What dua should I say when I feel anxious or stressed?
The short answer
The Prophet ﷺ taught several short duas for exactly these moments, including seeking refuge from "worry and grief", the dua of distress that begins "La ilaha illal-lahu Al-`Azim, al- Halim", and the dua of Prophet Yunus (AS) from inside the whale. He also turned to prayer for comfort. Pick one or two and say them often, in Arabic or in your own words.
When your chest feels tight, you do not need a long speech. These are authentic, short and easy to learn:
1. Refuge from worry and grief. The Prophet ﷺ used to say: "O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief,
from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered
by (other) men" 1.
2. The dua of distress. In times of distress he would say: "La ilaha illal-lahu Al-`Azim, al- Halim, La
ilaha illal-lahu Rabbu-s-samawati wal-ard wa Rabbu-l-arsh il-azim" 2. It simply declares that there is no god but Allah,
the Magnificent, the Forbearing, Lord of the heavens, the earth and the Throne. Reminding yourself who is in charge
shrinks the problem back to its real size.
3. A phrase for hard moments. He taught Asma' bint Umays to say in distress: "Allah, Allah is my Lord, I do not associate anything as partner with Him" 3.
4. The dua of Yunus (AS). From the darkness of the whale he called, "There is no deity except You; exalted are
You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers", and Allah saved him from distress, adding, "thus do We save the
believers" 4. The Prophet ﷺ said no Muslim calls with it for anything except that Allah responds to him 5.
5. "Allah is sufficient for us." When believers were told to be afraid, they said, "Sufficient for us is Allah,
and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs" 6.
6. Prayer itself. Allah says to "seek help through patience and prayer" 7, and the Prophet ﷺ would say to
Bilal, "call iqamah for prayer: give us comfort by it" 8.
Duas are powerful, and they sit alongside other help, not instead of it. If anxiety is overwhelming your daily
life, speaking to a doctor or counsellor is a wise step too; the Prophet ﷺ encouraged seeking treatment for illness
(see our answer on therapy).
The evidence
1
HadithSahih al-Bukhari 6369
SahihBukhari
The Prophet ﷺ sought refuge from worry and grief, incapacity and laziness, cowardice, miserliness, debt and being overpowered.
Narrated Anas bin Malik:The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say, "O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by (other) men." (See Hadith No)
The dua the Prophet ﷺ used to say at times of distress.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas:The Prophet (ﷺ) used to invoke Allah at the time of distress, saying, "La ilaha illal-lahu Al-`Azim, al- Halim, La ilaha illal-lahu Rabbu-s-samawati wal-ard wa Rabbu-l-arsh il-azim
العربية
حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدْعُو عِنْدَ الْكَرْبِ " لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ الْعَظِيمُ الْحَلِيمُ، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ رَبُّ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ، رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ ".
3
HadithSunan Abi Dawud 1525
Sahihgraded by Al-Albani
Words taught for distress, "Allah, Allah is my Lord, I do not associate anything with Him."
Narrated Asma' daughter of Umays: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: May I not teach you phrases which you utter in distress? (These are:) "Allah , Allah is my Lord, I do not associate anything as partner with Him." Abu Dawud said: The narrator Hilal is a client of 'Umar b. 'Abd al-Aziz. The name of Ja'far, a narrator, is 'Abd Allah b. Ja'far
87 And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him. And he called out within the darknesses, "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers 88 So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers
5
HadithJami' at-Tirmidhi 3505
Sahihgraded by Al-Albani
No Muslim supplicates with the dua of Yunus for anything except that Allah responds to him.
Ibrahim bin Muhammad bin Sa`d narrated from his father, from Sa`d that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:“The supplication of Dhun-Nun (Prophet Yunus) when he supplicated, while in the belly of the whale was: ‘There is none worthy of worship except You, Glory to You, Indeed, I have been of the transgressors. (Lā ilāha illā anta subḥānaka innī kuntu minaẓ-ẓālimīn)’ So indeed, no Muslim man supplicates with it for anything, ever, except Allah responds to him.”
Those to whom hypocrites said, "Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them." But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, "Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs
7
Quran Al-Baqara · 2:153
Seek help through patience and prayer; Allah is with the patient.
O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient
8
HadithSunan Abi Dawud 4985
Sahihgraded by Al-Albani
The Prophet ﷺ told Bilal to call the iqamah, "give us comfort by it."
Narrated A man: Salim ibn AbulJa'dah said: A man said: (Mis'ar said: I think he was from the tribe of Khuza'ah): would that I had prayed, and got comfort. The people objected to him for it. Thereupon he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: O Bilal, call iqamah for prayer: give us comfort by it
This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24