The concept of asking Allah when you are in dire need of something has always been encouraged in Islam by Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. No matter how difficult the task is, you can always expect Allah to solve your problem, as it's not even a matter of milliseconds for Him.
Just like Prophet Muhammad S.A.W says in a hadith:
“Let one of you ask Allah for his needs, even for a shoestring when it breaks” (Sunan Al Tirmidhi 3973).
So, let's not waste any time and get to the amazing Islamic prayers that can be useful to you in your daily life.
3 Short Islamic Prayers For Daily Life
Astaghfirullah
Pronounced in Arabic as أسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ. The meaning of this word is to ask for repentance from Allah. While one may ponder that asking for repentance from Allah will surely benefit life hereafter, how can it help us in the world?
Astaghfirullah is a solution to all of your problems. Prophet Muhammad S.A.W said
“If anyone constantly seeks forgiveness (from Allah) He will provide him a way out of every problem and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide sustenance for him where he expects not.”
( Riyad as-Salihin, The Book of Forgiveness Book 20, Hadith 1873)
Once a famour Islamic scholar was traveling and had to reach somewhere. On his route, there was a small mosque nearby where he decided to rest for some time. He rested, but as the night approached, the guard approached him and asked him to leave as it wasn’t allowed.
He then slept in front of the door of that mosque until a man of a bigger age approached him. The man took him to his home and constantly recited Istighfar regardless of his daily tasks. The scholar asked him, have you seen any benefits of reciting this prayer?
He replied Allah had given me everything I ever asked for except for a meeting with the scholar (he took the name of the person inquiring). The Imam replied Allah has listened to you and made our meeting possible.
Similarly, a Sunnah must recite Istaghfaar at least 100 times a day. Let it be debt problems, big dreams, or health issues, this small prayer can help you with anything in the world and the hereafter. Start reciting it whenever you have free time; this prayer will never disappoint you.
Subhan Allahi Wa Bihamdihi
We all are sinners. No matter how pious we become or what cloak we wear, no one on the Earth can claim that he is clean of all kinds of sins except Prophets. It is alarming; if nobody is clean from sins, how can he enter Jannah?
The simplest answer to that is by repenting towards Allah SWT. Regardless of the weight of your sins, even if they crossed the skies or shook the Earth. Allah will always forgive you if you go to him with a clean and sincere heart.
However, even for this, the glorious Allah, who has blessed us with a whole surah about his Mercy (Surah Rahman), has provided us with shortcuts to clean our sins within no time.
For a prayer as short as سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ. It will all take 5 minutes to recite it 100 timesdaily. Are you thinking about why just 100 and not more? Because Prophet Muhammad S.A.Wsaid in a hadith:
“Whoever recites, 'Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,' one hundred times a day, he will be forgiven all of his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.
Subhan Allah! We can only praise Allah for being so merciful to us, even though we are involved in every kind of sin. The ummah tries new ways to disobey Allah but Allah provides them with a new way to come back every time.
Ma'az Allah
Ma'azAllah, often pronounced as ََ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ, means to take refuge in Allah. It's a very effective prayer to get rid of bad thoughts. It canalso help you escape sins like pornography, where the starting point is your mind and the moment you are triggered, the moment you commit.
Moreover, to support this idea, there a verse in the Quran from Surah Yusuf:
وَرَٰوَدَتْهُ ٱلَّتِىهُوَ فِىبَيْتِهَاعَننَّفْسِهِۦوَغَلَّقَتِ ٱلْأَبْوَٰبَ وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ ۚ قَالَ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥرَبِّىٓ أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَاىَ ۖ إِنَّهُۥلَايُفْلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُون
Translation: And the lady in whose house he lived tried to seduce him. She locked the doors˹firmly˺ and said, "Come to me!" He replied, "Allah is my refuge! It is ˹not right to betray˺ my master, who has taken good care of me. Indeed, the wrongdoers never succeed."
(Quran 12:23)
This verse refers to when the wife of the Aziz of Egypt tried to seduce Prophet Yusuf A.S. In reply to this, Prophet Yusuf A.S replied "Ma'az Allah" and ran towards the locked doors.
Please note that these were no ordinary doors, but they were seven doors of a wealthy woman's private chambers. Imagine the security, but under all these circumstances, Prophet Yusuf trusted Allah and started running.
Even though these doors were locked from the outside, with his very little push, the doors started to unlock, and one after the other, all of the doors unlocked.
It proves that regardless of what circumstances you are going through, this prayer will always help you overcome it with the help and will of Allah.
Conclusion
Remembering Allah is something you should never forget. Like Allah says in his glorious Quran,
“Remember me, and I will remember you.”
(Quran 2:152)
It says a lot about how we can escape modern life full of fitnah and hardships. Looking at the lives of Sahaba and our beloved Prophet Muhammad S.A.W, it will be evident that no matter what kind of problem they were facing, they always thanked Allah, knowing that this problem must have some betterment for them.
It is trust and tawakal upon Allah. These short prayers might not change your life instantly, but with time, you will start to notice these changes yourself.
JazakAllahu khairan!
References:
Quran.com
Sunnah.com
https://islamhashtag.com/short-dua-list/