Supplication for Pain, Worries, Sadness and Fear

“O abu Hamza, if you will face something that frightens you, go to a comer of your home, face the Qiblah and perform two Rak’at (a prayer consisting of two times bowing on one’s knees) prayer then say, ‘O the most sharp-sighted of the on-lookers, O the most kind of hearing of the hearers, O the quickest to judge and O the most Beneficent of the benefactors,’ seventy times, each time ask for your wish.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Whoever suffers from sorrow, pain, misfortune or poverty should say, “Allah is My Lord and I do not associate any partner with Him, I place my trust in the Living One who does not die.’”

“If one suffers from a misfortune, a hardship, or something causes him pain he should uncover his knees, and elbows and touch the ground with his chest then plead before Allah for help, in a prostrating position.’”

“When Joseph’s brothers threw him in the well, Jibril (Gabriel) came to him and asked, ‘O young man, what are you doing here?’ He replied, ‘My brothers have thrown me in the well.’ Jibril (Gabriel) asked, ‘Would you like to get out of the well?’ He said, ‘That is up to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, if He wills. He will take me out.’ Jibril (Gabriel) said, ‘Allah, the Most High, says you should plead before Him for help with this supplication so He takes you out of the well.’ He then asked, ‘What is that supplication?’ Jibril (Gabriel) told him to say, ‘O Lord, I plead before You, acknowledging that all praise belongs to You, no one deserves to be worshipped except You, Who confers favors, the Inventor of the heavens and earth. Possessor of glory and magnanimity, grant al-Salat (favors) upon Muhammad and his family, find a way out of the condition in which I am.’ The Imam said, ‘What happened to Joseph thereafter is what Allah has mentioned in His book, the Holy Quran.’” (See Chapter 12 of the Holy Quran)

“The supplication of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) against Dawud ibn Ali when he murdered Mu’alla ibn Khunays and seized the property of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) was this supplication: ‘O Lord, I plead before You through Your light that does not extinguish, through Your determination that is not hidden, through Your majesty that never ends, through Your bounties that are beyond enumeration and through Your authority with which You prevented the Pharaoh from harming Moses.’”

“When you are concerned about something, take a shower and perform two Rak’at (a prayer consisting of two times bowing down on one’s knees) prayer and say, ‘O the One who clears up concerns, removes sorrow, O the Beneficent for this world and the next and the Merciful for both, change my concern to happiness, remove my sorrow, O Allah, the One and only Self- sufficient, who is not born from anyone nor has given birth to anyone, the like of whom there is no one, protect me, cleanse me and remove my misfortune,’ then read verse 255 of Chapter 2, Chapter 1 14 and 1 13 of the Holy Quran.”

“When you are afraid of something say, ‘O Lord, no one is an alternative for You and You are the alternative for everyone of Your creatures, suffice me in such and such matters.’” “In another Hadith the Imam (a.s.) has instructed to say this, ‘O the One who suffices in everything and nothing is sufficient for Him in the heavens and earth, suffice me in what is important to me of worldly and the hereafter and bestow al-Salat (favors) upon Muhammad and his family.’ “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has also said, ‘If anyone feels apprehensive in the presence of a ruler, he should say, “By the help of Allah, I seek conquest, by the power of Allah I will achieve success and through Muhammad (a.s.) I turn to (Allah). O Lord, ease up his difficult attitude for me, and soften for me his hardheartedness; You delete what You will, and establish. With You there is the original book.” Also say, ‘Allah is sufficient for me, no one deserves to be worshipped except Allah and I place my trust in Allah. He is the Lord of the Great Throne, through the means of Allah and His power I seek (from Allah) to prevent their means and power (from harming me), I seek prevention by the Lord, who opens up the dawn, against the evil of what He has created, there are no means and no power without Allah.’”

