Understanding Tribulation
Allāh does not put His servant through a trial without wisdom, and He does not test without purpose. What we were taught by our teachers, who drew upon what the likes of Shaykh Abdal Qadir al-Jilani taught, was that trials and tribulations (balāʾ) arrive for one of three reasons, each carrying its own sign — not an external sign, but an interior one. In this, there is great mercy — and great opportunity. For there will never be a scenario that happens upon one, except that it is the best scenario out of the multitude of possibilities that could have been imagined — and Allah chose this one.
The question for us is simply this: will we respond in a way that raises us, or not?
These categories are not necessarily fixed. A punishment may become an expiation through repentance, and an expiation may become elevation through contentment and good adab before Allah. Reorient yourself, and the impact may change accordingly; for nothing is beyond God.
The first scenario is ʿuqūba — punishment. The trial arrives as a direct consequence of sin; its sign is in the agitation it produces. Lack of patience, much restlessness, an incapacity to stop complaining; the heart tightens, obedience feels heavy, the tongue protests, with anything and everything that moves. There is no settling within the decree; there is only resistance to it, and that in itself is a warning. Return to Allah through sincere tawba, for He is the One who transforms states and opens doors after they appear closed.
The second is kaffāra — expiation. Here the servant is cleansed through difficulty rather than holding the account open for the Hereafter. Its sign is patience without restlessness and without any inner rebellion (au contraire to the first type). That patience means a continued focus on ʿibāda, without significant resistance; yes, there is some strain on the body due to the trial, but the overall orientation is intact. It maps directly onto the Prophetic teaching that no fatigue, illness, sorrow, or distress befalls the Muslim, even the prick of a thorn, except that Allāh expiates some of his sins by it.
The third is rafʿ al-maqām — the elevation of rank. This is the highest category, and it has nothing to do with sin. It is Allāh’s particular attention to His beloved servant, lifting them through suffering to degrees they could not reach through worship alone. Its sign is contentment and calmness, with obedience easy on both body and heart. The entire person is at rest within the decree — not merely resigned, but genuinely at peace, in riḍā rather than mere ṣabr. This is the condition of the Prophets and the highest of the awliyāʾ, and it is why, as the Prophetic hadith to Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ confirms, the most severely tried among all creation are the Prophets, then those nearest to them, then those next in degree. The trial intensifies as the station rises. What a glorious trial is this!
The Qurʾānic foundation undergirding all of this is the passage in al-Baqara (2:155–157), where Allāh speaks of those who, when struck by trial, respond with innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn — and upon them are ṣalawāt, mercy, and guidance. The commentators consistently read this as describing the sign of the second and third types: not the one raging against the decree, but the one who has found their way, through suffering, back to orientation.
One should note from the adab of such things: assume kaffāra or rafʿ al-maqām while maintaining tawba as a standing practice. To assume punishment is bad adab, for it encourages one to persist in a mode of despair. The balance is ḥusn al-ẓann billāh alongside continuous istighfār; and this also balances the delusion that it may always be elevation, though one has hope!
Illness as a Trial
The framework above applies to every tribulation, but illness deserves special mention because it combines physical suffering, spiritual testing, and the need to take outward means. The believer therefore combines three things: understanding the trial, maintaining worship through it, and seeking healing through lawful means, both material and spiritual.
The orientation of practice is clear: persist in one’s worship of God, being sure not to leave obligations and recommended actions, in prayer as in otherwise.
One should also note that taking medicine, seeking physicians, and pursuing treatment are themselves from the means Allah has placed in creation. Reliance upon Allah is not opposed to taking the means; rather, true reliance is to take the means while knowing that healing comes only from Him.
Prophetic Remedies
Āyāt al-Shifāʾ — The Verses of Healing
There are six verses in the Qurʾān that the scholars have gathered under the name āyāt al-shifāʾ. These may be recited regularly over the sick individual or oneself:
وَيَشْفِ صُدُورَ قَوْمٍ مُّؤْمِنِينَ Wa-yashfi ṣudūra qawmin muʾminīn. And He will heal the breasts of a believing people. (9:14)
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاء لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ Yā ayyuhā al-nāsu qad jāʾatkum mawʿiẓatun min rabbikum wa-shifāʾun li-mā fī al-ṣudūri wa-hudan wa-raḥmatun li-l-muʾminīn. O mankind, there has come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers. (10:57)
يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ Yakhruju min buṭūnihā sharābun mukhtalifun alwānuhu fīhi shifāʾun li-l-nās. There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying colours, in which there is healing for people. (16:69)
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاء وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ Wa-nunazzilu min al-Qurʾāni mā huwa shifāʾun wa-raḥmatun li-l-muʾminīn. And We send down of the Qurʾān that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers. (17:82)
وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ Wa-idhā mariḍtu fa-huwa yashfīn. And when I am ill, it is He who cures me. (26:80)
قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاء Qul huwa li-lladhīna āmanū hudan wa-shifāʾ. Say: It is, for those who believe, a guidance and a cure. (41:44)
Sūrat al-Fātiḥa
The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: Sūrat al-Fātiḥa is a cure for every illness (Sunan al-Dārimī; Shuʿab al-Īmān).
