The Duas I Say When My Kids Are Sick
I wrote two articles a few years ago titled, What I Use When My Kids Get Sick and Things I do When My Kids Get Sick. Alhumdulillah, it has been some of my most popular articles, as every month hundreds of people read it. This made me realize how many parents’ are struggling with the same issues.
My child is sick, now what?
When I wrote my first post, I had come to realize that the first thing I should do when any of my kids get sick, is turn to Allah SWT. I learned to recite the duas from the Prophetic tradition and ask Him SWT for a cure.
I can honestly say that each time I have incorporated these duas into my life, the result has been amazing alhumdulillah! Either the illness was short, the sickness was less intense, or the pain was bearable.
Recently, I had to endure my first root canal, and if you know anything about bad toothache, the pain is up there - keeping you up at night and grueling! Even through my pain, I was terrified of the treatment I needed to endure to get my tooth issue remedied.
However, when I remembered that my salvation is to place my trust in Allah, I begun to accept what I needed to do.
I started to say the duas for illness and cure, and alhumdulillah the whole ordeal went smooth and with minimal pain in that situation. The best was when I felt a sense of peace and calm by placing my trust in Allah’s Healing, even through the brain-wracking procedure.
My husband was also amazed at how I was pain-free within a few days, as he had witnessed several co-workers who had taken over a week to find relief. It was ethereal to say the least, and you’ll believe me when you experience the power of dua yourself (if you haven’t already).
I want to share with you the duas I say when my kids are sick or in pain, or any health related issue that my family or I endure. It has come to be a part of my life first and foremost, and the main thing I reach for in my medicine cabinet!
Firstly…
In times of difficulty, we should follow the Quranic advice of,
“Seek help through patience and prayer.” [Quran 2:45]
The difficulty we are experiencing is a call and a reminder from Allah to turn back to Him, to be grateful for our blessings, and to re-focus our hearts on the Bestower of everything. Our supplications should be made in a heartfelt manner and we should show need in Allah SWT.
You don’t need to feel obliged to say your duas in Arabic, but may use any language you feel comfortable with and ask Him, as Allah SWT loves to be asked.
Get my new 68-page dua ebook which is a compilation of my favorite duas in a handy layout. Click to see it!
What to say when there’s illness
Aisha (R.A) informed us,
“When Prophet Muhammedﷺ was in final illness, he used to recite Surat An-Nas and Surat Al- Falaq, and then blow his breath over his body. When his illness was aggravated, I used to recite those two suras and blow my breath over him and make him rub his body with his own hand for its blessings." (al-Bukhari)
It is also related that when someone fell ill, the Prophetﷺ would recite one of these four duas for them.
Dua #1
It is recommended to recite this dua while the ill person places their right hand on the area of pain. Recite "bismillah" three times, and then the entire supplication recited seven times.
أَعُوذُ بِعِزَّةِ اللَّهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِن شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحاذِرُ
A'oozu bi'izzatillaahi wa qudratihi min sharri maa ajidu wa uhaaziru"
“I seek protection in the might of Allah and His power from the evil of what I am experiencing and of what I fear.”
If I say this for my children, I mention their names or if it’s many of us who are sick, I will say at the end “…for myself, my spouse, and my children”. I also make my child repeat it as well.
Dua #2
It is recommended to touch the area of pain with the right hand while reciting this dua:
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ مُذْهِبَ الْبَاسِ اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لَا شَافِيَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا
"Allahuma rabbi-nas adhhabal ba'sa, ashfi wa entashafi, la shifa' illa shifa'uka shifa' la yughadiru saqama”
“Oh Allah! The Sustainer of Mankind! Remove the illness, cure the disease. You are the One Who cures. There is no cure except Your cure. Grant me a cure that leaves no illness.”
Dua #3
It is recommended to repeat the following dua seven times:
أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ
As'alu Allah al 'azim rabbil 'arshil azim an yashifika"
“I ask Allah, the Mighty, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, to cure you.”
I will say these two duas over my spouse or children when they are ill. I also say it for myself but change the “you” to “me” or "me" to "us" depending on whose ill.