“Of the supplications of my father (a.s.) in an event was this: ‘O Lord, grant al-Salat (favors) upon Muhammad and his family, forgive me, have mercy upon me, purify my deeds, make my return easy, guide my heart, bestow upon me security against my fear, good health during all of my life, establish firmly basic proofs of my belief, forgive my sins, whiten my face, safeguard me in my religion, accept with ease my request, expand my sustenance; I am weak, overlook my evil deeds with the virtue before You, do not cause me pain in myself, or my good friends, grant me an opportunity of Your opportunities with which You will take away all such matters with which You have placed me in trial and in return for it (trials) confer upon me with the best of Your habits with me. My power has become weak, my patience is thinning out, my hope in Your creatures is lost, no hope is left except You and 1 have placed my trust before You. Your power over me, O Lord, to have mercy upon me and bestow upon me good health is just like Your power over me to punish and afflict me with misfortunes. O Lord, speaking of Your kindness comforts me; the hope in Your reward strengthens me. I have never been without Your bounties from the time You created me. You are my Lord, my master, my source of help, my refuge, my protector, my defender, my benevolent, and the undertaker of my sustenance. In Your determinations and decisions whatever is about me, O my Lord, my master, in whatever way You are to determine or decide or finalize make it to be a quick relief for me from all of my sufferings, and good health for me; I do not find anyone to remove it from me except You and no one to rely on except You. O Possessor of glory and magnanimity be with the best of my hopes in You and my wishes, have mercy upon me as I plead, upon my desperation, upon the weakness of my foundation (body), and oblige me with such kindness and all supplicants to You, O the Most Beneficent of the benefactors, and bestow al-Salat (favors) upon Muhammad and his family.’”

“When something causes you sadness, say in your last Sajdah (prostration); ‘O Jibril (Gabriel), O Muhammad, O Jibril (Gabriel), O Muhammad (a.s.) repeat these words, suffice me in the condition I am; you both are sufficient for me, protect me by the permission of Allah; you both are protectors.’”

“Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) would say, ‘Even if all human beings and Jinns will gather together against me I will not be concerned at all after saying these words: “In the name of Allah, with Allah, from Allah, to Allah, in the way of Allah, and upon the religion of the Messenger of Allah, O Lord, to You I have submitted my soul, to You I have turned my face, from You 1 have found support for my shelter, and in Your hands I have placed my affairs. O Lord, protect me by the protection of belief from all directions: front, back, right, left, above, below me and before me and defend me with Your means and power; there is no means and no power without You.’” Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr a similar Hadith.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘A man once asked me, “What did you say when you met abu Ja’far (Mansur al-‘Abbasi, ruler) at Rabadha?” The Imam said that I told him what I said was this: ‘O Lord, You are sufficient for everything and there is no alternative for You, suffice me with whatever You will, as You will, whenever and wherever You will.’”

“When Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) went to meet Mansur al-‘Abbasi. He (Mansur) told his slave to stand ready and as soon as Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) enters cut off his neck. When Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) entered he looked at Mansur and said something to himself that he did not know what it was then he said out loud, ‘O the One who is sufficient for all of His creatures, and no one is sufficient for Him, suffice me against the evil of ‘Abd Allah ibn Ali. ’ Mansur turned to be as such that he could not see his slave and his slave could not see him. Mansur then said, ‘O Ja’far ibn Muhammad (it seems) we have caused you so much fatigue in this hot day, you may go back.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) then left his office. Mansur asked his slave, ‘What stopped you from carrying my order?’ He said, ‘By Allah I could not see him, something came as a barrier between him and I.’ Abu Ja’far, Mansur said to him, ‘If you ever tell this to anyone I will kill you.’”

“The Imam said to me, ‘Should I instinct you with a supplication so you can pray? We are a family that whenever something causes us pain or fear a ruler for something we cannot cope with, we pray to Allah with this supplication.’ I said, ‘Yes, may Allah keep my soul and the souls of my parents in service for your cause, O descendent of the Messenger of Allah.’ The Imam told me to say, ‘O the One who existed before everything, O the Giver of being to everything, O the Eternal Being after everything, grant al-Salat (favors) upon Muhammad and his family, and confer upon me such and such of my wishes and needs.’”