There are several ways to use it:
- Place the right hand upon the area of pain — or upon the heart if the condition is emotional or inward — and recite al-Fātiḥa an odd number of times. Seven is sound.
- Recite al-Fātiḥa and blow into water, then drink it. The water may also be applied if more appropriate for the condition.
- Exhale lightly onto the hands — barely a breath, just moistness — recite al-Fātiḥa, and wipe the hands over the affected area.
These may be performed by the sick person upon themselves, or by another over them. Al-Fātiḥa also appears in the litanies below; its recurrence is intentional.
The Supplication of the Prophet ﷺ — Hand Placed on the Area of Pain
The Prophet ﷺ instructed that one place the hand upon the area of pain with the intention of finding relief, and recite the following.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ Bismillāh. Bismillāh. Bismillāh. In the Name of Allah.
Then, seven times:
أَعُوذُ بِعِزَّةِ اللَّهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحَاذِرُ Aʿūdhu bi-ʿizzati Llāhi wa-qudratihī min sharri mā ajidu wa-uḥādhir. I seek refuge with Allah and with His Power from the evil that afflicts me and that which I apprehend.
Sūrat al-Falaq and Sūrat al-Nās
ʿĀʾisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated: when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ became ill, he would recite Sūrat al-Falaq and Sūrat al-Nās and blow his breath over his body. When his illness became serious, she would recite them and rub his hands over his body, hoping for their blessing. (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī). Recite Sūrat al-Falaq and Sūrat al-Nās, then blow lightly over the body.
Further Prophetic Supplications
These are narrated in the Sunna to be recited by the sick or over them:
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ، وَاشْفِ، أَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا Allāhumma Rabba al-nāsi, adhhib al-baʾsa, washfi, anta al-Shāfī, lā shifāʾa illā shifāʾuka, shifāʾan lā yughādiru saqamā. O Allah, Lord of mankind, do away with suffering. Heal — for You are the Healer. There is no healing except Your healing: a healing that leaves no ailment behind. (Al-Bukhārī)
أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ Asʾalu Llāha al-ʿAẓīma Rabba al-ʿArshi al-ʿAẓīmi an yashfiyak. I beseech Allah the Magnificent, Lord of the Magnificent Throne, to heal you.
The Prophet ﷺ also said: whoever among you suffers illness, or whose brother suffers, let them say:
رَبَّنَا اللَّهُ الَّذِي فِي السَّمَاءِ تَقَدَّسَ اسْمُكَ، أَمْرُكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ، كَمَا رَحْمَتُكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَاجْعَلْ رَحْمَتَكَ فِي الْأَرْضِ، اغْفِرْ لَنَا حُوبَنَا وَخَطَايَانَا، أَنْتَ رَبُّ الطَّيِّبِينَ، أَنْزِلْ رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَحْمَتِكَ وَشِفَاءً مِنْ شِفَائِكَ عَلَى هَذَا الْوَجَعِ فَيَبْرَأُ Rabbunā Allāhu alladhī fī al-samāʾi taqaddasa ismuka, amruka fī al-samāʾi wa-l-arḍi, kamā raḥmatuka fī al-samāʾi fajʿal raḥmataka fī al-arḍi. Ighfir lanā ḥūbanā wa-khaṭāyānā, anta Rabbu al-ṭayyibīn. Anzil raḥmatan min raḥmatika wa-shifāʾan min shifāʾika ʿalā hādhā al-wajaʿi fa-yabraʾ. Our Lord Allah, Who is in heaven — holy is Your name, Your command is in the heavens and the earth. As Your mercy is in the heavens, place Your mercy upon the earth. Forgive us our sins and our wrongdoings. You are the Lord of the pure. Send down mercy from Your mercy and healing from Your healing upon this pain, so that it is healed. (Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
And when illness became serious, ʿĀʾisha reported that the Prophet ﷺ, near the end, would say:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَاجْعَلْنِي مَعَ الرَّفِيقِ الْأَعْلَى Allāhumma ighfir lī wa-jʿalnī maʿa al-Rafīqi al-Aʿlā. O Allah, pardon me and make me join the companionship on High.
