Dua for Strength
3 Things to Ask When You Feel Weak
When facing a task that feels beyond our strength, the believer turns to Allah, the source of all power, for the courage and capacity to meet it. The dua for strength draws on the prayer of Prophet Musa, who, when commanded to face the tyrant Pharaoh, asked Allah to expand his chest and ease his task. It teaches the believer that true strength comes not from within themselves alone, but from Allah, who can open the heart and smooth the path before any challenge.
رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي
Rabbi-shrah lī sadrī wa yassir lī amrī.
“My Lord, expand for me my chest, and ease for me my task.”
This guide explains the dua for strength, the meaning of asking Allah to expand the chest and ease the task, and three things to ask when you feel weak, so that the believer may face daunting challenges with the strength that comes from Allah, certain that the One who assigns the task can also grant the power to fulfil it.
The Meaning of the Dua for Strength
The dua for strength is the prayer of Prophet Musa, found in Surah Taha. When Allah commanded him to go to Pharaoh, the mightiest tyrant of his time, and call him to the truth, Musa felt the weight of the task and turned to Allah. He asked Allah to expand his chest, to ease his task, and to remove the impediment from his speech so that people would understand him. With this prayer, Allah strengthened Musa and prepared him to face the greatest challenge of his life.
Musa’s prayer shows where real strength is found. Faced with a task that would overwhelm anyone, he did not rely on his own courage or ability, but asked Allah to open his heart and smooth his path. To expand the chest is to fill the heart with calm, courage and resolve, while to ease the task is to remove the obstacles in the way. The dua for strength teaches the believer to seek both from Allah whenever a challenge feels too great.
Three Things to Ask When You Feel Weak
The dua for strength asks Allah for three things that empower the believer before any challenge. Each is granted by Allah to those who ask.
- An expanded chest, filling the heart with calm, courage and resolve.
- An eased task, that Allah remove the obstacles in the way.
- Clear and effective effort, that one may carry out the task well.
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ وَوَضَعْنَا عَنْكَ وِزْرَكَ
Alam nashrah laka sadraka wa wada‘na ‘anka wizrak
Did We not expand for you your chest and ease your burden
Finding Strength in Allah
When a challenge towers over us and our own strength feels too small, the believer is taught to seek power from its true source. The dua for strength asks Allah to expand the chest and ease the task, the very prayer that prepared Musa to face Pharaoh. By turning to Allah for courage and ease, the believer meets daunting challenges not on their own strength, but on the strength that Allah provides, certain that the One who assigns the task can grant the power to fulfil it, however daunting the challenge may seem.
This supplication pairs naturally with the dua for patience that asks Allah for endurance, and the dua during hardship. Together they help the believer face challenges with the strength, patience and ease that come from Allah, the true source of all power.
Real strength is found not within ourselves alone but in Allah, who expands the chest and eases the task. Learn the healing duas with us on YouTube, where the supplications are recited aloud, on Facebook for a reminder to seek strength from Allah, and on X where readers share how they face challenges with His help.
Frequently Asked Questions
The dua for strength is the Quranic prayer of Prophet Musa, Rabbi-shrah li sadri wa yassir li amri, My Lord, expand for me my chest and ease for me my task. It is found in Surah Taha.
Say it when facing a daunting task or feeling weak before a challenge, asking Allah for courage and ease. It seeks strength from Allah, the source of all power.
It asks Allah to expand the chest, to ease the task, and to make one’s effort clear and effective. These empower the believer before any challenge.
Allah commanded Musa to face Pharaoh, the mightiest tyrant of his time, and feeling the weight of the task, Musa asked Allah for strength and ease. With this prayer, Allah prepared him for the challenge.
The dua for patience asks Allah for endurance, and the dua during hardship leans on His mercy. Together with the dua for strength, they help the believer face challenges with the help of Allah.