The 365 · Sunnah · Day 31 · Morning
Reciting the Prophetic Du'a' Against al-Hamm and al-Dayn
The hadith
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ وَقَهْرِ الرِّجَالِ
The Prophet ﷺ taught Anas: 'Whenever you reach morning and evening, say: O Allah, I seek refuge in You from anxiety and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and stinginess, from being overcome by debt and oppressed by men.' (Sahih al-Bukhari 6369.)
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ lärde Anas: 'När du når morgonen och kvällen, säg: O Allah, jag söker skydd hos Dig från oro och sorg, från oförmåga och lättja, från feghet och girighet, från att bli övermannad av skuld och förtryckt av människor.'
Sahih al-Bukhari 6369 (Anas ibn Malik); Sunan Abi Dawud 1555 (the broader narration where Anas teaches it to a worried man with debts)
The story
Anas narrated: I served the Prophet ﷺ and entered upon him one day. I found Abu Umamah in the masjid, sitting outside the time of prayer. I asked him why. He said: 'Worries, Anas, and debts that have overcome me.' I said: 'Shall I tell you something the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me? If you say it morning and evening, Allah will lift your worries and pay your debt.' He said yes. I taught him the du'a'. He recited it morning and evening. His worries lifted; his debt was paid. (Sunan Abi Dawud 1555.) The Sunnah was tested; it worked.
Why it's here
The du'a' names eight ailments in four pairs: hamm (anxiety about the future) and hazan (grief about the past), 'ajz (incapacity) and kasal (laziness), jubn (cowardice) and bukhl (stinginess), debt and oppression. Eight of the most common adult Muslim ailments, all addressed in one du'a'. The Prophet ﷺ taught this du'a' to a Companion who reported that his worries lifted and his debt was paid.
Try it today
1. Memorize the du'a' in Arabic.
2. Recite it morning and evening as part of the adhkār routine.
3. If a specific worry or debt is pressing, increase the recitation frequency.
In your day
Most modern adult anxieties map onto the eight categories named in the du'a'. Identify your specific anxiety; locate it in the eight; recite the du'a' daily for forty days. Anas's experience is the documented precedent.
A reflection to carry
The duʿāʾ of relief from worry and debt: 'Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika min al-hamm wa-l-ḥazan, wa-l-ʿajz wa-l-kasal, wa-l-bukhl wa-l-jubn, wa-ḍalaʿi-d-dayn wa-ghalabati-r-rijāl.' (Bukhārī 6369.) The Prophet ﷺ's eight-fold refuge.
Read the longer reflection
The eight-fold refuge covers the structural pairs of psychological and material distress: anxiety (hamm) about future + grief (ḥazan) about past; inability (ʿajz) + laziness (kasal); miserliness (bukhl) + cowardice (jubn); debt-burden + men's-overpowering. The Prophet ﷺ pairs each negative with its category-counterpart, structurally comprehensive. Cure: memorize the duʿāʾ; recite morning and evening; particularly invoke during periods of difficulty in any of the named areas. The Companions in financial difficulty would recite this duʿāʾ repeatedly; relief was structurally connected to the petition. Modern application: when feeling worry, debt-stress, or any of the named states, recite as primary intervention.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Abu Dawud. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
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