Dua of Musa (Rabbi Ishrah Li Sadri) — Clarity, Ease & Speech

رَبِّ ٱشْرَحْ لِى صَدْرِى • وَيَسِّرْ لِىٓ أَمْرِى • وَٱحْلُلْ عُقْدَةًۭ مِّن لِّسَانِى • يَفْقَهُوا۟ قَوْلِى

Transliteration: Rabbi-shraḥ lī ṣadrī • Wa yassir lī amrī • Waḥlul ‘uqdatan min lisānī • Yafqahū qawlī

English translation: My Lord, expand for me my chest [with confidence] • And ease for me my task • And untie the knot from my tongue • That they may understand my speech.

Spiritual context

Supplicated by Prophet Musa (AS) before facing Pharaoh, asking Allah for an expanded chest, ease in the task, and clear speech. This is a Qur’anic dua for confidence and articulation — it is not Salat al-Istikhara and does not contain astakhiruka.

Word-by-word meaning

• رَبِّ — Rabbi: My Lord & Sustainer
• ٱشْرَحْ — ishraḥ: expand / grant peace to
• لِى — lī: for me
• صَدْرِى — ṣadrī: my chest (heart/mind)
• وَيَسِّرْ — wa yassir: and make easy
• لِىٓ — lī: for me
• أَمْرِى — amrī: my task / undertaking
• وَٱحْلُلْ — wa-ḥlul: and untie / loosen
• عُقْدَةًۭ — ‘uqdatan: the knot
• مِّن — min: from
• لِّسَانِى — lisānī: my tongue
• يَفْقَهُوا۟ — yafqahū: that they understand
• قَوْلِى — qawlī: my speech

How to recite

1. Recite before presentations, interviews, teaching, or any task that needs a calm chest and clear speech.
2. Reflect on asking Allah to remove anxiety and unlock confidence.
3. For a yes/no life decision (marriage, job, travel), use the Istikhara dua from Bukhari 6382 instead.

Key benefits

• Dissolves social anxiety, fear of failure, and hesitation.
• Brings divine ease into difficult conversations and undertakings.
• Asks for eloquence so others can understand what you need to say.

Frequently asked questions