“Laa Hawla wa Laa Quwwata Illa Billah”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

“Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah”, “There is no power and no strength except Allah”, is the refrain of the oppressed, and the comfort of the distressed.  It is the Promise, as Mawlay Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad al-‘Arabi ibn Ahmad ad-Darqawi (q.s.) said, that whatever we lose can be replaced with something better, but if we lose Allah (s.w.t.), then nothing can replace Him.  He is Omniscient and Omnipotent.  He has Power over all things.  There is no better recourse than Allah (s.w.t.). 

Imam ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Alawi al-Haddad (q.s.), in “Gifts for the Seeker”, wrote, “It is reported that ‘Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah’ is a remedy for 99 ailments, the least of which is sorrow.  It is a remedy for sorrow because grief mostly occurs when one misses something one loves, or when a distressful thing occurs; and whenever either of these things occurs people perceive their helplessness and inability to achieve their desired aims; hence they feel sorrow.  If at such times they repeat in their heart and with their tongues words which mean that they disavow the possession of any ability or power of their own, then this gives them certitude in their knowledge that they are helpless and weak except where Allah (s.w.t.) Gives them power and ability, with the result that their sorrow is banished, and their knowledge of their Lord is increased. 

This can be clearly understood from the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) saying, ‘When one believes in destiny, one’s sorrow departs.’  And in attributing ability and power to His Name, Allah (s.w.t.), which is the axis of the Names and the most supreme of them, and in following it on most occasions with the two noble Names which indicate two of the attributes of the Holy Essence, namely those of Exaltation (al-’Ali) and Magnitude (al-‘Azhim), lies a sign that He Totally Transcends and is Absolutely Holier than the illusions of those who have strayed from the path, are blind to the evidence, and have delved without insight into the secret of destiny and the acts of Allah’s (s.w.t.) creatures.  So take heed.”