Quran Verses About Anxiety and Worry

The Quran speaks tenderly to worry and grief. It teaches that hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah (13:28), that no soul is burdened beyond its capacity (2:286), and that with hardship comes ease (94:5–6), and the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught specific du’as for anxiety. These are a source of spiritual comfort, and they sit alongside seeking qualified help, not instead of it.

A note before the verses: this is a reflection on comfort, not medical advice. If anxiety is affecting your daily life, please also reach out to a qualified professional. As you will see below, seeking that help is fully consistent with faith. The verses here are shared with their meaning in context, so none is stretched beyond what it actually says.

Verse translations are from The Clear Quran (Dr. Mustafa Khattab) unless noted.

Verses of comfort and reassurance

Many readers turn to this verse in moments of worry:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

Alladhina amanu wa tatma’innu qulubuhum bi-dhikri’llah. Ala bi-dhikri’llahi tatma’innu’l-qulub.

“…those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort.” (ar-Ra’d 13:28). It states a general, unrestricted principle: turning to Allah settles the heart (tatma’inn).

Alongside it, the Quran returns to the theme of reassurance again and again:

• Never beyond your capacity: al-Baqarah 2:286. “Allah does not require of any soul more than what it can afford.” A reassurance of Allah’s justice. It is not a promise that you will never feel overwhelmed, but that you are never given more than you can, with Him, bear.
• With hardship comes ease: ash-Sharh 94:5–6. “Surely with hardship comes ease,” repeated for emphasis. Revealed as consolation to the Prophet himself. In his commentary on these verses, Ibn Kathir records the early saying that one hardship will not overcome two eases.
• A way out, and sufficiency: at-Talaq 65:2–3. “Whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for them… and whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He ˹alone˺ is sufficient for them.” Though revealed amid rulings on divorce, the commentators read these as general promises to the God-conscious.
• “Do not worry; Allah is certainly with us”: at-Tawbah 9:40. The Prophet’s words to Abu Bakr while hiding in the Cave of Thawr during the Hijrah, with pursuers close by. It is comfort spoken in a moment of real, acute fear.
• Patience in trials: al-Baqarah 2:155–157. Allah tells us we will be tested “with… fear and famine and loss,” and gives glad tidings to the patient: those who say, when struck by hardship, “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will ˹all˺ return.”
• Never despair of His mercy: az-Zumar 39:53. “Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins.” This verse addresses those weighed down by guilt over their sins, lifting that particular despair through the vastness of Allah’s forgiveness.

One du’a of the Quran fits a daunting task well: the prayer of Musa when he was sent to Pharaoh (Ta-Ha 20:25–26):

قَالَ رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي

Qala Rabbi’shrah li sadri wa yassir li amri.

“My Lord! Uplift my heart for me, and make my task easy.” It is a good du’a to say before anything that frightens you.

And a word of care on one more verse: “There will certainly be no fear for the close servants of Allah, nor will they grieve” (Yunus 10:62) is a promise of ultimate security (that the awliya’ will have no fear in the trials of the Hereafter), not a claim that a believer never feels worry in this life. Feeling anxious is not a sign of weak faith; some of the most beloved to Allah felt deep grief.

Du’as the Prophet taught for anxiety and grief

Alongside the verses, the Sunnah gives specific, authentic supplications for exactly these feelings. Here they are in Arabic, transliteration and meaning:

The du’a against anxiety and grief (Sahih al-Bukhari 6363):

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ، وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ، وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ

Allahumma inni a’udhu bika mina’l-hammi wa’l-hazan, wa’l-’ajzi wa’l-kasal, wa’l-bukhli wa’l-jubn, wa dala’i’d-dayni wa ghalabati’r-rijal.

“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from anxiety and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, from the burden of debt and from being overpowered by others.”

The du’a of distress (du’a al-karb) (Sahih al-Bukhari 6346 and Sahih Muslim 2730a):

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 Allahu’l-’Azimu’l-Halim, la ilaha illa Allahu Rabbu’l-’Arshi’l-’Azim, la ilaha illa Allahu Rabbu’s-samawati wa Rabbu’l-ardi wa Rabbu’l-’Arshi’l-Karim.

“There is no god but Allah, the Mighty, the Forbearing; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the Magnificent Throne; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth and Lord of the Noble Throne.” The Prophet would say it in times of severe distress.

The du’a of Yunus (Prophet Jonah) (Quran 21:87; commended in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3505, graded sahih by Darussalam on sunnah.com):

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu mina’z-zalimin.

“There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except You. Glory be to You! I have certainly done wrong.” The Prophet said no Muslim supplicates with it for anything without Allah answering him.

For the duas the Prophet ﷺ made in worry and distress, each with its source, see duas for anxiety and distress.

For the remembrances the Prophet ﷺ said every morning and evening, each with its source and grading, see our morning adhkar and evening adhkar.

Comfort, not a substitute for help

This is the most important part. In Islam, turning to Allah and taking practical means go together. When a man asked whether to tie his camel or rely on Allah, the Prophet told him: “Tie it and rely (upon Allah)” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2517, graded hasan by Darussalam on sunnah.com). Trust in Allah includes seeking treatment.

Many scholars and fatwa services (for example SeekersGuidance and Darul Iftaa Birmingham) treat seeking help for psychological difficulty (including doctors, medication, and counselling or therapy) like seeking treatment for a physical illness: permissible, often recommended, and not a sign of weak faith. They cite the hadith “There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5678). So if worry or low mood is weighing on your daily life, please speak to a qualified professional. If you are in crisis or thinking of harming yourself, contact local emergency services now. Reciting these verses and du’as, and getting that help, are not opposites. They belong together.

Reading and reflecting on these verses

You can read and revisit these verses in RecitID, hear them recited, and use AI Explain Ayah to see each one in its context, grounded in classical tafsir, so you reflect on what it truly means rather than a verse taken out of place. For more on reflecting on the Quran, see what tadabbur means.