The 365 · Sunnah · Day 103 · Speech
Reciting 'Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-llāh' (A Treasure from the Treasures of Paradise)
This day is still being reviewed. Its wording, transliterations, and references are being checked before it is final, so please take care with transliterations until then.
The hadith
أَلَا أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى كَنْزٍ مِنْ كُنُوزِ الْجَنَّةِ: لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
The Prophet ﷺ to Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī: 'Shall I direct you to a treasure from the treasures of Paradise? Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-llāh.' (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6384, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2704.) Translation: 'There is no power and no strength except by Allah.'
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ till Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī: 'Skall jag visa dig en skatt från paradisets skatter? Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-llāh.' (Sahih al-Bukhari 6384, Sahih Muslim 2704.) Översättning: 'Det finns ingen makt och ingen styrka utom genom Allah.'
Sahih Bukhari 6384, Sahih Muslim 2704 (Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī)
The story
Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī preserved this hadith. The Prophet ﷺ singled out this phrase as a 'treasure of Paradise' rather than other dhikr-formulas; the singular qualifier marks the phrase's structural depth. The classical scholars used this phrase as the foundational ḥawqalah-discipline.
Why it's here
The Prophet ﷺ named this phrase 'a treasure from the treasures of Paradise' (kanz min kunūz al-jannah). The phrase structurally affirms total dependence on Allah: no movement (ḥawl) and no power (quwwah) except by Allah's enabling. The classical scholars (Ibn al-Qayyim) wrote that this phrase is structurally protective: when recited at moments of difficulty, it operationally invokes Allah's enabling.
Try it today
1. Recite at moments of difficulty (work stress, family difficulty, health challenge): the phrase invokes Allah's enabling. 2. Recite during the call to prayer (when the muezzin says ḥayya ʿalā aṣ-ṣalāh, respond with lā ḥawla...; when he says ḥayya ʿalā al-falāḥ, again the same response: this is the Sunnah for adhān-response, Sahih Muslim 385). 3. Build a daily count: minimum 100 reps. 4. Recite during transitions: leaving home, entering work, before challenging conversations.
In your day
Modern decision-fatigue and over-reliance on self produces the structural delusion of self-sufficiency. The phrase inverts: total dependence is the structural reality. The discipline of regular recitation re-anchors the believer in this reality.
A reflection to carry
Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-llāh: a treasure from the treasures of Paradise. The Prophet ﷺ to Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī: 'Shall I direct you to a treasure from the treasures of Paradise? Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-llāh.' (Bukhārī 6384.)
Read the longer reflection
The phrase structurally affirms total dependence on Allah: no movement (ḥawl) and no power (quwwah) except by Allah's enabling. Ibn al-Qayyim: structurally protective; when recited at moments of difficulty, it operationally invokes Allah's enabling. Cure: recite at moments of difficulty (work stress, family difficulty, health challenge); during the call to prayer (when muezzin says ḥayya ʿalā aṣ-ṣalāh, respond with lā ḥawla...); build a daily count (minimum 100); recite during transitions (leaving home, entering work, before challenging conversations). Modern decision-fatigue and over-reliance-on-self produces structural delusion of self-sufficiency; the phrase inverts: total dependence is the structural reality.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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