5 Duas for Anxiety and a Heavy Heart (With Sources)

When the heart feels heavy, long explanations don’t help. Short words you can actually say do. Here are five supplications from the Qur’an and the Sunnah, each with its Arabic, its meaning and where it comes from, so you can check every source yourself.

You don’t need a perfect state of mind to say them. Many of these words were first spoken by people in real distress: a prophet in the belly of a whale, a prophet thrown into a fire, a Messenger ﷺ facing hardship. They are meant for exactly the moments when you feel least ready.

1. The dua of Yunus (peace be upon him)

لَّآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

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

“There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.”

Yunus (Jonah) called out these words from the darkness. It is a dua of honesty: it praises Allah first, then admits weakness, and asks for nothing else.

Source: Qur’an 21:87. The Prophet ﷺ said that no Muslim man supplicates with it for anything except that Allah responds to him (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3505, graded Sahih on Sunnah.com).

2. Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakeel

حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakeel.

“Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.”

It is the answer to a frightening message: “people have gathered against you, so fear them.” The believers did not deny the danger. They placed it in Allah’s hands.

Source: Qur’an 3:173. Ibn `Abbas said that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said it when he was thrown into the fire, and that Muhammad ﷺ said it when people warned that a great army was gathering against them (Sahih al-Bukhari 4563).

3. Seeking refuge from worry and grief

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ

Allahumma inni a’udhu bika minal-hammi wal-hazan.

“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and grief.”

This is the opening of a longer supplication. Anas ibn Malik reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to say it together with requests for refuge from incapacity and laziness, cowardice and miserliness, heavy debt and being overpowered by others. Worry and grief were named plainly, so you can name them too.

Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6369.

4. The dua of distress

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْعَظِيمُ الْحَلِيمُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَرَبُّ الْأَرْضِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ

La ilaha illallahul-Azimul-Halim. La ilaha illallahu Rabbul-arshil-azim. La ilaha illallahu Rabbus-samawati wa Rabbul-ardi wa Rabbul-arshil-karim.

“There is no god but Allah, the Great, the Forbearing. There is no god but Allah, Lord of the Mighty Throne. There is no god but Allah, Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth and Lord of the Noble Throne.”

Ibn `Abbas reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to say this at the time of distress. It reminds you who is in charge when you feel that nothing is.

Source: Sahih Muslim 2730a. A very similar wording is in Sahih al-Bukhari 6345.

5. Where hearts find rest

أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ

“Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.”

Source: Qur’an 13:28. This is a reminder more than a dua, and a good one to repeat slowly as you breathe.

How to make them part of your night

• Pick one, not five. Say a single dua slowly, three times, and mean it.
• Say it in your own language too. Allah knows what you carry. After the Arabic, tell Him in plain words.
• Pair it with a calm breath. Breathe in as you begin, breathe out as you finish.
• Come back tomorrow. A small, regular moment of dua helps more than one long night of it.

If the night itself is the hard part, our short guide on what to do when your heart feels heavy at night builds a gentle routine around these words.

Duas and professional help go together

Dua is worship and comfort. It is not a substitute for care when anxiety is taking over your days. The World Health Organization describes anxiety disorders as fear and worry that are intense and excessive, and says that psychological therapy and, for some adults, medication can help. It also notes that only about 1 in 4 people who need treatment receive it, so reaching out is worth doing.

Seeking treatment is part of the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5678). Anxiety and grief are not a sign of weak faith. If the weight does not lift, or you feel unsafe, please talk to someone you trust and to a qualified professional. In the US, you can call or text 988 (the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, 24/7), and call 911 in an emergency.

Dahim’s Dua Library keeps duas like these in one calm place, with the Arabic, transliteration, meaning and source, so you can find the right words quickly when you need them.

Sources

• Qur’an 21:87: quran.com/21/87
• Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3505 (Sahih): sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3505
• Qur’an 3:173: quran.com/3/173
• Sahih al-Bukhari 4563: sunnah.com/bukhari:4563
• Sahih al-Bukhari 6369: sunnah.com/bukhari:6369
• Sahih Muslim 2730a: sunnah.com/muslim:2730a
• Sahih al-Bukhari 6345: sunnah.com/bukhari:6345
• Qur’an 13:28: quran.com/13/28
• Sahih al-Bukhari 5678: sunnah.com/bukhari:5678
• World Health Organization, Anxiety disorders: who.int fact sheet
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org

Qur’an translations: Saheeh International, as shown on Quran.com. Hadith translations as shown on Sunnah.com.