The ruling on saying "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" (There is no power nor strength except in Allah) upon the occurrence of a calamity
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh:
Regarding this, yes. Before answering the questions, there is no lesson on Wednesday night because I have a trip, and it will be on Saturday, if Allah wills. The appointment is on Saturday, if Allah wills.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on some people saying when a calamity befalls them, "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah"? Is this prescribed?
The Shaykh:
Yes, this is a good thing. "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" is a great word. It descends from beneath the Throne; it is a great word, and it contains disavowal of power and strength. However, when he says upon a calamity what Allah the Exalted mentioned,[Al-Baqarah 2:156], he should say upon the calamity, "Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return." And if he says "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah," that is also a good thing.
Regarding this, yes. Before answering the questions, there is no lesson on Wednesday night because I have a trip, and it will be on Saturday, if Allah wills. The appointment is on Saturday, if Allah wills.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, what is the ruling on some people saying when a calamity befalls them, "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah"? Is this prescribed?
The Shaykh:
Yes, this is a good thing. "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" is a great word. It descends from beneath the Throne; it is a great word, and it contains disavowal of power and strength. However, when he says upon a calamity what Allah the Exalted mentioned,
Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، تابع كتاب الجنايات - 1 — islamhouse.com (44:25)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.