Islam's Treatment for Anxiety and Worry (2/4)

7. Praying to Allah, may He be Exalted

Du’aa’ (prayer or supplication) is very beneficial, and includes both protection and treatment. As far as protection in concerned, the Muslim is obliged to turn to Allah and pray to Him for refuge from distress and to keep him away from it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to do. His servant Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) tells us: “I used to serve the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he stayed in Madeenah (i.e. was not travelling). I often used to hear him saying: ‘Allahumma inni a’oodhu bika min al-hamm wa’l-hazn wa’l-‘ajz wa’l-kasal wa’l-bukhl wa’l-jubn wa dala’ al-dayn wa ghalbat al-rijaal (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from distress, grief, incapacity, laziness, miserliness, cowardice, the burden of debt and from being overpowered by men).’”

This du’aa’ is very effective in preventing distress before it happens; prevention is better, and easier, than cure.

When one is worried about what may happen in the future, the following du’aa’ is very beneficial. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to say: “Allahumma aslih li deeni alladhi huwa ‘ismat amri wa aslih li dunyaaya allati fihaa ma’aashi wa aslih li aakhirati allati fihaa ma’aadi w’aj’al al-hayaata ziyaadatan li fi kulli khayri w’aj’al al-mawta raahatan li min kulli sharr (O Allah, make me adhere properly to my religion, on which all my affairs depend; make this world good for me in which is my livelihood; make my Hereafter good for me, in which is my ultimate destiny; make my life increase in every good thing and make my death a respite from every evil).”

When distress and pain befall a person, the door of du’aa’ is always open to him; it is never closed. When one calls upon the Most Generous, He will respond and give. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And when My slaves ask you concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.” [Surah al-Baqarah 2:186]

One of the greatest du’aa’s which take away distress and anxiety and bring joy is the famous du’aa’ which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) encouraged everyone who hears it to learn it by heart:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no-one who is afflicted by distress and grief, and says: ‘Allahumma inni ‘abduka ibn ‘abdika ibn amatika naasyati bi yadika, maada fiyya hukmuka, ‘adlun fiyya qadaa’uka. As’aluka bi kulli ismin huwa laka sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fi kitaabika aw ‘allamtahu ahadan min khalqika aw ista’tharta bihi fi ‘ilm il-ghayb ‘indaka an taj’al al-Qur’ana rabee’ qalbi wa noor sadri wa jalaa’ huzni wa dhihaab hammi (O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of Your maidservant; 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 have 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’an the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety),’ but Allah will take away his distress and grief, and replace it with joy.” He was asked: “O Messenger of Allah, should we learn this?” He said: “Of course; everyone who hears it should learn it.”

This important hadeeth indicates the following: the slave should admit that he belongs to Allah and that he cannot do without Him and has no other master than Allah; that he should be a slave to Allah, announce his submission to Him, obey His commandments and heed His prohibitions; that Allah is directing and controlling him as He wills; that he should demonstrate his submission to Allah and his acceptance of His decree; that he should pray to Allah, using all His Names, then ask for what he needs.

A number of other du’aa’s to do with distress and anxiety have also been narrated in the Sunnah. They include the following:

Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) felt distressed, he would say: “Laa ilaaha ill-Allah al-‘Azeem al-Haleem, laa ilaaha ill-Allah Rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘azeem, la ilaaha ill-Allah Rabb al-samawaat wa Rabb al-ard wa Rabb al-‘Arsh al-kareem (There is no god but Allah, the All-Powerful, the Forbearing; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the mighty Throne; there is no god but Allah, Lord of heaven, Lord of earth, and Lord of the noble Throne).”

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was distressed by something, he would say: “Yaa Hayyu yaa Qayyoom bi rahmatika astagheeth (O Ever-Living, O Eternal, by Your mercy I seek help).”

Asmaa’ bint ‘Umayr said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: ‘Shall I not teach you some words which you can say at times of distress? ‘Allah Allah rabbee laa ushriku bihi shay’an (Allah Allah is my Lord, I do not associate anything with Him).’”

Another of the beneficial du’aa’s which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught us is the one he told us about when he said: “The du’aa’ of the person who is in distress is: ‘Allahumma rahmataka arjoo fa laa takilni ilaa nafsi tarfat ‘ayn w’aslih li sha’ni kullahu laa ilaaha illa anta (O Allah, for Your mercy I hope, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for the blink of an eye; rectify all my affairs. There is no god except You)’”

If a person thinks about the meaning of these du’aa’s and prays with concentration and a sincere intention, doing all those things that can help to bring about a response, Allah will fulfil his hopes and do the things asked for; He will turn his distress into joy.

If the du’aa’ comes from a heart which is filled with faith, it will dispel worry and bring comfort. The scholars have mentioned many stories of people who prayed to Allah in times of calamity and distress, and Allah responded to their prayer and saved them from an enemy, or from drowning, or from starvation or disaster. One example is the story of what happened to the great Sahaabi al-‘Alaa al-Hadrami, who was one of the most prominent scholars and devoted worshippers, one of the close friends (awliyaa’) of Allah whose du’aa’s are answered. During the campaign against the apostates of Bahrain, he pitched camp, but before the people could settle down, the camels bolted, carrying away all the provisions of the army, including their tents and water, leaving them with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. It was night-time, and they could not restrain even one camel. The people were filled with indescribable distress and alarm, and some of them began making wills to one another (because they felt that death was inevitable). Al-‘Alaa’ called the people together and said: “O people, are you not Muslims? Are you not striving for the sake of Allah? Are you not the ansaar (supporters) of Allah?” They said, “Of course.” He said, “Then be of good cheer, for Allah will not forsake anyone who is in your situation.” When the time for Fajr prayer came, he called the people to pray and led them in prayer, then he knelt up, and the people did likewise. He started to pray (make du’aa’), raising his hands, and the people did likewise. They prayed until the sun rose, and the people began to look at the mirages caused by the sun, shimmering one after another, all the while fervently praying. When he reached the third [??], Allah created a great stream of fresh water beside them. [‘Alaa’] walked towards it, and the people followed him, then they drank and washed themselves. Before the sun had reached its zenith, the camels started to come back from all directions, bringing the supplies loaded on them, so the people did not lose anything at all, and they were able to give water to the camels. This is one of the signs of Allah witnessed by the people during that campaign. (Reported by Al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah: Dhikr riddat ahl al-Bahrayn wa ‘awdatihim).

8. Praying for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (i.e., saying “Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad,” etc.)

This is one of the greatest ways through which Allah may relieve worries:

Al-Tufayl ibn Ubayy ibn Ka’b reported that his father said: “When two-thirds of the night had passed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) got up and said: ‘O people, remember Allah, remember Allah. The first blowing of the Trumpet has come, and will be followed by the second blowing. Death has come, with all that it implies, death has come with all that it implies.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I pray a lot for you. How much of my prayers should I devote to you?’ He said, ‘As much as you want.’ I said, ‘A quarter?’ He said, ‘As much as you want, and if you increase it, it will be good for you.’ I said, ‘Half?’ He said, ‘As much as you want, and if you increase it, it will be good for you.’ I said, ‘Two-thirds?’ He said, ‘As much as you want, and if you increase it, it will be good for you.’ I said, ‘I will devote all my prayer to you.’ He said, ‘Then your worries will be taken care of and your sin will be forgiven.’”