Dua library

Dua for confidence, and a steady heart

The dua most people use for confidence is the dua of Musa: Rabbish-rah li sadri, wa yassir li amri, wahlul uqdatan min lisani, yafqahu qawli. He said it when Allah sent him to speak to Pharaoh, and he was afraid. There is no hadith dua named for confidence, but these duas from the Quran and Sunnah ask for exactly that: a calm heart and courage.

Dua 1: Before you speak (the dua of Musa)

رَبِّ ٱشْرَحْ لِى صَدْرِى ۝ وَيَسِّرْ لِىٓ أَمْرِى ۝ وَٱحْلُلْ عُقْدَةًۭ مِّن لِّسَانِى ۝ يَفْقَهُوا۟ قَوْلِى

Rabbish-raḥ lī ṣadrī, wa yassir lī amrī, waḥlul ʿuqdatam-min lisānī, yafqahū qawlī

My Lord, expand for me my breast [with assurance] and ease for me my task and untie the knot from my tongue, that they may understand my speech.

Quran 20:25-28, translation by Sahih International

Dua 2: Against cowardice, after prayer

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أُرَدَّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الدُّنْيَا، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ

Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika minal-jubn, wa aʿūdhu bika an uradda ilā ardhalil-ʿumur, wa aʿūdhu bika min fitnatid-dunyā, wa aʿūdhu bika min ʿadhābil-qabr

O Allah, I seek refuge in You from cowardice, I seek refuge in You from being returned to the worst of old age, I seek refuge in You from the trials of this world, and I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave.

Sahih al-Bukhari 2822

Dua 3: Trust that steadies you

حَسْبِىَ ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ۖ وَهُوَ رَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ

Ḥasbiyallāhu lā ilāha illā huwa ʿalayhi tawakkaltu wa huwa rabbul-ʿarshil-ʿaẓīm

Sufficient for me is Allah; there is no deity except Him. On Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne.

Quran 9:129, translation by Sahih International

Dua 4: Relying on Allah, not on yourself

اللَّهُمَّ رَحْمَتَكَ أَرْجُو، فَلَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

Allāhumma raḥmataka arjū, fa lā takilnī ilā nafsī ṭarfata ʿayn, wa aṣliḥ lī shaʾnī kullah, lā ilāha illā ant

O Allah, it is Your mercy I hope for, so do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye, and set right all my affairs. There is no god but You.

Sunan Abi Dawud 5090, graded hasan

Dua 5: A verse for low moments

وَلَا تَهِنُوا۟ وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا۟ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Wa lā tahinū wa lā taḥzanū wa antumul-aʿlawna in kuntum muʾminīn

So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers.

Quran 3:139, translation by Sahih International

Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.

Guide

When and how to say it

The dua most people use for confidence is the dua of Musa: Rabbish-rah li sadri, wa yassir li amri, wahlul uqdatan min lisani, yafqahu qawli. He said it when Allah sent him to speak to Pharaoh, and he was afraid. There is no hadith dua named for confidence, but these duas from the Quran and Sunnah ask for exactly that: a calm heart and courage.

When to say these duas

  • Before a presentation, an interview, a speech or a hard conversation: Dua 1. Musa asked for an open chest, an easy task and a loose tongue, which is what nerves take from us.
  • After each prayer: Dua 2. Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas taught it to his sons the way a teacher teaches children to write, and said the Prophet ﷺ sought refuge with these words after the prayer.1
  • Morning and evening, and when you doubt yourself: Dua 4, the dua of the distressed.

Allah answered Musa

Musa was honest about his fear: "My Lord, indeed I fear that they will deny me, and that my breast will tighten and my tongue will not be fluent" (26:12-13, translation by Sahih International). He made the dua, and Allah answered him: "You have been granted your request, O Moses" (20:36). When Musa and Harun were still afraid, Allah told them: "Fear not. Indeed, I am with you both; I hear and I see" (20:46, translation by Sahih International). That is where a believer's confidence comes from: not from thinking you are enough, but from knowing Allah is with you.

Confidence the Islamic way

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, and there is good in both. Be keen on what benefits you, seek Allah's help and do not give up. If something happens to you, do not say 'if only I had done such and such', but say: Allah has decreed, and what He wills He does."2 So prepare well, ask Allah's help, and then act. If it goes wrong, say qaddarallahu wa ma sha'a fa'al and move on.

Confidence is not arrogance. The Prophet ﷺ said that arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.3 A believer can be humble before Allah and still stand tall before people, because "We have certainly honored the children of Adam" (17:70).

When low confidence is anxiety

If fear of people or of speaking stops you from living your life, it may be social anxiety, which is treatable. Make dua and talk to a doctor or counsellor too. See the dua for anxiety and the dua for depression.

  1. Sahih al-Bukhari 2822.
  2. Sahih Muslim 2664.
  3. Sahih Muslim 91.
  4. Quran 20:25-28, translation by Sahih International
  5. Sahih al-Bukhari 2822
  6. Quran 9:129, translation by Sahih International
  7. Sunan Abi Dawud 5090, graded hasan
  8. Quran 3:139, translation by Sahih International

Questions

Good to know

What is the dua for confidence?

Rabbish-rah li sadri, wa yassir li amri, wahlul uqdatan min lisani, yafqahu qawli (Quran 20:25-28), the dua of Musa before he faced Pharaoh.

Is there a dua for confidence in the hadith?

No hadith dua is named for confidence, but the Prophet ﷺ sought refuge from cowardice (Bukhari 2822) and from weakness and laziness (Bukhari 6369), and taught Allahumma rahmataka arju fa la takilni ila nafsi (Abu Dawud 5090).

What dua should I read before public speaking?

The dua of Musa, Rabbish-rah li sadri wa yassir li amri wahlul uqdatan min lisani yafqahu qawli (20:25-28): expand my chest, ease my task and untie my tongue.

Is it wrong for a Muslim to be confident?

No. The Prophet ﷺ said the strong believer is more beloved to Allah (Muslim 2664). Confidence becomes wrong only when it turns into arrogance: rejecting the truth and looking down on people.