“Muhammad ibn Hamza al-Ghanawi once wrote to me to ask abu Ja’far (a.s.) to instinct him with a supplication that helps make his wish for relief come true. The Imam wrote back to me, ‘About the request of Muhammad ibn Hamza who wants to be instructed with a supplication that helps make his wish for relief come true, tell him to hold to this: “O the One who suffices for everything and nothing suffices for Him, suffice me in what concerns me in my condition,” 1 hope this will suffice him in his condition of sadness, by the will of Allah, the Most High.’ 1 then informed him of the supplication and shortly thereafter he was released from prison.’”

“I heard Ali ibn al-Husayn saying to his son, ‘My son, if anyone of you faces a misfortune, or an incident, he should complete a Wudu and perform two or four Rak’at (a prayer consisting of four times bowing down on one’s knees) prayer and then say at the end, “O the One who is the right one to complain to, O the One who hears all the whispers, observes every group, knows all secrets, and O the One who removes misfortunes as He wills, O friend of Ibrahim, O the party of special conversation with Moses, O the One who has chosen Muhammad (a.s.) I plead before You like one whose poverty has become intense, his patience has run thin, his power has weakened, like the pleading of a drowning person who is alien and helpless and cannot find anyone to save him from his suffering except You, O the Beneficent, the Merciful.’ Whoever pleads before Allah with this supplication Allah will remove his hardship, if Allah so wills.’”

“Once I said to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) that I suffer from sadness. The Imam instructed me to say very often, ‘Allah, Allah, my Lord, I do not believe in anything as His partner,’ if the insinuation and evil thoughts reduce then say, ‘O Lord, I am Your servant, son of Your servant and the son of Your female servant, my forehead is in Your control. Your judgment about me is just. Your determination about me is effective. O Lord, I plead before You through every name that is Your name that You have revealed in Your book, or have taught it to any of Your creatures, or has kept in the unseen knowledge with You, to bestow al-Salat (favors) upon Muhammad and his family, make the Holy Quran the light for my eyes, the spring for my heart, removal of my sadness, and banishment of my anxiety. Allah, Allah, my Lord, I do not believe in anything as His partner.’”

“In the night of the attack of the confederate army against the Muslims this was the supplication of the Holy Prophet: ‘O the One to whom people in distress cry for help, O the One who answers the plea for help of the helpless people, O the One who removes my concern and anxiety, remove from me my anxiety, concern and trouble; You know my condition and the condition of my companions, suffice me the fear from my enemies.’”

“Once in the neck of one of our female servant, a scrofula appeared, and someone came to me and said, O Ali, tell her to say, ‘O Compassionate, O Merciful, O Lord, O my Master,’ repeatedly. The Imam said, ‘She did as she was instructed and Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, removed the disease.’ He (Imam) said that this is the supplication with which Ja’far ibn Sulayman had prayed, (his troubles were removed).”’

“Once I asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.) to instruct me with a supplication while I was behind him. The Imam said, ‘O Lord, I plead before You, through Your magnanimous face, Your great name, Your majesty beyond reach, through Your power beyond control, to facilitate for me such and such.’ The narrator has said that the Imam wrote for me a note in his own handwriting, ‘O the One Who is High, thus, has subdued (all things), the unseen Who has knowledge (of all things), O the One who owns (all things), thus, has measured (all things), O the One who gives life to the dead and has power over all things, grant al-Salat (favors) upon Muhammad and his family, and provide me such and such needs.” Then the Imam said, ‘O the One beside whom no one deserves to be worshipped, grant me favors. ’ He wrote for me in another note instructing me to say, ‘O Lord, defend me by Your means and power. O Lord, I plead before You this day, this month, in this year for Your blessings and if any trouble, misfortune or punishment that may take place therein, keep them away from me and my children by Your means and power; You have power over all things. O Lord, I seek protection with You against the loss of bounties, change in good health, sudden misfortune, and the evil of the past record of deeds. O Lord, I seek protection with You against the evil of my soul, the evil of every walking creature that You control by their forehead You have power over all things. Allah’s knowledge encompasses all things and has enumerated all things.’”

