Rabbi ishrah li sadri, the dua of Musa (AS)
Musa (AS)'s prayer for calm, an easier task, clear speech, and words that people can understand. It is especially relevant before an exam, interview, presentation, difficult conversation, or public speaking.
Recite it before a demanding task where you need calm, clarity, and effective speech: studying or sitting an exam, attending an interview, giving a presentation, teaching, or beginning a difficult conversation. It is a Qur'anic supplication, not an exam formula, and no fixed count is prescribed.
The Arabic and meaning are paired with Quran 20:25-28. No special promise or count is added without a cited basis.
Rabbi-shrah li sadri, wa yassir li amri, wa-hlul 'uqdatan min lisani, yafqahu qawli.
My Lord, expand for me my chest, ease for me my task, and untie the knot from my tongue so they may understand my speech.
Allah (SWT) commanded Musa (AS) to go to Pharaoh, a ruler who had transgressed greatly. Musa (AS) did not begin by asking for the challenge to disappear. He asked Allah (SWT) to expand his chest, make the task easy, and remove the obstacle in his speech so that his message would be understood.
The sequence is practical: inward steadiness, outward ease, then clear communication. That makes the dua relevant whenever fear, pressure, or difficulty expressing yourself could get in the way of doing what is right.
Musa (AS) said this before confronting Pharaoh. A go-to before hard conversations, presentations, or asking for something difficult.
Can I recite Rabbi ishrah li sadri before an exam?
Yes. Its words ask Allah (SWT) for calm and ease, so it is a sound personal supplication before an exam. The verse itself is Musa (AS)'s prayer before confronting Pharaoh, not an exam-specific ritual, and it has no prescribed count.
What does Rabbi ishrah li sadri mean?
It asks Allah (SWT) to expand your chest with assurance, make your task easy, loosen the difficulty in your speech, and let others understand what you say.
How many times should I say it?
No authentic source gives this Qur'anic supplication a fixed number. Recite it sincerely before or during a difficult task without treating a particular count as Sunnah.