Dua #4
It is good to say this dua as it's all-encompassing. It surpasses receiving good not only in the wordly life, but in the afterlife as well. Scholars mention these types of dua as being excellent for our overall well-being.
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Rabbana 'atinaa fid dunyaa hasanat wafil aakhirati hasana taw wa qinaa azaaban naar
“Oh Allah! Our Lord and Sustainer! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the Fire of Hell.
Dua #5
Abu Darda (R.A) narrated that he heard the Prophetﷺ say,
مَنِ اشْتَكَى مِنْكُمْ شَيْئًا أَوِ اشْتَكَاهُ أَخٌ لَهُ فَلْيَقُلْ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ الَّذِي فِي السَّمَاءِ تَقَدَّسَ اسْمُكَ أَمْرُكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ كَمَا رَحْمَتُكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَاجْعَلْ رَحْمَتَكَ فِي الأَرْضِ اغْفِرْ لَنَا حُوبَنَا وَخَطَايَانَا أَنْتَ رَبُّ الطَّيِّبِينَ أَنْزِلْ رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَحْمَتِكَ وَشِفَاءً مِنْ شِفَائِكَ عَلَى هَذَا الْوَجَعِ فَيَبْرَأُ " .
Man ashtakaa minkum shayyan 'aw ashtakah 'akh lah falyaqul rabbuna alllah alladhi fi alssama' taqaddas asmuk 'amruk fi alssama' wal'ard kama rahmatuk fi alssama' fajeal rahmatak fi al'ard aghfir lana hubana wakhatayana 'ant rabb alttayibin 'anzil rahmatan min rahmatik washifa'an min shifayik ealaa hadha alwajae fayabra " .“If any of you is suffering from anything or his brother is suffering, he should say, ‘Our Lord is Allah Who is in the Heaven, holy is Your name, Your command reigns supreme in the heaven and the earth, as Your mercy in the heaven, make Your mercy in the earth; forgive us our sins and our errors; You are the Lord of good men; send down mercy from Your mercy, and remedy from Your remedy on this pain so that it is healed up.”’ (Abu Dawud)
Dua #6
The dua below I learned from Shaykh Yahya Rhodus who describes this as a “prayer for healing”. As we know, when we pray for the Prophetﷺ and his family, we too are rewarded with the same.
Allahumma Salli wa sallim ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin al-Hadi ila tariq al-milla. Allahumma salli wa sallim ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa bi jahihi isrif ‘anni kulla maradin wa alamin wa waja’in wa ‘illa (then, mention the particular sickness), wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbih.
“Oh Allah bless and bestow peace upon Sayyidina Muhammed, the guide to the path of religion. Oh Allah bless and bestow peace upon Sayyidina Muhammed, and through his rank, remove from me every illness, pain, ailment, and disease, and upon his family and companions.
Dua #7
This next dua is the supplication of Prophet Ayub (A.S) when he was afflicted with leprosy for many years. He said this dua and Allah SWT cured him of his terrible disease - so imagine how powerful it will be for any other illness.
۞وَأَيُّوبَ إِذۡ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥٓ أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ ٱلضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرۡحَمُ ٱلرَّـٰحِمِينَ
Wa Ayyooba iz naadaa Rabbahooo annee massaniyad durru wa Anta arhamur raahimeen
“Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.” (Quran)
Dua #8
This dua is one that the Prophetﷺ said when he felt any distress. He would call upon Allah using one of His Greatest Names - Ya Ḥayyu Ya Qayyum (O’ Living O’ Sustaining).
يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّوْمُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيْث
Ya Hayyyu Ya Qayyum, bi-Rahmatika Astagheeth!
“O’ Living, O’ Sustaining, in Your Mercy I seek relief!” (Tirmidhi)
The Prophetﷺ also advised his daughter, Fatima (R.A) to say in the morning and in the evening:
“O Living, O Sustaining, by Your Mercy I seek relief, rectify for me all of my affairs and do not leave me to myself, even for the blink of an eye.” (Hakim)
Calling Upon Allah Using One of His Greatest Names!
