You've probably already searched this and found the same list seven times. The Bukhari du'a, a transliteration, and an instruction to recite it after Fajr.
What nobody tells you is what to expect — and what to do when you've recited it for a month and the weight hasn't moved.
These du'as are authentic, they are powerful, and they were given for exactly this. But the Prophet ﷺ who taught them also commanded seeking treatment for illness. Both belong here.
Before the du'as: what they are for
The Prophet ﷺ sought refuge from hamm and huzn — anxiety and grief — in his own daily supplications. That tells you two things.
They are real enough to need a du'a. You are not weak for feeling them.
And even he ﷺ asked for refuge from them. They are not conditions a strong believer never has.
What a du'a does: anchors you, steadies the heart, keeps you turned towards Allah through the worst of it. The Qur'an says hearts find rest in remembrance (13:28) — rest, not cure.
What a du'a is not: a replacement for treatment when what you have is an illness rather than an emotion. Depression is an illness in the Sharia's own terms, and the same Prophet ﷺ commanded treating illness. Du'a alongside treatment, not instead of it.
1. The Prophet's ﷺ du'a for anxiety and grief
The one he ﷺ recited regularly, and the most direct.
Allahumma inni a'udhu bika minal-hammi wal-hazan, wal-'ajzi wal-kasal, wal-bukhli wal-jubn, wa dala'id-dayni wa ghalabatir-rijal
"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from anxiety and grief, from inability and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from the burden of debt and being overpowered by others." — Sahih al-Bukhari 6369; also 2893, 5425, 6363. Partial in Sahih Muslim.
What it names: Ibn al-Qayyim explained that hamm is distress about what is coming and huzn is grief about what has passed — the two directions anxiety and depression pull in. Then inability and inertia, which are what both do to the body.
When: morning and evening adhkar, and any moment the weight arrives.
2. The du'a of Yunus — when you cannot find words
La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka, inni kuntu minaz-zalimin
"There is no god but You; glory be to You. I have been among the wrongdoers." — al-Anbiya 21:87. The Prophet ﷺ said no Muslim calls on Allah with it except that He answers — Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3505 [Sheikh: confirm grading].
Why it matters for depression: Yunus said it from inside the whale, in total darkness, with no visible way out. It is the shortest of these, and the one for nights when the long ones are too much.
3. "Do not leave me to myself for the blink of an eye"
Allahumma rahmataka arju, fala takilni ila nafsi tarfata 'ayn, wa aslih li sha'ni kullahu, la ilaha illa anta
"O Allah, I hope for Your mercy. Do not leave me to myself for even the blink of an eye. Set right all my affairs. There is no god but You." — Sunan Abi Dawud 5090 [Sheikh: confirm grading]
Why this one: depression is, among other things, the experience of being left alone with yourself. This du'a asks for the opposite, by name.
4. The du'a of distress — "make the Qur'an the spring of my heart"
"O Allah, I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maidservant. My forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is executed, Your decree over me is just... make the Qur'an the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the clearing of my grief and the departure of my anxiety." — Musnad Ahmad; graded sahih by al-Albani [Sheikh: confirm number]
The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever says it when afflicted by hamm or huzn, Allah removes it and replaces it with joy. The companions asked whether they should learn it. He said: yes — whoever hears it should learn it.
It is the longest, and the one the Prophet ﷺ specifically told people to memorise.
5. "Allah is enough for us"
Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal-wakil
"Allah is sufficient for us, and the best disposer of affairs." — Aal Imran 3:173
Said by the believers when they were told an army was gathering against them. Not a du'a for calm circumstances — a du'a for when the threat is real and you cannot fix it.
6. "O Ever-Living, O Sustainer"
Ya Hayyu ya Qayyum, bi-rahmatika astaghith
"O Ever-Living, O Sustainer of all, by Your mercy I seek relief." — Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3524 [Sheikh: confirm grading]
The Prophet ﷺ said it when something distressed him. Short enough to repeat without thinking, which is the point when thinking is the problem.
7. Surah ad-Duha — the surah revealed for this
Not a du'a, but the chapter most scholars point to for depression, because of what it was revealed for.
