Grief:The Prophet's Guidance

Ibn Abbas reported that Prophet Muhammad used to supplicate in times of trouble saying:

"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 Edifying Throne.’

On the authority of at-Tarmizi, who reported that Prophet Muhammad used to supplicate saying:

"Allah, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining, I implore Thy mercy." Whenever afflicted with a grief, the Holy Prophet raised his hands in supplication and said: "Holy is Allah, the Great," then he would go on saying ‘Allah, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining."


Abu Dawud reported that Prophet Muhammad said to Abi Umamah:

"Shall I teach you words which if you recite; Allah will blot out your grief and relieve you of your debts?"

Abi Umamah said, "Oh, Yes!"

The Holy Prophet then went on saying :

‘All right, always remember to supplicate in the morning and evening with the following words':

"O Allah! I seek refuge with you from [worries] care and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by other men."

Abi Umamah said that he did so and Allah helped him overcome his grief and relieve him of his debt.

Ibn Abbas reported that the Holy Prophet said:

"Whosoever begs for Allah’s forgiveness, Allah will relieve him of his grief, give him a way out of his distress and provide for him from whence he expects not."

Another Prophetic saying as follows: "Seek strife in the cause of Allah, it is a gate conducive to the Garden and will verily ward off your cares and grief."

The Prophet also said:“When cares and grief haunt you, always recite, "There is no might and power but that of Allah."

Following are remedies which could to be resorted to when afflicted by grief and worries have started playing within one’s heart:

1. Belief in One Lord.
2. Belief that there is no god but Allah.
3. Belief that Allah is Omniscient.
4. Deanthropomorphism in understanding that Allah is not liable to wrong His servant, nor does He hold any responsible for anything he has no knowledge.
5. The servant’s confession that he is the wrongdoer.
6. Supplication, using the most sacred thing in the Divine perspective, namely His Names and Attributes and the most inclusive ones, in particular: He is the Living [al-Hayyu], the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining [al-Qayyum].
7. Seeking refuge with Allah only.
8. The servant’s recognition that only Allah is worth of making supplication
9. Effecting complete dependence on Allah, resignation to Him and acknowledgement of the fact that one’s forelock is in Allah’s hand; He is decisive in His judgement and just in His decision.
10. Complete absorption of the luminous words of the Holy Qur'an that can illuminate the dark areas of obscurities and lust.
11. Seeking Allah’s forgiveness.
12. Repentance.
13. Fight in the way of Allah.
14. Observance of prayer.
15. Admitting incapacity, and conviction that there is no might and no power but that of Allah.