Allahumma inni a‘udhu bika minal-hammi wal-hazan, wal-‘ajzi wal-kasal, wal-jubni wal-bukhl, wa dala‘id-dayni, wa ghalabatir-rijal.
O Allah, I seek Your protection from worry and grief, helplessness and laziness, cowardice and stinginess, the weight of debt, and being overpowered by people.
What the words recognise
Sahih al-Bukhari 6369 includes worry and sadness within a broader request for refuge. The words acknowledge burdens rather than demanding that someone pretend they do not exist.
Read the text with its whole meaning. Its presence in a grief collection does not establish that every experience of bereavement is a clinical disorder or that one recital ends grief.
Making space for loss
Choose a short request you can understand and return to it at a pace that feels manageable. You do not need to complete a long list to prove patience.
Someone supporting a grieving person can listen and ask what would help. Avoid explanations that assign blame, prescribe a deadline for tears or tell the person that their grief demonstrates insufficient faith.
Support alongside supplication
Rest, practical help and contact with trusted people may be important parts of coping. Seek appropriate professional support if distress is persistent, overwhelming or affects daily life.
Spiritual care does not require stopping treatment or refusing counselling. If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, use local emergency or crisis support.
Common questions
Does sadness mean dua is ineffective? This page makes no such judgment. Is a fixed count a grief treatment? No treatment count is established. Can I pray for someone who has died? Read the deceased-person page and relevant guidance for the circumstances. Where can I continue? The anxiety and peace pages address related but distinct needs.