Revelation had paused. The Prophet ﷺ was in distress, and people said his Lord had abandoned him. Then:
"Your Lord has not abandoned you, nor does He hate you. And the Hereafter is better for you than the first life. And your Lord will give you, and you will be satisfied." — ad-Duha 93:3–5
And immediately after it:
"For indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease." — ash-Sharh 94:5–6
With hardship. Not after it. The scholars note that 'usr is definite and yusr is indefinite — one hardship, more than one ease.
What to expect — honestly
This is the section the other pages leave out.
Du'a is not a switch. The Prophet ﷺ taught that every du'a is answered in one of three ways — what you asked, something stored for you, or a harm turned aside. Only the first is visible. We've written about what that means when it feels unanswered.
Expect it to steady you, not to silence the thing. A du'a recited sincerely for a month will change your relationship to the weight. It may not remove the weight — and if what you have is an illness, it was never going to on its own.
If you've recited these for weeks and nothing has shifted: you have not failed, and your du'a has not been refused. You may have an illness that needs treating, and the same Sunnah that gave you these du'as commands that. The two are not in competition.
A note from Zulekha
Du'a and treatment work on different things, and people get stuck when they expect one to do the other's job.
Depression affects the brain — the instrument you'd use to feel the comfort of a du'a. When that instrument is unwell, you can recite with complete sincerity and feel nothing, and the nothing is a symptom, not a verdict on your sincerity.
What I see in practice: du'a keeps people connected through treatment, and treatment restores the capacity to feel what du'a offers. Do both. Neither one cancels the other, and a patient who stops medication because they feel their faith should be enough is not showing stronger faith — they're asking a broken leg to run.
Culture and deen
| What you've been told | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| If you recite the right du'a, depression goes | Du'a is answered in three ways, and the Prophet ﷺ also commanded treatment |
| Needing more than du'a shows weak tawakkul | Medicine is itself qadar — Ibn al-Qayyim |
| A true believer wouldn't need these | The Prophet ﷺ recited the first one himself, regularly |
| You must feel calm after reciting or you did it wrong | Feeling nothing can be a symptom of illness, not a failure of du'a |
A note on this article
This article is for reference only. The du'as are authentic; whether what you are experiencing is grief, anxiety or a clinical illness — and what treatment that needs — is not something this page can tell you.
For questions about the du'as or about your accountability while unwell, ask a scholar — free and privately on Khidma.live. For the illness itself, see a doctor or a Muslim psychologist, and nobody is told either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best dua for anxiety and depression? The Prophet's ﷺ own du'a seeking refuge from hamm and huzn — Sahih al-Bukhari 6369. It names anxiety about the future and grief about the past, and he recited it regularly.
Which dua removes sadness? The du'a of distress in Musnad Ahmad asks Allah to make the Qur'an the spring of the heart and the departure of grief. The Prophet ﷺ said whoever says it when afflicted, Allah removes their grief.
Which surah is for depression? Surah ad-Duha, revealed when the Prophet ﷺ was in distress and people said his Lord had abandoned him. Followed immediately by ash-Sharh: "with hardship comes ease."
What is the short dua for anxiety? Ya Hayyu ya Qayyum bi-rahmatika astaghith — short enough to repeat when a longer one is too much. Or the du'a of Yunus.
I've been reciting these and nothing has changed. What am I doing wrong? Possibly nothing. Du'a is answered in three ways and only one is immediate. If weeks have passed and the weight hasn't shifted, what you have may be an illness that needs treatment alongside the du'a — which the Prophet ﷺ also commanded.
Can I take medication and still make dua? Yes. They work on different things. Ibn al-Qayyim held that medicine is itself part of Allah's decree. Stopping treatment out of a belief that faith should be enough is not stronger faith.
Is it wrong to feel nothing when I recite? No. Depression affects the capacity to feel comfort. Feeling nothing can be a symptom, not a failure of sincerity.
Ask a scholar your question — free → About the du'as, or about anything you've been told. A verified scholar records a private audio answer — no payment, nobody told.
Speak to a Muslim psychologist → If the du'as are steadying you but the weight hasn't moved. Islamic counselling online, privately.
Take the free Nafs Assessment → A private few minutes to work out which kind of help you need.