A Treasure from Heaven — Laa Hawla wa laa quwaata illa billaah

Samet Faruque
The Honored Quran
Published in
4 min readDec 6, 2024

Understand its value. Say it often.

The Powerful God

Alhamdulillah, Praise to Allah, the Tremendous in Power

وَلَوْلَا إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلْتَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ ۚ إِن تَرَنِ أَنَا أَقَلَّ مِنكَ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا

And why did you, when you entered your garden, not say, ‘What Allah willed [has occurred]; there is no power except in Allah‘?

عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

And Allah is over all things competent.

أَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعَذَابِ
That all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment.

Peace and blessings be upon the noble Messenger, who taught us what we did not know, from what Allah had taught him.

فَإِذَا أَمِنتُمْ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَمَا عَلَّمَكُم مَّا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ

But when you are secure, then remember Allah [in prayer], as He has taught you that which you did not [previously] know.

I advise myself and you to fear Allah, for

إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ

Surely the most honorable among you near Allah are the most God fearing of you.

A Treasure of Paradise

Beloved ones, today we will learn about a great statement. A statement whose virtue we will not be able to cover in this article. It will only be an exposition of some understanding I have of it. A statement that is of the treasures of paradise. It is the statement.

لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ

Laa hawlaa wa laa quwwata illa billaah

“There is no might and no power but in Allah.”

Narrated Abu Musa: [The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم] came to me as I was reciting silently, “La haula wala quwwata illa bil-lah.” He said,

يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ قَيْسٍ قُلْ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا‏.‏ كَنْزٌ مِنْ كُنُوزِ الْجَنَّةِ ‏”‏‏.‏ أَوْ قَالَ ‏”‏ أَلاَ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى كَلِمَةٍ هِيَ كَنْزٌ مِنْ كُنُوزِ الْجَنَّةِ، لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ

“O `Abdullah bin Qais! Say: La haul a walaquwata illa bil-lah, for it is one of the treasures of Paradise.” Or he said, “Shall I tell you a word which is one of the treasures of Paradise? It is: La haul a wala quwwata illa bil-lah.” (Bukhari 6384)

Internalize This Statement

La hawla wa laa quwwata illa billaah is a treasure of the treasures of paradise.

  1. It teaches us that there is no true power and might worth considering, worth fearing, worth worrying, worth giving significance, worth attributing having power over us, except Allah. He is the true Power. The only real power who is the source of all other movement and power.

2. It frees one from enslavement to the creation, and directs one to be slave to Allah.

3. It tells us we cannot do any good deed, or stay away from any evil deed, except by Allah’s help and assistance and power.

4. It teaches us that Allah can change a person’s state, from sin to repentance, from sickness to health, from weakness to strength, and from sorrow to joy.

5. To everyone suffering from difficulties, fears, temptations and problems the statement “laa hawlaa wa laa quwwata illaa billaah” becomes a solution and indication to turn to Allah and beseech his help, not to give up and turn to Allah wholeheartedly.

It is said the statement laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billaah “cures ninety-nine diseases” (At-Tabaraani, daif).

Hazim narrates, “I passed by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and he said to me:

يَا حَازِمُ أَكْثِرْ مِنْ قَوْلِ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ كُنُوزِ الْجَنَّةِ

‘O Hazim, say often: “La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no power and no strength except with Allah),” for it is one of the treasures of Paradise.’” (Sunan Ibn Majah 3826, Hasan-Darussalam)

When Leaving the House

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet ﷺ said: When a man goes out of his house and says:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ

Bismillah. Tawakkaltu alallaah, wa laa hawlaa wa laa quwwata illa billaah.

“In the name of Allah, I trust in Allah; there is no might and no power but in Allah,”

it will be said at that time: “You are guided, defended and protected.” The devils will go far from him and another devil will say to him: How can you deal with a man who has been guided, defended and protected? (Abi Dawud 5095, Sahih — Al-Albani)

When it revolutionizes the prayer

This great statement should be said in reply to the muazzin, when he says “Hayyalas salah, hayyalal falah” (Come to success, come to prayer). It teaches us we cannot even come to prayer, and the resulting success, without Allah’s great assistance and help.

If the only benefit, of being silent to the azan, and replying to the muazzin, was saying this great statement, it would be worth it.

This great statement changes our prayer. The Fatihah no longer becomes a rote-learned statement. We realize we have no strenght to do any good or stay away from any evil, except with Allah’s power. So our prayer for guidance becomes more desperate.

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Guide us to the straight path -‏

The words before “Guide us to the straight path” in Al Fatihah become a prelude and something leading to this statement. And the words after become an exposition and explanation of this statement.

And this statement (Guide us to the straight path) becomes a desperate plea, and the reason why we pay rapt attention to the whole surah.

Say often: “La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, for it is one of the treasures of Jannah.

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The Honored Quran
The Honored Quran

Published in The Honored Quran

Official blog of the Honored Quran Institute.

Samet Faruque
Samet Faruque

Written by Samet Faruque

A teacher, Imam, Engineering graduate, writer, Qur'an tutor, and more :) Welcome to my page.

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