Islamic phrase · meaning and usage
La Hawla wa La Quwwata Illa Billah meaning
Also written La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, La hawla wala quwwata illa billah, Hawqala, La hawla, Lahaula wala quwwata illa billah
لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh
“There is no power and no strength except with Allah”
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La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ) means “there is no power and no strength except with Allah”. The Prophet ﷺ called it “a treasure from the treasures of Paradise”. It is known as the ḥawqalah.
What La Hawla wa La Quwwata Illa Billah means
Ḥawl is the ability to change from one state to another; quwwah is the strength to do it. The phrase admits that you cannot move away from a sin, or carry out any good, except by Allah’s help. It is a statement of reliance (tawakkul), not of giving up.
Word by word
| Arabic | Say | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| لَا | lā | there is no |
| حَوْلَ | ḥawla | change / ability to turn |
| وَلَا | wa lā | and no |
| قُوَّةَ | quwwata | strength |
| إِلَّا | illā | except |
| بِاللَّهِ | billāh | with / by Allah |
When to say it
- When facing a task that feels too heavy.
- When leaving home, in the sunnah dua.
- When the muezzin says ḥayya ‘alaṣ-ṣalāh and ḥayya ‘alal-falāḥ.
- As daily dhikr, any time.
- On hearing bad news, together with the istirja‘.
How to reply
No reply is needed.
Where it comes from
In the Qur’an
وَلَوْلَآ إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلْتَ مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِ ۚ إِن تَرَنِ أَنَا۠ أَقَلَّ مِنكَ مَالًۭا وَوَلَدًۭا
And why did you, when you entered your garden, not say, 'What Allah willed [has occurred]; there is no power except in Allah '? Although you see me less than you in wealth and children,
In the hadith
“Shall I not tell you of a treasure from the treasures of Paradise? Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6384; Sahih Muslim 2704
When the muezzin says “come to prayer” and “come to success”, the listener says lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh.
Sahih Muslim 385
Leaving home: bismillāh, tawakkaltu ‘alallāh, lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh. It is said to him: you are guided, sufficed and protected.
Sunan Abi Dawud 5095
Common mistakes
- Using it only as a sigh of frustration. Its meaning is trust in Allah’s help, so it suits the start of a hard task more than giving up on one.
- Saying “la hawla” alone. The short form is common speech; the full phrase is what the hadith mentions.
Use it today
Frequently asked questions
What does la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah mean?
“There is no power and no strength except with Allah.” It admits that every change and every ability comes from Allah.
What is the reward of saying it?
The Prophet ﷺ called it a treasure from the treasures of Paradise (Bukhari 6384; Muslim 2704).
When should I say it?
When a task feels hard, when leaving home, in reply to “come to prayer” in the adhan, and as dhikr at any time.
What is the hawqala?
Hawqala is the short name scholars give this phrase, formed from its first words, like basmala for bismillah.
Is it said in hardship?
Yes. It is often said with innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rāji‘ūn when bad news comes, as a statement of reliance on Allah.
Related phrases
How this page works and sources
Qur’an text and its English meaning are taken from the same Uthmani text and translation the Niyat app uses, and each ayah links to its place in our Qur’an reader. Hadith are cited by collection and number (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa’i, Sunan Ibn Majah); where a narration has a weak chain we say so. Hadith wording is summarised in plain English. Where the schools of law differ, the page says so in one line. The sound button uses your browser’s own Arabic voice; nothing is sent anywhere.
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