Duas for Calamities and in Times of Distress

Dua is a simple yet extremely powerful tool that Muslims have. It is an essential act of worship that can be done at any time, as Allah (SubhanahuwaTa'ala) loves His slave who asks Him. Dua is the most potent weapon of a believer. Dua should be the first thing that comes to our minds when calamity strikes, but unfortunately, we think about all the medicines and people that can help us before turning to Allah. In addition to making Dua, reading Quran has a calming effect on our hearts, mind, and bodies. Doing Istighfar 70-100 times a day can help us ward off difficulties and calamities.

In addition to our daily Duas, listed below is a list of Duas that one can make at the time of distress and calamity:

رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

"Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers." 

Quran 7:23

رَبَّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الْأَبْرَارِ

"Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous." 

Quran 3:193

لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

"There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers." 

Quran 21:87

حَسْبُنَا اللَّـهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

"Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs." 

Quran 3:173

إِنَّا لِلهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ ، اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي ، وَاخْلُفْ لِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا

"To Allah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allah, recompense me for my affliction and replace it for me with something better."

Hisnul Muslim

اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّي أَعْوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الهَـمِّ وَ الْحُـزْنِ، والعًجْـزِ والكَسَلِ والبُخْـلِ والجُـبْنِ، وضَلْـعِ الـدَّيْنِ وغَلَبَـةِ الرِّجال

"O Allah, I take refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts and from being overpowered by men."

Hisnul Muslim

Dua for seeking Allah's protection for children:

أُعيـذُكُمـا بِكَلِـماتِ اللهِ التّـامَّة، مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْـطانٍ وَهـامَّة، وَمِنْ كُـلِّ عَـيْنٍ لامَّـة

"I seek protection for you in the Perfect Words of Allah from every devil and every beast, and from every envious blameworthy eye."

Hisnul Muslim

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إلَّا هُوَ الحَيُّ القَيّوُمُ وأَتُوبُ إِلَيهِ

"I seek Allah's forgiveness, besides whom, none has the right to be worshipped except He, The Ever-Living, The Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, and I turn to Him in repentance."

Hisnul Muslim

Dua for visiting the sick:

لا بأْسَ طَهـورٌ إِنْ شـاءَ الله

"Do not worry, may it (the sickness) be a purification, if Allah wills."

Hisnul Muslim

Dua for the terminally ill:

أللّهُـمَّ اغْفِـرْ لي وَارْحَمْـني وَأَلْحِقْـني بِالرَّفـيقِ الأّعْلـى

"O Allah, forgive me, have mercy upon me and unite me with the higher companions."

Hisnul Muslim

اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّي عَبْـدُكَ ابْنُ عَبْـدِكَ ابْنُ أَمَتِـكَ نَاصِيَتِي بِيَـدِكَ، مَاضٍ فِيَّ حُكْمُكَ، عَدْلٌ فِيَّ قَضَاؤكَ أَسْأَلُـكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ سَمَّـيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ أِوْ أَنْزَلْتَـهُ فِي كِتَابِكَ، أَوْ عَلَّمْـتَهُ أَحَداً مِنْ خَلْقِـكَ أَوِ اسْتَـأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِي عِلْمِ الغَيْـبِ عِنْـدَكَ أَنْ تَجْـعَلَ القُرْآنَ رَبِيـعَ قَلْبِـي، وَنورَ صَـدْرِي وجَلَاءَ حُـزْنِي وذَهَابَ هَمِّـي

"O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your male, son of your female slave. My forelock is in Your Hand. Your Judgment upon me is assured and Your Decree concerning me is just. I ask You by every Name that You have named Yourself with, revealed in Your Book, taught anyone of Your creation or kept unto Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen that is with You, to make the Qur'an the spring of my heart, and the light of my chest, the banisher of my sadness and the reliever of my distress."

Ibn Hibban 972

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي دِينِي وَدُنْيَايَ وَأَهْللِي، وَمَالِي، اللَّهُمَّ اسْتُرْ عَوْرَاتِي، وَآمِنْ رَوْعَاتِي، اللَّهُمَّ احْفَظْنِي مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيَّ، وَمِنْ خَلْفِي، وَعَنْ يَمِينِي، وَعَنْ شِمَالِي، وَمِنْ فَوْقِي، وَأَعُوذُ بِعَظَمَتِكَ أَنْ أُغْتَالَ مِنْ تَحْتِي

"O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness and Your protection in this world and the next. O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness and Your protection in my religion, in my worldly affairs, in my family and in my wealth. O Allah, conceal my secrets and preserve me from anguish. O Allah, guard me from what is in front of me and behind me, from my left, and from my right, and from above me. I seek refuge in Your Greatness from being struck down from beneath me."

Ibn Majah 2/332 and Abu Dawud

بِسْمِ اللهِ الَّذِي لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

"In the Name of Allah, Who with His Name nothing can cause harm in the earth nor in the heavens, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (Recite 3 times)

"Whoever recites it three times in the morning will not be afflicted by any calamity before evening, and whoever recites it three times in the evening will not be overtaken by any calamity before morning."

Abu Dawud 4/323, At-Tirmithi 5/465, Ibn Majah 2/332

أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللهِ التَّامَّاتِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ

"I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from the evil of what He has created."(Recite 3 times)

Narrated by Anas bin Malik (R):

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "None of you should wish for death because of a calamity befalling him; but if he has to wish for death, he should say: "O Allah! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and let me die if death is better for me.' "

(Sahih al-Bukhari 5671)

It was narrated from Abu Huraira (R) that:

Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) used to seek refuge (in Allah) from the evil of what has been decreed, from misery, from the mockery of (triumphant) enemies, and from severe calamity. (Sahih Muslim 2707)

Dua for All evil diseases:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْبَرَصِ وَالْجُنُونِ وَالْجُذَامِ وَمِنْ سَيِّئِ الأَسْقَامِ

"O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from leprosy, madness, elephantiasis, and evil diseases"

Sunan Abi Dawud 1554