Anas bin Malik said: “Whenever a matter would distress him, the Prophet (ﷺ) would say: ‘O Living, O Self-Sustaining Sustainer! In Your Mercy do I seek relief (ya hayyu ya qayyum birahmatika astaghees).” And with this chain, that he said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Be constant with: “O Possessor of Majesty and Honor (Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram).’” Grade : Hasan (Darussalam)  1

From this hadith we can see the Prophet’s (pbuh) clear message for Muslims. For those looking for some type of relief, either from feeling distressed from work, a relationship, or school. Whatever it may be you can ask Allah for relief by reciting this short dua:

Transliteration: ya hayyu ya qayyum birahmatika astaghees
Meaning or translation: “O Living, O Self-Sustaining Sustainer! In Your Mercy do I seek relief

The hadith then continues to recommend saying the following phrase repeatedly (form of zikir or dhikr): 

Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram
Meaning: “O Possessor of Majesty and Honor”

Benefits Of This Supplication:

In Suratul Baqarah Ayat 152 it says “Remember me and i will Remember You” and like with many Duas it’s important to extol and praise Allah. 

Surah Baqarah Remember me and I'll Remember you

So in this short recitation of this dua you are invoking Allah by two of his beautiful names (1) Al-Qayyum and (2) Al-Hayy. You can read our full guide to the 99 Names of Allah. 

Click to enlarge images:

Al-Hayy meaning (The Eternally Living One). The Alive, The One attributed with a life that is unlike our life and is not that of a combination of soul, flesh or blood. He is the one who is undying and will be forever. He is perfect and not subject to death or sickness. 

You may also be Interested to learn The Rewards of saying Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Al-Qayyum meaning (The Self-Subsisting One). Al-Qayyum nature is to exist, completely free from dependence on anything or anyone. Al-Qayyum is the one through whom all things arise. He is Ever-Living and Self-Sustaining. Everything else in existence depends on Al-Qayyum.

Conclusion:

Please comment below if you found this article useful or if you have any suggestions for improvment. Jazakallah for reading and I hope this article helped you understand the meaning behind this powerful dua. Hopefully you now have another dua you can call upon should you find yourself in a situation feeling overwhelmed. 

Remember it’s okay to feel the way you do, its only natural part of life. We will all feel the same feelings, the difference is the way we respond. Will we become sour and bitter or will we be able to grow and be appreciative towards Allah SWT in all else he has given us.

Whether good or bad we mustn’t question our fate, just say Alhamdulillah and keep plugging away.

Remember: “On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) “Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith.” Surah Baqarah Ayat 286

Reference:

1. Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3524 In-book reference : Book 48, Hadith 155 English translation : Vol. 6, Book 45, Hadith 3524