Dua for loss and calamity (Inna lillahi)

What to say when a loss or a hardship strikes, and words of comfort for the bereaved.

1 Once

إِنَّا لِلهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ، اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي، وَأَخْلِفْ لِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا

Meaning and source

’Umm Salamah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "No Muslim is afflicted with a calamity and then says what Allah has commanded: {We belong to Allah, and to Him we will return} [Surat al-Baqarah: 156], O Allah, reward me in my calamity and replace it for me with something better, except that Allah replaces it for him with something better." She said: When Abu Salamah passed away, I said: Who among the Muslims could be better than Abu Salamah, the first household to migrate to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)? Then I said it, and Allah replaced him for me with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

Narrated by Muslim Grade: Authentic

Explanation

’Umm Salamah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned that she heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) once saying: No Muslim is afflicted with a calamity and then says what Allah has recommended for him to say: {We belong to Allah, and to Him we will return} [Surat al-Baqarah: 156], (O Allah, reward me) and grant me the reward for my patience (in my calamity), and compensate me (and replace it for me) with (something better); except that Allah replaces it for him with something better. She said: When Abu Salamah passed away, I said: Who among the Muslims could be better than Abu Salamah, the first household to migrate to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)? Then I said it with the support of Allah, and Allah replaced him for me with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), who is better than Abu Salamah.

Benefits

  • The command to be patient at times of calamity and not to be discontent.
  • Turning to Allah in supplication during adversities, for He alone provides compensation.
  • It is necessary for the believer to comply with the command of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) even if the wisdom behind the command is not clear to him.
  • All goodness lies in the believer's compliance with the Prophet's command.

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2 Once

إنَّ لِلَّه ما أَخَذ ولَهُ ما أَعطَى، وكلُّ شَيءٍ عِنده بِأجَل مُسمَّى فَلتَصبِر ولتَحتَسِب

Meaning and source

Usāmah ibn Zayd ibn Hārithah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet's daughter sent for him to come over because her son was dying. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent her the greeting of peace and this message: "To Allah belongs what He takes, and to Him belongs what He gives, and for everything He sets a specific term. So she should have patience and seek the reward from Allah." She sent back urging him to come to her. So he, along with Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah, Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Zayd ibn Thābit and other men (may Allah be pleased with them) went. The boy was given to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his breath was disturbed in his chest, which made the eyes of the Messenger of Allah overflow with tears. Thereupon, Sa‘d said: "O Messenger of Allah, what is that?" He said: "That is mercy which Allah, the Exalted, puts in the hearts of His slaves." In another version: "In the hearts of those He wills of His slaves. Indeed, Allah is merciful only to those of His slaves who are merciful."

Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim Grade: Authentic hadith

Explanation

Usāmah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) recounts that one of the daughters of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent him a message that her son was dying and asked that he comes over. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told the messenger to tell her to have patience and to hope for the reward from Allah; meaning that she should be patient with this calamity while expecting the reward for her patience from Allah. Some people are patient but they do not hope for the reward. If they are patient and intend with their patience that Allah give them reward for it, then this is the meaning of Ihtisāb (expecting the reward from Allah). The Prophet's words "to Allah belongs what He takes and to Him belongs what He gives" is a great statement indeed. If everything belongs to Allah, then if He takes something from you, it is His, and if He gives you something, it is also His. So, how could you be angry and discontent if He takes from you what is originally His? That is why it is an act of Sunnah that when a person is afflicted with calamity he should say: "To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return!" This expression clearly means that we are the property of Allah, Who thus can do what He wills with His property. Likewise are the things we love; if Allah takes them from us, they are ultimately His. So, He is the ultimate owner of what He takes and what He gives. Yo do not own what Allah gives you and, therefore, you cannot dispose of what He has given you except in the way He permitted. Our ownership of what Allah gives us is limited, and we do not have absolute freedom in disposing of it. If this is the case, then how can we be impatient and intolerant when Allah, the absolute Owner, takes back what belongs to Him? This contradicts reason and text (the Quran and Sunnah). The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) added that everything has an appointed term with Allah; meaning that He has a fixed time limit for everything. So, if you believe with certainty that to Allah belongs what He takes and to Him belongs what He gives and that He has fixed an appointed term for everything, you will be convinced without doubt that man cannot change the decreed term of anything, neither by advancing its time nor by delaying it. This conforms with the saying of Allah, the Exalted: {For every nation is a (specified) term. When their time has come, then they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede (it)} [Sūrat Yunus: 49]. So if a matter is predetermined by Allah and will neither be advanced or delayed from its appointed time, there is no benefit in impatience and discontent. Even if you are impatient and discontent, you will not change any part of fate. When the Prophet's daughter insisted that he goes to her, he went along with some of his Companions. He arrived when her child was in the throes of death. This made the eyes of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) filled with tears. Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah thought that the Prophet was crying out of impatience, so the Prophet told him that he cries out of mercy for the little dying boy, not out of impatience and discontent with fate. Then he added that Allah is merciful to those of His slaves who are merciful to others. This Hadīth indicates the permissibility of crying out of mercy for those who are afflicted with misfortune.

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3 Once

Meaning and source

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) called upon his son Ibrahīm while he was breathing his last. The eyes of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) began to shed tears. ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn ‘Awf said to him: "And you too, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "O Ibn ‘Awf, this is a mercy." Then he followed it by saying: "Indeed, the eyes shed tears and the heart is grieved, and we do not say except what pleases our Lord. And indeed, over your departure, O Ibrahīm, we are grieved."

Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim Grade: Authentic hadith

Explanation

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) called upon his son Ibrahīm when he was near death. The eyes of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) started to flow with tears. ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn ‘Awf said in astonishment: "And you too O Messenger of Allah?" Meaning: The people are not patient in the face of calamities, and are you too doing as they do? It was as if he was surprised to see the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in such a state, as he had always been known to encourage patience and forbid impatience. So, he answered him by saying that it was a mercy, meaning: the condition in which you see me is the softness of my heart towards the boy. He followed this with another statement: “Indeed, the eyes shed tears and the heart is grieved, and we do not say except what pleases our Lord,” meaning: we do not show displeasure, rather we show patience. “And indeed, over your departure, O Ibrahīm, we are grieved.” Therefore mercy does not contradict patience or belief in the divine decree.

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4 Once

Meaning and source

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a woman who was weeping beside a grave. He said to her: "Fear Allah and be patient." She said to him: "Leave me alone, for you have not been afflicted with a calamity like mine." She did not recognize him. She was later informed that he was the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). So, she went to his house and there she did not find any doormen. Then she said to him: "I did not recognize you." He said: "Indeed, patience is at the first shock."

According to another narration: "She was crying over a son of hers.”

Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim Grade: Authentic hadith

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a woman at the grave of her son who had died. She used to love him dearly and could not keep herself from going out to his grave and crying there. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saw her, he commanded her to fear Allah and be patient. She said: "Leave me alone, for you have not been afflicted with a calamity like mine."

Then, it was said to her that this man was the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). So, she felt regret and went to the door of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) where there were no doormen to prevent people from entering. She said: "I did not recognize you." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then informed her that true patience, which one is rewarded for, is what he shows at the first strike of a calamity.

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Questions

What is on this page?

Dua for loss and calamity: each one in Arabic, with its meaning, the hadith it comes from, its grade and an explanation.

Where do the translations come from?

From HadeethEnc.com, the Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths. Each hadith is shown exactly as they publish it, with its source and grade, and links to the original.

Can I get a daily reminder?

Yes. The free Qabas app for Android reminds you of the morning and evening azkar every day and has the same counter.