What Does Sakinah Mean?

In the passages describing its descent upon the believers, sakinah is the tranquility and steadfastness Allah grants them during hardship, helping them to remain patient, obey Him, and rely on Him properly. It is a blessing from Him, glorified is He, not a power that a person can obtain independently of their Lord.

The means of attaining it are not limited to reciting these six verses. Concerning the virtue of gathering in mosques to recite and study the Quran, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said in part of a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:

وَمَا اجْتَمَعَ قَوْمٌ فِي بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُيُوتِ اللَّهِ يَتْلُونَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَيَتَدَارَسُونَهُ بَيْنَهُمْ إِلَّا نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ وَغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ وَحَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَذَكَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِيمَنْ عِنْدَهُ

"Whenever people gather in one of Allah's houses, reciting Allah's Book and studying it together, tranquility descends upon them, mercy envelops them, the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them among those who are with Him." Narrated by Muslim, no. 2699.

This is an established virtue of the gathering described in the hadith, not a special virtue of collecting the six verses together.

Are the Verses of Sakinah a Specific Sunnah Wird?

It has not been established that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, collected these six passages into a specific devotional routine, or instructed people to recite them a certain number of times or at a certain time in pursuit of a special virtue.

In Madarij as-Salikin, in the section on sakinah, Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned these passages. He reported that his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, recited them when matters became difficult, and described how he himself benefited from reciting them when his heart was troubled. This reports the judgment and experience of two scholars; it is not a hadith from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. It does not establish a prescribed devotional routine or guarantee an effect for every person.

In his commentary on Sunan Abi Dawud, Shaykh Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad noted that he knew of no evidence for singling out these verses for that purpose, while affirming that ruqyah with the entire Quran is permissible. Reciting these passages to understand and reflect on their meanings is Quran recitation. Presenting them as a specifically prescribed remedy for anxiety is not merely general recitation. For prescribed ruqyah, read How to Perform Ruqyah on Yourself Step by Step.

When May a Muslim Read the Verses of Sakinah?

You can read these verses when reciting or learning the Quran and reflecting on its meanings, just as you read other passages of Allah's Book. When afraid or worried, recite what you can of the Quran, supplicate to Allah, and maintain the established adhkar, without believing that tranquility is limited to this collection or that it has a particular prescribed time for treatment.

Asking Allah for Sakinah

It is authentically reported from al-Bara, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, recited lines of rajaz poetry on the day of the Trench. Among his words were:

فَأَنْزِلَنْ سَكِينَةً عَلَيْنَا وَثَبِّتِ الْأَقْدَامَ إِنْ لَاقَيْنَا

"Send down tranquility upon us, and make our feet firm if we meet the enemy." Narrated by al-Bukhari, no. 3034.

Asking Allah for sakinah is therefore prescribed. You may supplicate to Him using words with a sound meaning, without making a particular supplication a regular conclusion to these verses or attributing a special virtue to saying it after them. This wording from the hadith of the Trench is not a supplication specifically prescribed after the six verses.