A man prayed to Allah SWT saying:
“O Allah, I ask You as all praise is Yours. There is no god except You, You are the Bestower, the Originator of the Heavens and Earth, Possessor of Majesty and Honor. O’ Living (al-Ḥayy), O’ Sustaining (al-Qayyum).”
The Prophetﷺ heard him and said:
“He has supplicated to Allah using His Greatest Name; when supplicated with this Name, He answers, and when asked with this Name, He gives.” (Abu Dawud)
Using this Name of Allah, al-Hayyu al-Qayyum along with these duas are very effective when dealing with sickness. The Living (al-Hayy) is the One who alone has absolute, independent life. The Sustaining (al-Qayyum) is the One who alone needs none to sustain Him, and who sustains all things at all times, in every way.
I also love to call on Allah SWT using Ash-Shafee, The One Who Cures - The Healer, when I ask Him to cure our sickness and pain.
Dua #9
I say this dua in case the illness that my child or myself is experiencing, could be from envy (hasad). Especially if I'm taking the necessary steps and I don't see improvement.
أُعِيْذُكُمَا (أُعِيْذُكَ) بِكَلِمَاتِ اللّٰهِ التَّامَّةِ ، مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَّهَامَّةٍ ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لَّامَّةٍّّ
Uʿīdhukumā (Uʿīdhuka) bi-kalimāti-llāhi-t-tāmmah, min kulli shayṭāniw-wa hāmmah, wa min kulli ʿaynil-lāmmah
"I seek protection in the Perfect Words of Allah from every devil and every beast, and from every envious blameworthy eye." (al-Bukhari)
I will also play Sura Baqarah or in our home if the illness is going on for long time and getting contracted by the rest of us. I do this whether we are sick or not, once or twice a week, along with Sura Yaseen and Sura Waqi'ah. The Prophetﷺ mentioned,
“Honey is a remedy for every illness and the Quran is a remedy for all illness of the mind, therefore I recommend to you both remedies, the Quran and honey.”
And Finally...
When you make dua, you are asking Allah SWT for his care and to not leave you to yourself, because you know that when He is with you, your affairs will be okay.
As humans, we may misjudge, be led by our desires, or lack wisdom, so we ask the One who constantly manages the affairs of the world not to leave us alone.
We should always remember that this life is a trial and tribulation. We are being tested because Allah SWT knows that we can handle it.
He seeks to raise our ranks by these tests and to cleanse our hearts from the darkness of sin. We should constantly thank Allah SWT and see our state as indicative of His perfection.
The Prophetﷺ said,
“No fatigue, illness, anxiety, sorrow, harm or sadness afflicts any Muslim, even to the extent of a thorn pricking him, without Allah wiping out his mistakes by it.”(Bukhari, Muslim).
The Prophet ﷺ also said,
“When Allah desires good for someone, He afflicts him.” (Al-Bukhari)
My Recommended Read
The Book of Remembrance (Kitab Al-Adhkar) by Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi
This is a thick, in-depth book with a compilation of words of remembrance and glorification (dhikr), and a supplicatory prayer (du'a) to the Lord of the Universe as related from His final messenger, Prophet Muhammad PBUH.
More Resources
You can read my entire dua series of posts. Part 1 - Why I Love Dua As A Muslim, Part 2 - How To Get Your Duas Accepted, Part 3 - How I Start And End My Day With Dua, Part 4 -The Duas I Say For Hardship, Part 5 - The Duas I Say For Protection, Part 6 - The Duas I Say For Illness, and Part 7 - Duas of the Prophets and the Pious.
Salam, I’m Zakeeya!
I believe that making our homes a safe haven for our families, as well as being a wife and mother, brings us great blessings, contentment, and benefits to society as a whole. Since 2011, I've been dedicated to assisting Muslimas in finding tranquility in their roles, taking better care of themselves, and achieving inner peace. Our journey in this world is not an easy one, but I pray the tools and guidance I offer will help you face life's challenges with more gratitude and mindfulness. Join me as I share wifehood, motherhood, homemaking, and lifestyle solutions that make life more fulfilling for you as a woman! Read more about me here.
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