Supplication to Overcome Fear: Quranic Supplications 21
During Ramadan 2023, Sheikh Faraz Rabbani gave a series of daily video talks on supplications in the Quran. This series of articles are drawn from those talks and the related eBook. This article is about overcoming fear. The video series can be viewed here.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَـٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ
وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
“Say: I take refuge in the Lord of Daybreak; From the evil of all He has created; And from the evil of outpoured blackest night when it fills everything; And from the evil of wicked souls who blow spittle-mist on sorcerous knots;And from the evil of envier, when gripped with envy.”
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ
مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ
إِلَـٰهِ ٱلنَّاسِ
مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ
ٱلَّذِى يُوَسْوِسُ فِى صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ
مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ
“Say: I take refuge in the Lord of Men; The King of Men;The God of Men; From the evil of the cunning insinuator of ill-thoughts who ever draws back from being guessed; Who sows and sows ill-thoughts in breasts of men; Be he of vile jinn or men.”
One of the comprehensive supplications that is often not regarded as a supplication is Surat al-Falaq, and after it Surat An-Nas.
These are the last two chapters of the Quran. Our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, taught us to recite Surat al-Ikhlas, then Surat al-Falaq, and then Surat al-Nas as remembrance and supplication when we wake up and before we go to sleep. And particularly after the dawn prayer, the sunset prayer, after Fajr and Maghrib. But ideally after every single prayer.
Ward off Fear
Anytime we are afraid we have been encouraged to recite these three brief chapters. They contain within them comprehensive realizations of faith and seeking protection. Recite these meaning their meanings.
Surat al-Ikhlas tells us about the reality of the Oneness and uniqueness of God. Tthat God is The independent Whom all utterly depend upon. The affirmation of faith is an act of supplication that I am in need of the One who is thus. So we make our acts of remembrance (dhikr) out of neediness, and they count as supplication.
Seek Refuge
Likewise, Surat al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas express our seeking refuge in Allah from all that we fear. All possible fears, worldly and spiritual, are encompassed in Surat al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas.
So make it your habit when you wake up and before you sleep, after the Fajr and Maghrib prayers, ideally after every prayer. Anytime you’re afraid, before any great need, recite these three. Mean them, feel them, and then strive to live accordingly so that you turn to Allah in every state and in every need.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.
