The Virtue of the Phrase: لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

Authored by: Fadhilat al-Shaykh Hafiz Abdul Sattar Hammad (may Allah preserve him)

✦ A Treasure from the Treasures of Paradise ✦​

أَلاَ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى كَلِمَةٍ هِيَ كَنْزٌ مِنْ كُنُوزِ الْجَنَّةِ، لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 6384]

"Shall I not tell you of a word which is one of the treasures of Paradise? It is: لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ."

✦ Benefits ✦​

① The meaning of لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ is: There is no ability to avoid sins and no strength to do good except with the help and permission of Allah. It signifies complete dependence on Allah and recognition of one's helplessness before His divine decree.

② This phrase combines the concept of Tawḥīd (monotheism) with belief in Qadar (divine decree). In one narration, it is mentioned that when a servant says this phrase, Allah says:
"My servant has submitted to Me and accepted Islam."
[al-Mustadrak al-Ḥākim, 1/21]

③ Ḥaḍrat Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī (رضي الله عنه) narrates that during the return from the Battle of Khaybar, he was softly reciting لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ behind the Prophet ﷺ, who then affirmed the immense value of this "spiritual formula."
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī]

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✦ Its Hidden Power and Great Rewards ✦​

④ Indeed, this phrase expresses the magnificence and majesty of Allah in a unique manner, which is why it is described as a treasure from among the treasures of Paradise.
⑤ Another narration states that لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ is a cure for ninety-nine diseases, the lightest of which is worry and sorrow.
[al-Mustadrak al-Ḥākim, 1/542]

⑥ In another Hadith, it is stated that abundant trees will be planted in Paradise for the one who recites لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ.
[Musnad Aḥmad, 5/418]