Quick answer: The Quran and the two most trusted hadith collections record several specific supplications for worry, grief and sudden distress: a verse on how remembrance settles the heart, the words of trust said in moments of fear, the call of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) from inside the whale, and a comprehensive dua the Prophet ﷺ used to say that names worry, grief, debt and feeling overpowered in a single breath. None of these reports gives a fixed number of repetitions, so they are said as often as the need arises.
What the Quran says about a worried heart
One verse is quoted more than almost any other on this subject. It describes what happens to the heart when a person turns to the remembrance of Allah (the Arabic name for the one God).
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ
Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured."
The verse does not promise that hardship disappears. It describes an inner state: a settling, a steadiness, that comes with dhikr (remembrance of Allah through His names and praise). This is why reciting the Quran, repeating short phrases of praise, or simply saying Allah’s name quietly is treated across the Islamic tradition as something that calms rather than something that fixes a problem by itself.
A second verse comes from the story of the early Muslims facing an army that outnumbered them. They were told people were gathering against them, and instead of panic, the Quran records their response.
ٱلَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا۟ لَكُمْ فَٱخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَٰنًۭا وَقَالُوا۟ حَسْبُنَا ٱللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ ٱلْوَكِيلُ
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."
This phrase, “Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs,” is widely used today in moments of financial pressure, illness in the family, or any situation that feels larger than one’s own ability to control. It is not tied to a particular prayer or time of day in the verse itself; it is simply recorded as what believers said when frightened.
The dua of Yunus, said from the depths of distress
The Quran also preserves the exact words of a prophet in one of the most extreme situations described in the text: Yunus (Jonah, peace be upon him) calling out to Allah from inside the fish that had swallowed him.
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَٰضِبًۭا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
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."
The verse begins by affirming that there is no god worthy of worship besides Allah, then glorifies Him, then admits fault. Commentators have long noted the order: praise comes before the personal request. Many Muslims recite this verse, following the Quranic example, when they feel trapped by a problem with no obvious way out, whether that is a health scare, a legal difficulty or ordinary overwhelming stress. The Quran itself does not attach a hadith instruction for how many times to repeat it; it simply records that Yunus was answered.
The Prophet’s comprehensive dua against worry and grief
The most detailed single supplication on this theme comes from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), a companion who spent years in the Prophet’s household and recorded his daily habits closely. He reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to say a dua that names eight separate burdens in four pairs.
حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ مَخْلَدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ أَبِي عَمْرٍو، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَسًا، قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَالْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ، وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ، وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ ".
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)
In plain English, the Prophet ﷺ asked for protection from worry (anxious thought about the future) and grief (sadness over the past), from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, and from being crushed by debt or dominated by other people. The hadith describes this as something the Prophet ﷺ “used to say,” meaning it was part of his regular practice, not a one-off reaction to a single event. The report does not give a set number of times to repeat it or tie it to a particular hour of the day, so it is reported simply as words he returned to often.
Because the dua groups mental, physical, financial and social pressure in one supplication, many contemporary teachers recommend it as a daily habit rather than something reserved for a crisis. That is a reasonable reading of the hadith’s wording, though the hadith itself does not state a schedule.
The dua for a moment of sudden distress
A separate, shorter supplication is recorded for the specific moment when a problem suddenly presses down, what the hadith literature calls karb, severe distress or anguish. It is reported through Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him).
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَابْنُ، بَشَّارٍ وَعُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ – وَاللَّفْظُ لاِبْنِ سَعِيدٍ – قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يَقُولُ عِنْدَ الْكَرْبِ " لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ الْعَظِيمُ الْحَلِيمُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ رَبُّ السَّمَوَاتِ وَرَبُّ الأَرْضِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ " .
Ibn 'Abbas reported that Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) used to supplicate during the time of trouble (in these words):" There is no god but Allah, the Great, the Tolerant, there is no god but Allah, the Lord of the Magnificent Throne There is no god but Allah, the Lord of the Heaven and the earth, the Lord of the Edifying Throne
This supplication is built entirely from affirming who Allah is: the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of a throne beyond human measure. There is no request attached to it in the wording itself. The logic, as scholars reading this hadith have pointed out, is that naming Allah’s greatness in a moment of panic reorients the heart before any specific request is made. It is reported as something said “at a time of distress,” rather than as part of the five daily prayers or morning and evening adhkar routines.
A quick reference table
| Situation | When it is said | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Heart feels unsettled, anxious thinking | Any time, especially during dhikr or after prayer | Quran 13:28 |
| Facing a threat or frightening news | The moment fear or pressure arises | Quran 3:173 |
| Feeling trapped with no way out | In the depth of a difficulty, following the example of Yunus (peace be upon him) | Quran 21:87 |
| General worry, grief, debt, feeling overpowered | Reported as regular practice, no fixed count | Sahih al-Bukhari 6369 |
| Sudden, severe distress (karb) | At the moment distress strikes | Sahih Muslim 2730a |
A note some readers will already know
Dua is reported in these texts as an act of worship and a source of spiritual comfort. It is not described anywhere in these reports as a medical treatment, and nothing here should be read as medical or psychological advice; readers dealing with ongoing anxiety are encouraged to also seek appropriate professional support alongside these supplications.
Other well-known duas worth naming
Readers researching this topic online will come across other lines sometimes linked to anxiety and distress, including supplications found in collections such as Abu Dawud or al-Tirmidhi. Those reports are not quoted here, in line with this site’s practice of quoting dua text only from the Quran, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The five texts above cover the ground those other reports are usually cited for: a settled heart, trust in hardship, a cry from deep distress, a comprehensive request against worry and grief, and words for a sudden crisis.
How these duas fit into a daily routine
None of the five hadith and Quranic reports used here specify a repetition count or a required posture. Readers who want a structured daily habit of remembrance can pair these verses with a regular reading plan; the site’s own Quran in 30 days plan is one option for building familiarity with verses like these over time. A missed-prayer tracker such as the qaza tracker can also help someone rebuild a settled daily rhythm, which many people find reduces the background noise that feeds low-level anxiety in the first place.
For anyone unsure which of these supplications fits their own situation, or how to combine dua with other steps they are taking for their wellbeing, asking a qualified local scholar remains the most reliable way to get guidance suited to individual circumstances.