Deeper into Dhikr
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The Meaning of La hawla wala quwwata illa billah | Episode 6
While we may go through our lives planning and working towards our goals, it is ultimately God's Power and Will that determines all. La hawla wala quwwata illa billah. There is no power and no strength except with God. Learn how this powerful remembrance is key to submitting to God and understanding His Divine Decree.
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. So we said that the angels are worshiping Allah at this moment with tasbih, with saying subhanAllah and glorifying his perfection. But every day as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala creates new angels, angels are born saying one word of dhikr. Safwan ibn Sulaim radiAllahu ta'ala anhu said, ma nahadha malakun minal ardi hatta qaal la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah As the angels are brought into this world, no angel rises up except that the angel says, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah There is no power and no strength except with Allah. That's the initial recognition of every single angel as it comes into existence. What about us as human beings? How important is it for us to say la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah? There is no power, no strength except that which is from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Saying la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah is not only a recognition that Allah is the only one worthy of worship and that you are in need of him. It's that it's only him who can actually turn you back to him. And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives you the means and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grants you the goal. He is in charge of all states, including yours. He is the one who blesses you with strength. He's the one who overcomes your greatest obstacles for you. He's the one who pulls you out of weakness. And he is the one that allows you to come back to him subhanahu wa ta'ala in ways that are beneficial to you in this life. And of course even more so in the next. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, shall I not tell you of a word which is one of the treasures of paradise? Kanzun min kunuzil jannah. A treasure of jannah. And so the companion said, yes, oh messenger of Allah.
He said, say la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. And in one narration the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, akthir min qawli la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. Be frequent in saying la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. So say it a hundred times, a thousand times. Whatever you can, keep on repeating this treasure of jannah. And as the ulama mention, what this means is that you will find treasures, not just trees. Treasures in jannah that will be granted to you because of the amount of times that you said, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. Now what does this dhikr actually mean? And Imam ibn Hajar rahim Allah ta'ala, he summarizes some of the statements of the companions. And he says, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah means, la tahweela lilAAabdi AAan maAAsiyatillah illa biAAusmatillah wala quwwata lahwa AAala taAAatillah illa bi tawfeeqillah. That there is no turning away from sinning against Allah, except with the redemption of Allah. And there is no strength to worship Allah, except by being given the ability to do so by Allah. So it's Allah who changes states. Allah changes a person from sin to repentance. Allah takes a person from sickness to health. Allah takes a person from weakness to strength. Allah takes a person from sorrow to joy. Allah changes your state, and when you entrust him with that, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will never let you down. And that's why subhanAllah there are other dua that are in the spirit of la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, including the most frequent dua of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. la muqallibal quloob thabbit qalbi AAala deenik O turner of hearts, make my heart firm on your religion. So even my heart is not in my possession. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the one who can turn it back to him. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the one who can keep me steadfast on his path. Now some of you might think, well does this mean that I have no power?
Does this mean that I have no responsibility? Because if I have no responsibility, then I have no accountability. And obviously that's not an Islamic concept. So what does la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah mean for our part of this, for our work? And this is really the beauty of our relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Is that you have to lose hope in all of these other things, while using them as a means to connect you to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. What does this mean? La ilaha illallah represents the first article of faith. The admission of the oneness of God. La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah connects us to the last article of faith, which is qadr, the belief in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's divine decree. It's complete taslim, to the decree of Allah. Complete submission to the decree of Allah. Which is why the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam said in one narration, that if a person says la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, Allah says aslama abdi wastaslam. My servant has resigned and submitted himself to me. And so you do all of the things that are necessary to elevate yourself, to bring yourself to the positions of happiness that you seek in this life, to positions of strength, and to ultimately a position of salvation. But you recognize as you are engaging those means, that it's only Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who could bless those means, and provide for you, and bring you to where you need to be. And that's why you submit yourself, even as you fully work. And this is something that represents our relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. From the very moment that we set foot out of our doors, the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam said, that when a person leaves their home and says, Bismillah, tawakkaltu ala Allah, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. With the name of Allah, I put my trust in Allah,
and there is no power or strength except with Allah, that the angels respond. And the angels say, hudita wa kufita wa wuqita. That you are guided, you are defended, and you are protected. And then the shayateen, they flee from that person, and they say to each other as they're walking away from you, how can you deal with a person who has been guided, defended, and protected? And so it's your protective shield as you leave your house, that as you go to take yourself to a position of goodness, you know that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is going to be your ultimate protector. And the most noble place to go with this transformed being of yours, and this perspective, is to the masjid. And that's why when we respond to the call of salah, when we hear hayyala al salah, hayyala al falah, come to the prayer, come to success, we respond with la hawla wa la quwata illa billah. That there is no power or no strength except with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Meaning, it's only Allah azawajal who can bring me to success. It's only Allah who can bring me to salah. Now, I don't make any excuses, I wake myself up, I do my best to go out, but I know that at the end of the day, Allah is the one who grants me the means of success, and Allah is the one who rewards me with success. And so I fully put my trust in Him subhanahu wa ta'ala. La hawla wa la quwata illa billah. Now I wanted to end subhanAllah with a beautiful dua that really shows you how incredible your dua can be when you combine these various adhkar that we've been covering, these various forms of remembrance. In one narration from Ubadah ibn Samit radiAllahu ta'ala anhu, he said that the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wasallam said that whoever wakes up and says la ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah lahul mulku walahul hamd wahuwa ala kulli shay'in qadeer wasubhanAllah walhamdulillah wala ilaha illallah
wallahu akbar wala hawla wa la quwata illa billah And then that person says rabbi khfirli, my Lord forgive me. The Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wasallam said that person would be forgiven for all of their sins. And in one narration the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wasallam said Allah would forgive all of his sins even if they were like the foam of the sea. And the Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wasallam continues and he said and if that person then makes a dua, Allah would surely answer their dua. And if that person gets up from bed and makes wudu and then prays, Allah would surely accept their prayer. And so all of these adhkar in and of themselves, they are treasures and trees in Jannah. So what is it like when you start to mix these adhkar together and acknowledge fully the power of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala over you and your dependence upon him and then seek prosperity in this life and forgiveness for the hereafter after which the entrance is into Jannatul Firdaus with our Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wasallam. la hawla wa la quwata illa billah la ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lah lahul mulku walahul hamdu wahuwa ala kulli shay'in qadeer subhanAllah walhamdulillah wala ilaha illa Allah wallahu akbar wala hawla wa la quwata
illa billah la hawla wa la quwata illa billah wala hawla wa la quwata illa billah
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