Rabbishrah Li Sadri: The Dua of Musa (peace be upon him)

When Musa (peace be upon him) was sent by Allah to Pharaoh, in the face of this great and difficult mission he asked four things of his Lord: expansion of the breast (relief and courage), that his task be made easy, that the knot in his tongue be loosened, and that his speech be understood. These four requests are also the most basic needs of any believer who undertakes a difficult task.

"Rabbi ishraḥ lī ṣadrī" (Expand my breast for me): Musa asked for courage and inner ease, because he was to face a tyrant like Pharaoh. In answer, Allah the Exalted said, "Have We not expanded your breast for you?" (al-Inshirah 1), recalling that He had granted the same favour to our Prophet as well.

"Wa-yassir lī amrī" (Make my task easy for me): Every difficult task becomes easy when Allah makes it easy. "When Allah wills a thing, He says to it only 'Be!' and it is" (Ya-Sin 82).

"Wa-uḥlul ʿuqdatan min lisānī" (Loosen the knot in my tongue): As a child Musa had taken a burning coal into his mouth, and there was a lisp in his speech. For this reason he asked Allah to let him speak fluently.

This dua may be read before an examination, before a job interview, before giving a presentation, before making an important decision, and in every kind of difficult situation.