Litanies of the Righteous
These litanies can be performed by another person over the one who is ill — a caregiver, a family member, a friend. Those that can be performed over the sick, the sick may also perform themselves.
Tried and Tested
It is advised that this litany be read over water, which is then given to the sick person to drink; and/or over them directly.
All of the following, 7 times:
Sūrat al-Fātiḥa
لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ كَاشِفَةٌ Laysa lahā min dūni Llāhi kāshifah. There is none to remove it except Allah. (53:58)
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ Lā ilāha illā anta subḥānaka innī kuntu min al-ẓālimīn. There is no god but You; glory be to You. Truly I have been of the wrongdoers.
يَا شَافِي يَا مُعَافِي Yā Shāfī, yā Muʿāfī. O Healer, O Granter of Wellbeing.
يَا سَمِيعُ يَا مُجِيبُ Yā Samīʿu, yā Mujīb. O Hearing One, O Answering One.
يَا نَاصِرُ Yā Nāṣir. O Helper.
Then, 3 times:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammadin wa-ʿalā ālihi wa-ṣaḥbihi wa-sallim. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.
Ṣalāt al-Ṭibbiyya — the Healing Prayer
We were advised to read the Ṣalāt al-Ṭibbiyya — the Healing Prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ — 100 times over the sick person. The sick person may also recite it upon themselves.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ طِبِّ الْقُلُوبِ وَدَوَائِهَا وَعَافِيَةِ الْأَبْدَانِ وَشِفَائِهَا وَنُورِ الْأَبْصَارِ وَضِيَائِهَا وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā sayyidinā Muḥammadin ṭibbi al-qulūbi wa-dawāʾihā wa-ʿāfiyati al-abdāni wa-shifāʾihā wa-nūri al-abṣāri wa-ḍiyāʾihā wa-ʿalā ālihi wa-ṣaḥbihi wa-sallim. O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muḥammad — the medicine of hearts and their cure, the health of bodies and their healing, the light of eyes and their radiance — and upon his family and companions, and grant them peace.
Additional Readings
Others from the righteous recommended these to be read over or by the sick person.
Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ — 11 times, followed by:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ Lā ilāha illā Llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu, lahu al-mulku wa-lahu al-ḥamdu, lā ilāha illā Llāh, wa-lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-Llāh. There is no god but Allah, the One, without partner. To Him belongs dominion and to Him belongs all praise. There is no god but Allah, and there is no might nor power except with Allah.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِنُورِ وَجْهِكَ وَبِحَقِّكَ عَلَيْكَ حُسْنَ الْخَاتِمَةِ عِنْدَ الْمَمَاتِ لَنَا وَلِأَحْبَابِنَا وَلِلْمُسْلِمِينَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ Allāhumma innī asʾaluka bi-nūri wajhika wa-bi-ḥaqqika ʿalayka ḥusna al-khātimati ʿinda al-mamāti lanā wa-li-aḥbābinā wa-li-l-muslimīn, yā Arḥama al-rāḥimīn. O Lord, I ask You by the Light of Your Face and by Your truth upon Yourself: grant us, and our loved ones, and all Muslims a good ending at the time of death. O Most Merciful of the merciful.
The supplication of Sayyidunā Yūnus has already been mentioned above as part of the tried-and-tested litany. Some of the righteous also recommended its recitation forty-one times on its own:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ Lā ilāha illā anta subḥānaka innī kuntu min al-ẓālimīn. There is no god but You; glory be to You. Truly I have been of the wrongdoers.
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوبَنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ Rabbanā lā tuzigh qulūbanā baʿda idh hadaytanā wa-hab lanā min ladunka raḥmatan innaka anta al-Wahhāb. Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us, but grant us mercy from Yourself; for You are the Grantor of bounties without measure. (3:8)
رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ Rabbanā afrigh ʿalaynā ṣabran wa-tawaffanā muslimīn. Our Lord, pour out patience upon us and let us die as Muslims. (7:126)
Yā Muṣawwir
What we were also taught by our shaykhs of Azzawia:
يَا مُصَوِّرُ Yā Muṣawwir. O Former of Forms.
