Duas for Anxiety and Worry: What the Prophet ﷺ Taught Us to Say

The Prophet ﷺ experienced anxiety. He experienced fear, grief, and the sustained pressure of leading a community through extraordinary difficulty. And he left behind a set of duas — precisely worded, authenticated in the hadith — for exactly these states. These are not generic encouragements. They are specific formulas that the Prophet ﷺ either recited himself or explicitly taught to Companions in moments of distress. Here are the most important ones, with their sources and the conditions for which they are most suited.

The comprehensive dua for anxiety and sadness

The Prophet ﷺ said: “No person is afflicted with worry or grief and says this dua, except that Allah ﷻ will remove his worry and grief, and replace it with joy.” (Ahmad 3528, authenticated by Al-Albani):

Transliteration: Allahumma inni abduka, ibnu abdika, ibnu amatika, nasiyati bi yadika, madin fiyya hukmuka, adlun fiyya qada’uka. As’aluka bi kulli ismin huwa laka, sammayta bihi nafsaka, aw anzaltahu fi kitabika, aw allamtahu ahadan min khalqika, aw ista’tharta bihi fi ilmil ghaybi indaka, an taj’alal Qurana rabi’a qalbi, wa nura sadri, wa jala’a huzni, wa dhahaba hammi.

Translation: 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 forever executed. Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or taught any of Your creation, or have preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You — that You make the Quran the spring of my heart and the light of my chest, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety.

Source: Ahmad 3528 — authenticated by multiple hadith scholars. This dua addresses both hamm (worry about the future) and huzn (sadness about the past) in a single supplication.

The dua of distress

For moments of acute distress, the Prophet ﷺ taught the dua of Prophet Yunus ﷺ, which he said himself in the belly of the whale:

Transliteration: La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimin.

Translation: There is no god but You. Glory be to You. Indeed I was among the wrongdoers.

Source: Quran 21:87. The Prophet ﷺ said: “No Muslim man supplicates with it for anything ever, except that Allah ﷻ answers him.” (Tirmidhi 3505, authenticated). It contains tawbah (acknowledgement of wrongdoing), tawhid, and tasbih — all three in a single breath.

The daily protection from anxiety

This dua was recited by the Prophet ﷺ as part of his morning and evening routine — a daily wazifa against the recurring experiences of worry and grief:

Transliteration: Allahumma inni a’udhu bika minal hammi wal hazan, wal ajzi wal kasal, wal jubni wal bukhl, wa dala’id-dayni wa ghalabatir-rijal.

Translation: O Allah, I seek refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, from weakness and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, and from the burden of debt and the overpowering of men.

Source: Bukhari 6369. The Prophet ﷺ recited this regularly — it covers eight specific afflictions in a single supplication. Reciting it morning and evening is a sustained wazifa against all of them.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best dua for anxiety in Islam?

The most comprehensive is the long dua from Ahmad 3528 — which the Prophet ﷺ said Allah ﷻ will remove worry and grief in response to. For acute moments of distress, the dua of Yunus ﷺ (Quran 21:87, Tirmidhi 3505) is among the most powerful — authenticated as always answered. For daily protection, the morning/evening dua from Bukhari 6369 covers eight afflictions including hamm (anxiety) and huzn (sadness) as a sustained wazifa. All three are authenticated from the Prophet ﷺ.

How often should I recite these duas?

The Bukhari 6369 dua is morning and evening — part of the daily adhkar routine. The dua of Yunus ﷺ can be recited any time distress is felt — there is no limit. The comprehensive dua from Ahmad 3528 can be recited in moments of worry or grief, or incorporated into a daily wazifa. The Prophet ﷺ said to persist without impatience (Bukhari 6340) — consistency matters more than volume.