our Lord) Da’wahum fiha Subhānakallāhumma watahiyatuhum fiha Salām (Lastly, O Allāh!  Who is free from imperfection and our salutation for them is Salām) Wa ahiruda’wa-hum-anil-hamdu-lila-hi Rabbil 'alameen. (And the closing words of our praise are that all praise is for Allāh, the Lord, the administrator of the Universe.) [Yunus, 10:10]

And Allāh Almighty Knows best.

Addendum:

Calls of Distress 

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger

In his well-known book, Al-Hikam (Words of Wisdom), Sheikh Ahmad Ibn 'Ataa'illah As-Sakandari says:

“The best way to ask Him is through expressing your distress, and the fastest way to acquire good traits is through expressing your humility and need”.

The word of wisdom under discussion is about du’ā (supplication). It is not about the etiquette of supplication, but it is about the condition of the heart during supplication.

Allāh Subhānahu wata‘ala asks the disbelievers about their own experiences:

“Who is it that responds to the distressed when he calls out to Him, and who removes the ill, and has made you inherit the earth? Could there be any divine power besides Allah?”

[An-Naml, 27: 62]

In this verse Allah makes it clear to the disbelievers that when they were in distress and sincerely asked Allah for help, He answered them. If this is the case with disbelievers in distress, what about if a believer is in distress and asks His Lord for help!

Therefore, distress gets the supplication answered quickly.

Sheikh Ibn ‘Ataa’ says, “The best way to ask Him is through your distress”: If you are in distress and ask Allah sincerely, while feeling the need for His help after the means have failed you, then rest assured that Allah will answer your supplication.

This applies not only to asking Allah for worldly help but also for help with matters of faith as well. The best way to ask Him to guide you is also through distress, need, humility, and hope in His mercy. This is best illustrated in the Prophet’s (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) supplications in different situations:

In the Battle of Badr, the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) turned towards the Qiblah (prayer direction), stretched his arms out and began his supplication to his Lord:

“O Allah, accomplish for me what You have promised me. O Allah, bring about what You have promised me. O Allah, if this small band of Muslims is destroyed, You will not be worshipped on this earth after today!”

Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) continued his supplication to Allah for a long time, until his shroud slipped down from his shoulders. (Recorded by Muslim)

This is a supplication from someone in distress, and it was a supplication that was answered swiftly.

Then Sheikh Ibn ‘Ataa’ explains other useful clues for supplication.

Sheikh Ibn ‘Ataa' says, "And the fastest way to acquire good traits is through expressing your humility and need". Some scholar’s comments on the verse, “Charity is for the poor” (At-Tawbah, 9: 60) saying that: If a human gives charity to a poor person in need, what about if the poor person shows his need to Allah? Surely Allah will give him out of His bounties, even more than what another human might give him.

According to the prophetic traditions we know, the person who performs supplication should:

·         face the qiblah (prayer direction),

·         stretch his hand while praying to Allah,

·         and start the supplication with praising Allah,

·         and invoking salawat on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

It is also recommended to invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in the middle and at the end of the supplication.

This is the apparent acts of supplication. However, what is of more importance is the condition of the heart when praying to Allah, which we often ignore to follow the example of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in.

The Prophet  (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to recite certain supplications at certain situations, such as getting up in the morning, going to bed, wearing his clothes, taking off his clothes, looking at the mirror, washing himself, sleeping, seeing a new moon, in the evening, in the morning, going out, coming back home, and so on.

It is not enough that we follow the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) by memorizing and uttering these supplications. We must acquire the spirit behind them, which is to be connected with Allah at all times.

If we trace the history of supplication, we will not find any person, even previous Prophets, who had this continuous stream of supplications, as much as Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). If we survey the Psalms, the Torah, and the Gospel, we will not come across so many supplications as we come across when we survey Prophet Muhammad’s tradition, (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). 

Moreover, we also learned that Prophet Muhammad's (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) supplications were accompanied by deep emotions.

‘Aishah (radiyallāhu’anha), the Prophet’s wife, was asked by ‘Ataa' , about the most astonishing event she witnessed about the Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

‘Aishah (radiyallāhu’anha) cried and said: Whatever was not astonishing about him? One night he came and got in bed with me. My skin touched his and he said: “O Abu Bakar’s daughter let me off! Let me worship my Lord.” I said: “I love being with you, but I prefer to do as you wish”. I let him.

Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) got up and took wudhu’ without wasting water. Then Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) started prayers and crying. He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) cried so much that his tears flew down through his chest. Then he bent for ruku’ and cried. Then he made his sujud and still cried. Then he raised his head and still cried. Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) continued to cry until morning. When it was time for the Dawn Prayer (Fajar), Bilal (radiyallāhu’anhu) came and made the Adzan (Call to Prayer).

And then I said: “O the Messenger of Allah! What makes you cry? Allah has forgiven your sins, committed and to be committed.”

Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Shall I not be a thankful servant to Allah? Shall I not give Him thanks?”

(Recorded by Al-Bukhari)

Du’a or Prayers may be answered immediately and may be answered eventually. The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is reported to have said:

"A servant will be rewarded on the Day of Judgment for a supplication for Allah which has not been answered to the extent that he wishes that his supplication was never answered".

(Recorded by Al-Bukhari)

When Allah does not answer your prayers immediately, be certain that Allah is choosing the best for you. Allah has always been choosing the best for you. Allah says about Himself: “In His Hand is all good.” (Ali-‘Imran 3: 25) 

As An-Nu’man Ibn Bashīr (radiallāhu’anhu) narrated that the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: “Duā’ is worship.” Then he (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam) recited: “And your Lord said: Invoke Me I will respond to your (invocation). Verily, those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!” (Ghafir, 40:60). [Recorded by At-Tirmidzi (3372)]

And Allah's giving may be in this world or in the world to come, and the choice is His. Allah Says: “And thus it is: Your Sustainer creates whatever He wills; and He chooses for mankind whatever is best for them”. (Ash-Shu’arā’ 42: 68)

And Allāh Almighty Knows best.

[Excerpted from “Calls of Distress” in Ibn `Attaa’ Words of Wisdom (19), by commentary Dr.Jasser Auda Via On Islam Monday, 19 December 2011]