Explanation of the author's statement: "There is no power or might except in Allah, and He is sufficient for us and is the best Disposer of affairs"

The Shaykh :"There is no power nor strength except by Allah, and He is sufficient for us and He is the best Disposer of affairs". Regarding the phrase "There is no power nor strength," this is beneficial for the generic sense, and I do not know if you remember that there are several grammatical perspectives in its parsing. There are several perspectives in it; who can teach us about them? The parsing of "power" (quwwah) has three perspectives: being built on the open case (fath), the accusative case (nassb), and the nominative case (raf'). However, Ibn Malik says: "If you raise the first, do not make the second accusative". But the first is permissible in only two perspectives; the accusative is not correct, it is not permissible. It is either built on the open case or raised. As for the second, three perspectives are permissible in it, but if you raise it, do not make it accusative. Now, the reason for this: As for the first, if we build it on the open case, its meaning is that we have made "la" operative. It is permissible for the second to be built on the open case through the operation of "la," or in the accusative case as a conjunction to the position of the noun of "la," or in the nominative case through the cancellation of "la," and it becomes a conjunction to the position of "la" and its noun. As for when we raise "la power" (la hawlu), we have raised it because it is a subject (mubtada') and we have made it cancelled. The second has two perspectives in it: the operation due to its directness to "la", and the cancellation. Now, what is the meaning of "la"? This is its parsing, but what is its meaning? "La hawlu wa la quwwata illa billah." "Hawl" means transition and change of affairs, transitioning from one thing to another. So "hawl" means transition, and "quwwah" is known; it is an attribute by which the strong one can act without weakness. And his saying "except by Allah" is also here for assistance; the preposition "ba" (by) is for assistance. So in that case, the power and strength for us, for us, are not ours except by the assistance of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Without Him, we are not able. Do you understand? It is possible that a perspective is permissible but weak, that we make the "ba" mean "in" (fi), meaning there is no one here who has power and strength other than Allah. The meaning would be that absolute power and absolute strength do not exist except in Allah (Mighty and Majestic). But the first is more correct, and that is because this phrase is a phrase of seeking help. "La hawlu wa la quwwata illa billah" is a phrase of seeking help, said by a person when he seeks help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And in that case, the meaning is—Sami—the meaning is: there is no power for me, I mean I am not able to transition from one thing to another, and there is no strength for me in that except by means of, except by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). So it is as if the author (may Allah have mercy on him) sought help with this phrase, sought help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to facilitate the matter for him. And this indicates that this introduction was before the composition of the book, is that not so? Now, but there is a difficulty with this: the author said at the beginning of the speech: "So this is a summary". This, and the physical indication is to something that exists. How can he say "this is a summary" and then say that this introduction is prior to the composition? The scholars say that the indication here is to what stood in his mind and his conception of this book he wants to compose. So the indication is not to a tangible, known thing in front of him, but to something conceived and imagined in the mind. Some authors compose first, then look at the content of the book and its chapters and the like, then they write the introduction. He said: "And He is sufficient for us and He is the best Disposer of affairs". "He" means Allah (Mighty and Majestic). "Hasib" means sufficient. Whoever relies on Allah, then Allah is sufficient for him, as He said: meaning He is sufficient for him. And whoever does not rely on Allah, then Allah is not sufficient for him, because as we have mentioned to us repeatedly, the conditional sentence implies by its explicit meaning the occurrence of the result with the occurrence of the condition, and it implies by its implicit meaning the absence of the result with the absence of the condition. So whoever relies on Allah, He is sufficient for him, and whoever does not rely on Allah, He is not sufficient for him; he entrusts himself to himself. And if he entrusts himself to himself, he has entrusted himself to his weakness. And his saying: "and He is the best Disposer of affairs". "Wakil" (Disposer) here is the subject. And the grammarians say that "na'ma" (how excellent) requires a subject and a specified thing. Where is the specified thing? It is omitted or hidden. If we say it is omitted, then "and He is the best Disposer of affairs, Allah" becomes an independent sentence from what preceded it. And if we say it is hidden, it refers back to his saying "except by Allah," and it is Allah who is sufficient for us and He is the best. Yes, this is also permissible; this and that are both permissible. And his saying: "the Disposer of affairs". The "Wakil" (Disposer), as we have mentioned to us in tawhid (the oneness of Allah), is the one to whom the matter is delegated. And there is no doubt that Allah (the Exalted) has delegated all their affairs to the servants, or not? But the delegation of affairs to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not like our delegation of affairs to our agent in this world. Our delegation of affairs to our agent in this world is on the basis that we are the ones in whose hands the matter is; we have the power to dismiss him, and we see that he is in a position lower than our position in terms of action, because he does not act except according to what he was delegated. But our delegation of our affairs to Allah is a delegation of need and dependence, and that He (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the One from whom preparation and provision come, just as He is the One from whom creation comes. We did not create ourselves, nor do we prepare ourselves for what is required of us, nor do we provide ourselves with what strengthens us. All of this is to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So the delegation of a person to his like in buying, selling, leasing, and the like is not like the delegation of a person's affair to his Lord. The difference is that the delegation of a person's affair to his Lord is a delegation of need, dependence, and reliance on Allah (Mighty and Majestic). As for the delegation of a person to his like in intellects and transactions, this is not so; rather, it is a delegation from one who sees that the matter is in his hand, and if he wished, he would dismiss him. The agent does not act except according to what his principal delegated to him; he cannot do more than that. And his saying: "He is sufficient for us and He is the best Disposer of affairs. Does it have a parallel in the Qur'an?

Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them." But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, "Sufficient for us is Allah, and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs."

إن الناس قد جمعوا لكم فأخشوهم فزادهم إيمانا وقالوا حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل

[Ali 'Imran 3:173]

If they said that, it is a delegation to Allah to obtain what is desired and to avert what is feared, because they wanted to repel those who gathered against them. So this phrase is intended for two things: the obtaining of the desired and the repelling of the feared. Ibn Abbas said that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said it when he was thrown into the fire, to repel the feared and seek the loved, which is salvation. And for this reason, the response was immediate:

Allah said, "O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham."

قلنا يا نار كوني بردا وسلاما على إبراهيم

[Al-Anbya 21:69]

This introduction contains, as you know, many things from tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and from the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And it is from the blessing of the composition, if it is prefaced with such great meanings. "