Friday Lessons

The most precious words for guidance, success and protection: ‘laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billaah’

by: Shaykh Zafar ul Hasan
laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah

Remember Allah in ample amount so that you may be successful.

(Surah al-Araf, ch 8, verse 45)

Allah put a simple condition for success and it is to “Remember Him much”

The biggest weapon that Allah has given to his worshippers in driving away Satanic influence is "His Remembrance."  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gives an example to explain it:

A man is travelling in a valley and is chased by dacoits. He flees from them to save himself but the dacoits keep on chasing him.  Finally he reaches a huge castle and runs into it. There he continues going inside its corridors and finally inside the safest room. Meanwhile, the dacoits reach the castle but they do not find any entry to go in. The traveler is protected. The example of a person who seeks refuge in Remembering Allah, is like the person who got protected from dacoits. He is protected from Satan.

Your wealth and your children are adornment of this worldly life

Your wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope ...(Surah al Kahf, ch 18, verse 46)

Wealth and children are companions only in this life but the moment you die, all the connections with them will end up and you cannot be in their touch till the Day of Judgement. This is the reality of life. The next part of the above verse says that your good deeds will be with you forever, benefitting you in this world and Hereafter. They will be with you even in your grave as well as when you will stand for accounting before your Creator.

Uthman bin Affan (Allah be pleased with him) was asked to explain But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope” and he replied, “They refer to La ilaha illaAllah, Subh’hanAllah, Wal-Hamdulillah, WallahuAkbar wala hawla wala quwwata illa billah.”

Even the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged his companions to recite the above words on a very regular basis and he said that these words would be walking ahead of them on the Day of Judgement when they would be working towards reporting to the Lord.  On that day your own wealth and children may not benefit you, but these precious words of praising Allah would be your asset when there would be no other asset. They would be all around him to protect him from the hardships.

‘Lahawla walaquwata illa billah’: The most precious words