What is the best dhikr for anxiety?

The Prophet ﷺ taught a specific dua for anxiety and grief beginning 'Allahumma inni 'abduka…' and promised that whoever says it, Allah will remove his worry and replace it with relief (Musnad Ahmad, sahih). Also powerful are the dua of distress (La ilaha illa Allah al-'Azim al-Halim…) and the dua of Yunus (La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimin).

What dua did the Prophet ﷺ say for worry and grief?

He ﷺ would seek refuge each morning and evening: 'Allahumma inni a'udhu bika minal-hammi wal-hazan…' — 'O Allah, I seek refuge in You from anxiety and grief, from weakness and laziness…' (Sahih al-Bukhari 6369).

Does dhikr help with anxiety?

Allah says in the Quran: 'Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest' (13:28). Dhikr settles the heart, anchors the anxious mind to Allah, and is a profound spiritual relief. It is a complement to — not a replacement for — seeking medical or professional help for clinical anxiety or depression.

What should I recite for peace of mind?

Keep 'Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel' (Allah is sufficient for us and the best Disposer of affairs), the dua of Yunus, and simple repeated SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi. Pair them with your daily morning and evening adhkar, which include duas of well-being and refuge from worry.

Guide · Wellbeing

Dhikr for anxiety & peace of mind: 7 duas from the Quran & Sunnah.

The Zikar Team · 7 min read · Published 10 Jun 2026

When the chest tightens and the mind races, Islam gives us somewhere to turn. The Prophet ﷺ taught specific words for exactly these moments — for worry, grief, distress and fear — and the Quran ties the cure to a single act: remembrance. These are seven authentic adhkar for anxiety and peace of mind, each with its source, and how to use them when the feeling hits.

The promise: where hearts find rest

Allah makes the connection explicit:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ "Those who believe and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." — Quran, Surah ar-Ra'd 13:28

Anxiety scatters the heart across a hundred future fears. Dhikr does the opposite: it pulls the heart back to the One who holds every one of those fears in His hand. That is why the remembrance is not a distraction from the worry — it is the medicine for it.

1. The dua for anxiety & grief

This is the dua of the anxious heart. Ibn Mas'ud (RA) reported the Prophet ﷺ said: no one is ever struck by anxiety or grief and says these words except that Allah removes his worry and replaces it with relief — and he ﷺ told the companions: "whoever hears it should learn it."

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي عَبْدُكَ، ابْنُ عَبْدِكَ، ابْنُ أَمَتِكَ، نَاصِيَتِي بِيَدِكَ، مَاضٍ فِيَّ حُكْمُكَ، عَدْلٌ فِيَّ قَضَاؤُكَ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ، سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ، أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِي كِتَابِكَ، أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ، أَوِ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِي عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ، أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيعَ قَلْبِي، وَنُورَ صَدْرِي، وَجَلَاءَ حُزْنِي، وَذَهَابَ هَمِّي Allahumma inni 'abduka, ibnu 'abdika, ibnu amatika, nasiyati bi-yadika, madin fiyya hukmuka, 'adlun fiyya qada'uka… an taj'alal-Qur'ana rabi'a qalbi, wa nura sadri, wa jala'a huzni, wa dhahaba hammi. — "…that You make the Quran the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the lifting of my sorrow and the departure of my anxiety." Musnad Ahmad 3712 · graded sahih by Ahmad Shakir & al-Albani

2. The dua of distress (du'a al-karb)

What the Prophet ﷺ himself said in moments of distress:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْعَظِيمُ الْحَلِيمُ، لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَرَبُّ الْأَرْضِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ La ilaha illa Allahul-'Azimul-Halim, la ilaha illa Allahu Rabbul-'Arshil-'Azim, la ilaha illa Allahu Rabbus-samawati wa Rabbul-ardi wa Rabbul-'Arshil-Karim. — "There is no god but Allah, the Magnificent, the Forbearing…" Sahih al-Bukhari 6346, Sahih Muslim 2730

3. The dua of Yunus (Dhun-Nun)

The words Prophet Yunus (AS) called out from the depths of the whale and the sea and the night — and Allah saved him. The Prophet ﷺ said no Muslim ever supplicates with it for anything except that Allah answers him:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimin — "There is no god but You. Glory be to You. Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers." — Quran 21:87 · Sunan at-Tirmidhi 3505 · graded sahih by al-Albani

4. Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel

The words of Ibrahim (AS) as he was thrown into the fire, and of the believers when fear was used against them — and Allah turned it to safety:

حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel — "Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs." — Quran 3:173 · Sahih al-Bukhari 4563

5. The Prophet's ﷺ daily refuge from worry

He ﷺ sought refuge from anxiety every morning and evening — make it part of your routine before the worry even arrives:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ وَقَهْرِ الرِّجَالِ Allahumma inni a'udhu bika minal-hammi wal-hazan, wa a'udhu bika minal-'ajzi wal-kasal… — "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from anxiety and grief, from weakness and laziness…" Sahih al-Bukhari 6369

This dua is already built into your morning and evening adhkar, which also carry the duas of 'afiyah (well-being) and protection — keeping them daily is itself a shield against anxiety.

6. Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum

When you cannot carry your own affairs, hand them to the One who never tires:

يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيثُ، أَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ، وَلَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَىٰ نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ Ya Hayyu ya Qayyum bi-rahmatika astaghith, aslih li sha'ni kullahu, wa la takilni ila nafsi tarfata 'ayn. — "…Rectify all my affairs, and do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye." al-Hakim · graded sahih/hasan by al-Albani

7. When you can't focus — keep it simple

In the grip of a panic or a heavy heart, long duas can feel out of reach. That's fine. Return to the lightest, most beloved words and just repeat them — let the rhythm carry you:

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi — "Glory be to Allah and praise is His." — "Light on the tongue, heavy on the scales." Sahih al-Bukhari 6682

Or simply La ilaha illa Allah, or Astaghfirullah, on repeat. The count matters less than the returning.

When anxiety hits — a 3-step reset

Breathe and name it — say Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel three times, slowly.
Hand it over — the dua of Yunus, or the full anxiety dua (No. 1), with meaning.
Anchor with a count — open a counter and repeat SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi until the wave passes. The steady tap gives the restless mind somewhere to rest.

Dhikr — and getting help

One honest word. Dhikr is a profound spiritual relief, and the Prophet ﷺ gave us these duas precisely because hardship is part of the human condition. But the Sunnah also teaches us to take the means: the Prophet ﷺ said, "Allah has not sent down a disease except that He has also sent down its cure" (Sahih al-Bukhari). If your anxiety is persistent, overwhelming, or affecting your daily life, please also reach out to a doctor or a qualified counsellor. Seeking treatment is not weakness of faith — it is acting on the very tawakkul these duas express. Make the dua and tie the camel.

Frequently asked questions

What dhikr gives peace of mind?

Repeated Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel, the dua of Yunus, and steady SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi — alongside the daily morning and evening adhkar, which contain the Prophet's ﷺ own duas of well-being and refuge from worry.

How many times should I say the dua for anxiety?

There is no fixed number — the promise attached to dua No. 1 is for saying it sincerely, even once. Many people repeat the shorter phrases (like the dua of Yunus, or Hasbunallah) on a count to settle the mind. Let need, not a number, set the pace.