The Power of Prayer in Overcoming Hardship and Distress
Seek help from Allah through prayer during times of distress
Human life consists of two parts: one part is related to ease and comfort, while the other is related to hardship and distress. That is, a person may experience comfort in life at times, and at other times, he may encounter difficulties. For a believer, guidance from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) exists in both of these situations. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
The matter of a believer is amazing; every situation he faces is good for him, and this privilege is granted to no one but a believer. If he is blessed with happiness and prosperity, he gives thanks, and it is good for him. If he suffers harm, he is patient (for the sake of Allah’s pleasure), and that, too, is good for him. (Sahih Muslim 2999)
This hadith mentions both the good and bad conditions of human life, explaining that expressing gratitude to Allah in a state of comfort and peace, and practicing patience in times of hardship and distress, are acts worthy of reward. In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah commands believers on two occasions to seek help through patience and prayer in times of distress. In one verse, Allah states:
And seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer) and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for Al-Khashi’un [i.e. the true believers in Allah – those who obey Allah with full submission, fear much from His Punishment, and believe in His Promise (Paradise, etc.) and in His Warnings (Hell, etc.)].(Al-Baqarah: 45)
In another verse, Allah says:
O you who believe! Seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer). Truly! Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.) (Al-Baqarah: 153)
These two verses from Surah Al-Baqarah indicate that believers should act with patience during hardships and seek Allah’s help through prayer to relieve their distress.
Prayer is a major pillar of the religion and the second pillar of Islam. It is the most important means of attaining peace, resolving difficulties, obtaining relief from hardships, and drawing closer to Allah to seek His help. Allah has revealed a surah titled Al-Mu’minun (The Believers), and right at the beginning, in the first verse, He gives the glad tidings of success to the believers, saying that only the believers will succeed. In describing the qualities of the believers, Allah first mentions, in the second verse, that they are those who maintain humility in their prayers, and in the ninth verse, He says they consistently observe their prayers. Let’s take a look at these verses:
The first verse where Allah gives the glad tidings of success to the believers:
"Successful indeed are the believers." (Al-Mu’minun: 1)
In the second verse, Allah mentions the first quality of successful believers as those who practice humility in their prayers:
"Those who offer their Salat (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness." (Al-Mu’minun: 2)
In the ninth verse, Allah states that believers are those who guard their prayers:
"And those who carefully maintain their prayers." (Al-Mu’minun: 9)
In verses ten and eleven, Allah further mentions that such people will inherit Paradise (the highest paradise) and will reside there forever. My purpose in mentioning these details is to highlight that today, Muslims are distressed because they are not devoted to worshipping Allah, and most of those who do engage in worship are entangled in shirk (associating partners with Allah) and bid’ah (innovations in religion). In such circumstances, Muslims will indeed remain distressed. Prayer is a means of fulfilling life’s purpose and averting calamities; therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would turn to prayer during times of sorrow, anxiety, and distress.
Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When anything distressed the Prophet (ﷺ), he prayed."
(Sahih Abi Dawud: 1319)
Translation: Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was troubled by something, he would pray—meaning, he would immediately engage in prayer.
The phrase “When a matter distressed him, he would pray” means that when a matter saddened him or caused him worry, he would turn to prayer.
This hadith shows that prayer is a prophetic remedy for alleviating distress. The Prophet (peace be upon him) offered Qunoot Nazilah (a special supplication) in prayer when he faced torment and trouble from the disbelievers. He instructed people to hasten to prayer during solar and lunar eclipses (which are signs of Allah and meant to instill fear in His servants). Similarly, he commanded the prayer of Istisqa (seeking rain) when people were distressed by drought.
The Battle of Badr was a particularly severe and delicate moment for the Muslims. It could be said that no other threat of such magnitude ever faced the small group of Muslims in Islamic history. During that critical and distressing time, the Prophet (peace be upon him) supplicated to Allah, saying, “If this small band of Muslims is destroyed, there will be no one left on earth to worship You.” Regarding the critical and distressing night before Badr, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) describes the state of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
On the day of Badr, only Hazrat Miqdad (may Allah be pleased with him) among us was a horse rider, and all of us, except for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), fell asleep. He remained praying and weeping under a tree until morning. (Saheeh At-Targheeb: 3330)
Our predecessors followed this Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and even before him, righteous people would pray to seek help from Allah during times of distress. In the explanation of verse 45 of Surah Al-Baqarah, it is mentioned that when Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) received the news of his brother Qutham's death while traveling, he recited "Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'un" (Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we will return). He then stepped aside from the road, made his camel kneel, and prayed two long units of prayer. While returning to his mount, he recited the verse, "And seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer) and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for Al-Khashi’un." (Al-Baqarah: 45)
(Fath al-Bari by Ibn Hajar: 3/205)
Narrated Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah:
I and my father went to the house of my father-in-law from the Ansar to pay a sick visit to him. The time of prayer came. He said to someone of his relatives: O girl! bring me water for ablution so that I pray and get comfort. We objected to him for it. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Get up, Bilal, and give us comfort by the prayer.
(Sahih Abi Dawud: 4986)
Similarly, in Sahih Bukhari (2482), the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) narrated the story of a man named Jurayj from the Children of Israel. In summary, his mother became angry with him when he did not respond to her call while he was busy praying, so she cursed him, saying, “O Allah, do not let him die until he sees the face of a prostitute.” Consequently, a prostitute accused him of being the father of her child. The people demolished his place of worship, took him out, and insulted him. It is further mentioned in this incident:
“Then he performed ablution, prayed, and approached the child. He asked, ‘O boy, who is your father?’ The child responded, ‘The shepherd.’”
Here, too, help was sought through prayer, and by Allah’s command, the infant spoke.
In the story of Ibrahim (Alaihis-Salam), prayer is also mentioned. When he traveled with his beautiful wife, Sarah, and passed through the land of a tyrant king, the king summoned her with ill intentions, as was his custom. During this distress, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) began to pray. When he saw Sarah returning, he asked her, "How did things go?" Sarah replied, “All went well. Allah restrained the hands of the wicked man from me, and he even provided a maidservant.”
(Sahih Muslim: 2371)
The summary of these accounts is that in times of hardship and distress, one should establish prayer and seek help from Allah. The five daily prayers are obligatory and must be performed under all circumstances. During times of hardship, one should also offer additional voluntary prayers to seek Allah’s assistance—this was the practice of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Sadly, in today’s society, some seek to relieve their distress through amulets, while others wear rings, visit shrines, or slaughter animals in the name of the deceased. Recently, even online “Istikhara” services have emerged. All these practices to relieve hardship are un-Islamic and fall into the category of shirk (polytheism) and bid’ah (innovation). We should avoid them and adhere to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
Written by: Shaikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi (Hafidhahullah)
(Jeddah Dawah Center, Hayy Al-Salama – Saudi Arabia)
Interpreter: Hasan Fuzail