What is the ruling on saying certain phrases, such as “May Allah not humiliate you” and “Woe to him”?

Question : There are some phrases that are repeated on people’s tongues. The questioner says, for example, “Woe to you” or “May Allah not humiliate you,” and others like that?

Answer : These words are permissible. As for saying “May Allah not humiliate you,” this is a good supplication. It means that He will not humiliate you with punishment or disgrace in this world, nor will He enrage you with punishment in the Hereafter or disgrace in this world. As for saying “Woe to me” and similar phrases, these are words the Arabs used to express grief, so there is nothing wrong with them. However, a person should not say them when calamities strike, because they resemble the words of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, such as “Woe to me” and “Woe to my soul,” and the like. May Allah reward you.