To be recited 100 times over the sick.
For the Caregiver
Being a caregiver is itself a difficult station. These litanies are addressed to those who carry that weight — for strength, for constancy, for the renewal of the inner life when it is depleted. The sick may also read them if they wish for their own strength.
It was recommended to recite the following when in tribulations:
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ Wa-la-nablu-wannakum bi-shayʾin min al-khawfi wa-l-jūʿi wa-naqṣin min al-amwāli wa-l-anfusi wa-l-thamarāt. Wa-bashshir al-ṣābirīn. Alladhīna idhā aṣābathum muṣībatun qālū innā li-Llāhi wa-innā ilayhi rājiʿūn. And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits — but give good tidings to the patient. Who, when disaster strikes them, say: Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return. (2:155–156)
أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِن قَبْلِكُمْ ۖ مَّسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَاءُ وَالضَّرَّاءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ Am ḥasibtum an tadkhulū al-jannata wa-lammā yaʾtikum mathalu alladhīna khalaw min qablikum. Massathumu al-baʾsāʾu wa-l-ḍarrāʾu wa-zulzilū ḥattā yaqūla al-rasūlu wa-lladhīna āmanū maʿahu matā naṣru Llāh. Alā inna naṣra Llāhi qarīb. Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such trial has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until even their messenger and those who believed with him said: When is the help of Allah? Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near. (2:214)
لَتُبْلَوُنَّ فِي أَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ وَلَتَسْمَعُنَّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَذًى كَثِيرًا ۚ وَإِن تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ La-tublawtunna fī amwālikum wa-anfusikum. Wa-in taṣbirū wa-tattaqū fa-inna dhālika min ʿazmi al-umūr. You will surely be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. But if you are patient and fear Allah — indeed, that is of the matters worthy of determination. (3:186)
وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَائِفَ الْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ Wa-huwa alladhī jaʿalakum khalāʾifa al-arḍi wa-rafaʿa baʿḍakum fawqa baʿḍin darajātin li-yabluwakum fī mā ātākum. Inna rabbaka sarīʿu al-ʿiqābi wa-innahu la-Ghafūrun Raḥīm. And it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees of rank, that He may try you through what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful. (6:165)
إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ ۚ وَاللَّهُ عِندَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ Innamā amwālukum wa-awlādukum fitnatun, wa-Llāhu ʿindahu ajrun ʿaẓīm. Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward. (64:15)
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ Tabārakal-ladhī biyadihil-mulku wa huwa ʿalā kulli shay’in qadīr. Blessed is He in Whose hand is the dominion, and He is over all things powerful.
الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا Alladhī khalaqal-mawta wal-ḥayāta liyabluwakum ayyukum aḥsanu ʿamalā. He Who created death and life to test you, which of you is best in deed.
To be recited 450 times:
حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ Ḥasbunā Llāhu wa-niʿma al-wakīl. Allah is sufficient for us, and how excellent a Guardian He is.
Yā Laṭīf Litany
Other teachers of ours indicated the reading of:
17 times:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ Bismillāhi al-Raḥmāni al-Raḥīm. In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
يَا لَطِيفُ Yā Laṭīf. O Gentle One.
Then, 7 times:
لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-Llāh. There is no might and no power except with Allah.
Then, 3 times:
وَأُفَوِّضُ أَمْرِي إِلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ Wa-ufawwiḍu amrī ila Llāh. Inna Llāha baṣīrun bi-l-ʿibād. And I entrust my affair to Allah. Indeed, Allah is Seeing of His servants. (40:44)
One may continue with Sūrat al-Fātiḥa — 17 times.
Then Sūrat Quraysh — 7 times:
لِإِيلَافِ قُرَيْشٍ إِيلَافِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَذَا الْبَيْتِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُم مِّن جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُم مِّنْ خَوْفٍ Li-īlāfi Quraysh. Īlāfihim riḥlata al-shitāʾi wa-l-ṣayf. Fa-l-yaʿbudū Rabba hādhā al-bayt. Alladhī aṭʿamahum min jūʿin wa-āmanahum min khawf. For the accustomed security of the Quraysh — their accustomed security in the journeys of winter and summer. So let them worship the Lord of this House, Who has fed them against hunger and made them safe from fear. (106:1–4)
May Allah grant us all ease, in this world and the next – amin, ya Rabb.
