Dua for anxiety, worry and stress
Five authentic supplications · Arabic, transliteration, meaning and when to say them
Anxiety is not a failure of faith. The Prophet ﷺ himself asked Allah for refuge from hamm (anxiety about what is coming) and hazan (grief over what has passed) — which tells us both are ordinary human weather, not proof that something is wrong with your religion. What the Sunnah gives you is language for those moments, so the mind has somewhere to go instead of circling.
Say these slowly, in Arabic if you can and in your own language if you cannot. Understanding what you are saying matters more than perfect pronunciation.
The dua of grief and anxiety
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ، وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ
Allahumma inni a'udhu bika minal-hammi wal-hazan, wal-'ajzi wal-kasal, wal-bukhli wal-jubn, wa dala'id-dayni wa ghalabatir-rijal
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from anxiety and grief, from weakness and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from the burden of debt and from being overpowered by others.”
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6369 · When: Morning and evening, and whenever worry settles on the chest.
The dua of Yunus (peace be upon him)
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimin
“There is no god but You; glory be to You. Truly I have been among the wrongdoers.”
Source: Qur'an 21:87 · When: In distress that feels inescapable. Said from inside the whale — a reminder that no situation is closed to Allah.
When fear or pressure builds
حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal-wakil
“Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.”
Source: Qur'an 3:173 · When: Before difficult meetings, results, travel, or any outcome outside your control.
Calling on the Living, the Sustainer
يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيثُ، أَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ وَلَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَىٰ نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ
Ya Hayyu ya Qayyum, bi rahmatika astaghith, aslih li sha'ni kullahu wa la takilni ila nafsi tarfata 'ayn
“O Ever-Living, O Sustainer, by Your mercy I seek help. Put right all of my affairs and do not leave me to myself for the blink of an eye.”
Source: Sunan an-Nasa'i, al-Kubra 10405 · When: At night, or when the mind will not stop circling.
When a task feels too heavy
اللَّهُمَّ لَا سَهْلَ إِلَّا مَا جَعَلْتَهُ سَهْلًا، وَأَنْتَ تَجْعَلُ الْحَزْنَ إِذَا شِئْتَ سَهْلًا
Allahumma la sahla illa ma ja'altahu sahla, wa anta taj'alul-hazna idha shi'ta sahla
“O Allah, nothing is easy except what You make easy, and You make the difficult easy if You will.”
Source: Ibn Hibban 974 · When: Before starting something you have been avoiding.
Building them into the day
A dua said once in a crisis helps. A dua said every morning changes the baseline. The simplest routine that works: the morning and evening adhkar, the two duas above tied to the times you already stop (after Fajr and after Maghrib), and Ayatul Kursi before sleep.
Dua and treatment together
Seeking help — a doctor, a therapist, treatment for a condition — is not a lapse in tawakkul. The Prophet ﷺ told his companions to seek remedies, because Allah did not send down a disease without also sending its cure. If anxiety is affecting your sleep, work or relationships, speak to a professional as well as making dua.
Listen and keep them with you
Happy Islam has the morning and evening adhkar, the 99 Names, and the full Qur'an with audio translation in twelve languages — free, no adverts, no subscription, and available offline.
Related: Ayatul Kursi (2:255) · Surah Al-Mulk (67) · Islamic prayer times