7 Surahs and Verses for Anxiety, Sadness and Stress

Everyone goes through seasons of worry and sadness. The Quran does not ask us to pretend these feelings away. It shows us prophets who felt grief and fear, and it teaches us where to take those feelings: to Allah. Here are seven passages to read, reflect on and return to whenever your heart feels heavy.

1. Surah Ad-Duha (93): "Your Lord has not abandoned you"

The Prophet ﷺ once fell ill and did not stand for the night prayer for two or three nights. A woman taunted him, claiming he had been abandoned, and Allah revealed this surah (Sahih al-Bukhari 4950):

مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ

"Your Lord has not taken leave of you, nor has He detested you." (Quran 93:3)

The surah then reminds the Prophet ﷺ how Allah cared for him as an orphan, guided him and provided for him. When you feel forgotten, list the times Allah has already carried you through. The One who helped you then has not left you now.

2. Surah Ash-Sharh (94): "With hardship comes ease"

فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ۝ إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًۭا

"For indeed, with hardship will be ease. Indeed, with hardship will be ease." (Quran 94:5–6)

Notice the word with. Ease does not only come after hardship; it travels alongside it. The promise is repeated twice, as if to answer the doubt in a tired heart.

3. Surah Yusuf (12): taking your grief to Allah

Prophet Yaqub lost his son Yusuf for many years. His grief was so deep that his eyes turned white with sorrow (Quran 12:84), yet he never lost hope. He said:

إِنَّمَآ أَشْكُوا۟ بَثِّى وَحُزْنِىٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ

"I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah." (Quran 12:86)

Sadness is not a lack of faith. A prophet wept. What matters is where we take our pain. Telling Allah exactly how you feel, in your own words, is an act of worship.

4. The dua of Prophet Yunus (21:87)

Swallowed by a whale, in the darkness of the night, the sea and the whale's belly, Prophet Yunus called out:

لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka, inni kuntu minaz-zalimin.
"There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers." (Quran 21:87)

The Prophet ﷺ said that no Muslim makes this supplication for anything except that Allah responds to him (Tirmidhi 3505). Keep it on your tongue in hard moments.

5. Surah Ar-Ra'd (13:28): where hearts find rest

أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ

"Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured." (Quran 13:28)

Dhikr is something you can do anywhere: on the bus, at your desk, before sleep. Even a few minutes of SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah and Allahu Akbar can steady a racing mind.

6. Surah At-Talaq (65:2–3): a way out you cannot yet see

وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًۭا ۝ وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ

"And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out, and will provide for him from where he does not expect." (Quran 65:2–3)

Anxiety often comes from trying to see every step ahead. This verse reminds us that Allah opens doors we did not know existed.

7. Surah Al-Baqarah (2:286): never more than you can bear

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

"Allah does not charge a soul except with that within its capacity." (Quran 2:286)

The last two verses of Al-Baqarah end with a beautiful set of duas asking Allah for pardon, forgiveness and mercy. Many Muslims recite them every night before sleep.

How to make these verses part of your day

• Read Ad-Duha and Ash-Sharh after Fajr. They take less than two minutes.
• Write one verse on a card and keep it by your bed or on your phone's lock screen.
• Listen while you rest. Hearing a calm recitation can ease the mind when reading feels too hard.
• Talk to someone. Faith and professional help go together. If anxiety or low mood is affecting your daily life, please speak to your GP, a counsellor or a trusted imam.

You may also find comfort in our duas for anxiety, stress and depression and 10 verses of Quran for when you need comfort.