La Hawla Wala Quwwata Illa Billah — Meaning, Benefits & Arabic

La hawla wala quwwata illa billah — known as the hawqala — is the phrase of the overwhelmed: said when a burden is heavier than your strength, when news knocks the breath out of you, when you simply cannot carry a thing alone. This page covers its meaning, the hadith that calls it a treasure of Paradise, and when to say it.

What Does It Mean?

It means: “There is no power and no strength except with Allah.” The scholars explain hawla as the ability to change from one state to another and quwwata as the strength to act — the phrase surrenders both to Allah: no one moves from difficulty to ease, from sin to obedience, from weakness to strength, except by His enabling.

Urdu: نہ کسی میں طاقت ہے اور نہ قوت مگر اللہ کی مدد سے۔

A Treasure of Paradise

In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ said to Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him): “Shall I not tell you of a treasure from the treasures of Paradise?” — and then taught him this phrase. The scholars note why it fits our niche of hardship: a treasure is what you draw on when your own resources run out, and the hawqala is exactly that — spoken when your own hawl and quwwa are finished.

When To Say It

Say it upon hearing distressing news, when facing a task or trial beyond your capacity, when grief exhausts you, and in the ordinary moments the sunnah attaches it to (such as answering the mu’adhdhin’s hayya ‘alas-salah). Alongside a loss, it pairs naturally with inna lillahi: one acknowledges Allah’s ownership of what was taken; the other hands Him the weight of carrying on.

Copy and Send

Count it as dhikr on our tasbih counter, and see the related phrases: hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakeel for when you are wronged, and qaddarallah for when regret whispers.