“O the Living, O the Guardian, O the One besides Whom no one deserves to be worshipped, I cry to You for help through Your mercy, suffice me whatever concerns me and do not leave me to myself.” One should say it one hundred times in prostrating position.

“Abu al-Hassan (as) said to me: 'O Sama’a, whenever you have a request before Allah, the Most Majestic and Most Holy, say this: ‘O Allah, I ask you by the right of Muhammad and Ali, for they have a special status and a high rank with You, and a decree from Your decree. So by the right of that status and by the right of that decree, I ask You to send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and to do such and such for me. For on the Day of Resurrection, there will not be a close angel, nor a sent prophet, nor a tested believer, except that they will be in need of them both on that day.’”

“When abu Dawaniq (Mansur, one of ‘Abbasi rulers) summoned Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) he raised his hand to the sky and said, ‘O Lord, You protected the two boys (mentioned in the Holy Quran in the story of Moses and Khidr) for the goodness and virtue of their father, protect me for the goodness and virtue of my ancestors, Muhammad, Ali, al-Hassan, al-Husayn, Ali ibn al-Husayn, and Muhammad ibn Ali, recipients of divine supreme covenant. O Lord, with Your help I pray that he be repelled against his throat, I seek protection in You against his evil.’ Then he told the camel man to leave for the journey. When Rabi’ met him at the door of abu Dawaniq, he said, ‘O Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) his inside is intensely full against you. I have heard him saying, “By Allah I will not leave any of their palm trees without being uprooted, properties without being looted and descendents without being arrested as captives.” The narrator has said that the Imam then said something quietly moving his lips. When he entered in the office of abu Dawaniq he offered the greeting of peace and sat down. Abu Dawaniq responded to his greeting and said, ‘By Allah 1 have intended not to leave any of your palm trees without being uprooted, and any property without being seized.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) then said, ‘O Amir al-Mu’Minin, Allah placed Ayyub under the trial and he exercised patience, Dawud was given to him and he thanked. It was determined for Joseph who was forgiven. You are from that lineage and that lineage’s behaviors are similar.’ Abu Dawaniq said, ‘You have spoken the truth. I forgive you.’ The Imam said, ‘O Amir al- Mu’Minin, whoever so far has spilled the blood of anyone from our family Allah has taken away the power from him.’ Abu Dawaniq became angry and excited. The Imam said, ‘Hold on O Amir al- Mu’Minin, this power once was with family of abu Sufyan. When they murdered al-Husayn (a.s.) Allah took away the power from them and the family of Marwan inherited it. When Hisham murdered Zayd, Allah took it away from him and Marwan ibn Muhammad inherited it. When Marwan murdered Ibrahim, Allah took away the power from him and gave it to you.’ Abu Dawaniq then said, ‘You have spoken the truth. Tell me what do you need?’ The Imam said, ‘I need permission to leave.’ Abu Dawaniq said, ‘It is in your own hands whenever you like.’ The Imam then left and Rabi’ said, ‘He has ordered ten thousand dirham for you.’ The Imam said, ‘I do not need it.’ He said, ‘You are making him (Abu Dawaniq) angiy, take it and then give it to charity.’”

“Ali ibn al-Husayn would say, ‘After saying these words, I will not be concerned at all even if all men and Jinn gather together against me: “In the name of Allah, with (assistance of) Allah, to Allah, in the way of Allah, and upon the religion of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant al-Salat (favors) upon Muhammad and his family, O Allah, to You I have submitted my soul, to You I have turned my face, it is You whom 1 have sought for backup and in Your hands 1 have left my affairs, O Lord, protect me with the protection of belief from all directions, the front, back, right, left, above below and before me. Defend me by Your means and power; there are no means and no power without Allah.’”