The supplication of the troubled/ Dua’ Al-Malhouf

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates an event in which a merchant was caught by a highway man. The highway man refused to accept just the items he would aquire, he also wanted to kill this traveller. The traveller asked to pray four units of prayer before being killed. He could not remember any verse other than this one:

أَمَّن يُجِيبُ ٱلْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ 
“He who answers the constrained, when he calls unto Him, and removes the evil...” The Ant 27:62

Then he recited this supplication:

يَا وَدُودُ يَا ذِاالعَرشِ اَلمَجِيدِ يَا فَعَّالُ لِمَا تُرِيدُ أَسأَلُكَ بِعِزكَ الَّذِي لَا يُرامُ وَالمُلك الَّذِي لا يُضَامُ وَبِنُورِكَ الَّذِي مَلأَ أَركَانُ عَرشَكَ أَن تَكفِيني شَرٌ هَذَا اللِصُ يَا مَغيثُ اَغَثنِي يَا مَغيثُ اَغَثنِي يَا مَغيثُ اَغَثنِي
رَواهُ اِبنُ الَجَوزِيُ

“O’ Beloved; O’ Possessor the great throne; O’ Doer of what you wish; I ask you by your might that cannot be coveted; the dominion cannot be harmed; and by your light which has filled the pillars of your throne; to protect me from the evil of this thief. O’ giver of support, help me; O’giver of support help me; O’giver of support help me.”
Narrated by Ibn Al-Jawzi

He heard the sound of the hoofs, a scream, something falling and then rolling. He completed his prayer and then turned to see a horseman wearing a turban and the highway man had been slain. The traveller asked the man on the horse with the turban, who are you? He said he one of the angels of the fourth heaven and when you recited the Quranic verse and supplication for the first time the gates of fourth heaven began to shake, when you recited it again the whole heaven began to shake, then when it was recited again. The angel asked Allah if he could respond and Allah gave him permission and that is why he came to help the traveller.

Hence this dua is very powerful and we should all try to use it if we are in a difficult situation.

(There are other versions of this event.)