distress is one of tawhid, as is Jonah’s supplication: no distressed person has ever invoked Allah with it without Allah relieving his distress through tawhid. Nothing casts one into grave distress except shirk, and nothing delivers one from it except tawhid. It is creation’s haven, refuge, fortress, and ultimate end. Success comes from Allah.”1 [End quote].
We have already discussed hadiths that convey this meaning. The first is the hadith of Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—which consists entirely of affirming tawhid, glorifying Allah—Glorious and Exalted—and repeating the declaration of tawhid, “There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah,” together with words affirming Allah’s greatness, majesty, perfection, and lordship over the heavens, the earth, and the Mighty Throne. These words thus encompass all three categories of tawhid: the oneness of Allah’s lordship, the oneness of His divinity, and the oneness of His names and attributes. When a Muslim recites them while contemplating their meanings and reflecting upon what they signify, his heart grows tranquil, his soul finds peace, his distress and hardship depart, and he is guided to a straight path.
The second is the hadith of Asma bint Umays—may Allah be pleased with her—in which the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—directed her to seek refuge in tawhid amid distress or whenever distress strikes. Nothing equals it in warding hardships away from a servant or relieving him of distress. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him: he drew her attention firmly to this matter, stirred her desire to learn it, and prepared her to receive it by posing an enticing question: “Shall I teach you words to say when distress strikes or while you are in distress?” There is no doubt that she became eager to learn these words. He therefore instructed her—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—to say, “Allah—Allah is my Lord; I associate nothing with Him.” This is a declaration of sincerity and tawhid.
The words “Allah, Allah” are both in the nominative case. The first is the subject, while the second is a verbatim repetition emphasizing it, indicating the gravity of the occasion and the importance of the matter. The predicate is the phrase “my Lord,”