6 Powerful Prayers for Safety and Protection

“Fifty-eight percent of people living in the United States report feeling worried about their safety every single day,” according to SafeWise’s 2019 State of Safety report.

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This daily habit of worrying can paralyze us with fear and disempower us from making a difference. Know that you are never alone and that God is with you — watching over all the people and circumstances that you can’t control.

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I hope these Baha’i prayers for safety and protection comfort you when you are fearful, protect you when you are in harm’s way, and empower you to make this world a safer place.

1. A Short Prayer for Protection From Natural Disasters

Whether you’re worried about flooding, fires, pandemics, hurricanes, or tornadoes, Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, revealed this short, powerful prayer for us to say. He wrote:

On the appearance of fearful natural events call ye to mind the might and majesty of your Lord, He Who heareth and seeth all, and say ‘Dominion is God’s, the Lord of the seen and the unseen, the Lord of creation’.

2. A Prayer for Safe Travel and Protection

Baha’u’llah revealed this wonderful prayer for protection and safe travels. If you or your loved ones are traveling and want to ask God to help you return home safely, I encourage you to recite this prayer:

O God, my God! I have set out from my home, holding fast unto the cord of Thy love, and I have committed myself wholly to Thy care and Thy protection.

I entreat Thee by Thy power through which Thou didst protect Thy loved ones from the wayward and the perverse, and from every contumacious oppressor, and every wicked doer who hath strayed far from Thee, to keep me safe by Thy bounty and Thy grace.

Enable me, then, to return to my home by Thy power and Thy might. Thou art, truly, the Almighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

3. A Prayer for Protection From Envy and Rancor

I’m so grateful that Abdu’l-Baha, one of the central figures of the Baha’i Faith, revealed this prayer for protection from rancor and envy. 

Years ago, I was around several people who were envious of me and made that clear. Their bitter comments and green-eyed glares made it extremely difficult to be around them. So, I decided to memorize this prayer and recite it every single day. Some people stopped saying resentful remarks, and others are no longer in my life. This powerful prayer protected me from rancor and empowered me to demand respect. It helped me tremendously, and it can help you too:

O God, my God! Shield Thy trusted servants from the evils of self and passion, protect them with the watchful eye of Thy loving-kindness from all rancor, hate and envy, shelter them in the impregnable stronghold of Thy care and, safe from the darts of doubtfulness, make them the manifestations of Thy glorious signs, illumine their faces with the effulgent rays shed from the Dayspring of Thy divine unity, gladden their hearts with the verses revealed from Thy holy kingdom, strengthen their loins by Thine all-swaying power that cometh from Thy realm of glory. Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Protector, the Almighty, the Gracious.

4. A Prayer for Help and Protection From Evildoers

Envious people can become dangerous if they turn to contempt and hatred. In this prayer that was revealed by the Bab, the forerunner and herald of Baha’u’llah, we implore God to help and protect us against those who want to harm us and wish for bad things to happen to us:

Glory be to Thee, O God! Thou art the God Who hath existed before all things, Who will exist after all things and will last beyond all things. Thou art the God Who knoweth all things, and is supreme over all things. Thou art the God Who dealeth mercifully with all things, Who judgeth between all things and Whose vision embraceth all things. Thou art God my Lord, Thou art aware of my position, Thou dost witness my inner and outer being.

Grant Thy forgiveness unto me and unto the believers who responded to Thy Call. Be Thou my sufficing helper against the mischief of whosoever may desire to inflict sorrow upon me or wish me ill. Verily, Thou art the Lord of all created things. Thou dost suffice everyone, while no one can be self-sufficient without Thee.

5. A Prayer for Spiritual Protection, Safety, and Guidance

Baha’u’llah asks God to gladden the hearts of those who have turned towards God and keep us safe from idleness and vanity in this prayer. You may want to recite this prayer if you need spiritual protection and enlightenment:

Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! I entreat Thee by Thy Name through which the Hour hath struck, and the Resurrection came to pass, and fear and trembling seized all that are in heaven and all that are on earth, to rain down, out of the heaven of Thy mercy and the clouds of Thy tender compassion, what will gladden the hearts of Thy servants, who have turned towards Thee and helped Thy Cause.

Keep safe Thy servants and Thy handmaidens, O my Lord, from the darts of idle fancy and vain imaginings, and give them from the hands of Thy grace a draught of the soft-flowing waters of Thy knowledge.

Thou, truly, art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.

6. A Prayer for Protection and Preservation From Hardship

In a world of so much pain, calamity, and hardship, this prayer that Abdu’l-Baha revealed gives you the spiritual armor, shield, and fortress you need to guard you “from every sickness, trial, difficulty and ordeal”:

O my Lord! Thou knowest that the people are encircled with pain and calamities and are environed with hardships and trouble. Every trial doth attack man and every dire adversity doth assail him like unto the assault of a serpent. There is no shelter and asylum for him except under the wing of Thy protection, preservation, guard and custody.

O Thou the Merciful One! O my Lord! Make Thy protection my armor, Thy preservation my shield, humbleness before the door of Thy oneness my guard, and Thy custody and defense my fortress and my abode. Preserve me from the suggestions of self and desire, and guard me from every sickness, trial, difficulty and ordeal.

Verily, Thou art the Protector, the Guardian, the Preserver, the Sufficer, and verily, Thou art the Merciful of the Most Merciful.

May these prayers protect you, and your loved ones, and keep you safe from emotional, spiritual, and physical danger.