stored wealth; its plural is kunuz.
• lā maljaʾ: The verb lajiʾa (he sought refuge) – yaljiʾu – lajan means to seek shelter and cling for protection; therefore, al-maljaʾ is the place to which one flees for safety.
Lessons drawn from the hadiths
1 – The phrase “al-bāqiyāt al-ṣāliḥāt” (the everlasting righteous deeds) denotes the good works whose reward remains preserved with Allah for their doer forever, unlike the adornment of worldly life, which is bound to vanish. This wording is also found in the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad, in another narration from Abu Saʿīd al-Khudrī, where the Prophet ﷺ said: “Increase in the everlasting righteous deeds.” They asked, “What are they, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “The takbīr, the tahlīl, the tasbīḥ, the taḥmīd, and lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billah.”
2 – Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Saʿdī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The everlasting righteous deeds include every obligatory and recommended act of devotion—both the rights due to Allah and the rights due to His servants: prayer, zakah, charity, fasting, ḥajj, ʿumrah, declaring His transcendence (tasbīḥ) and His oneness (tahlīl), Qur’an recitation, seeking beneficial knowledge, enjoining right, forbidding wrong, maintaining kinship ties, honoring one’s parents, fulfilling the rights of one’s wife, and every form of kindness toward creation. All of this is encompassed by the everlasting righteous deeds: their reward endures, continues to multiply after one’s departure, and is hoped for at times of need …”
3 – Thus the statement “lā ilāha illā Allah, subḥān Allah, Allahu akbar, al-ḥamdu lillah, and lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billah” offers an excellent model of righteous deeds and a fine example of the best that such deeds can contain, for these blessed words are the most beloved speech to Allah, and “lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billah” is one of the precious treasures of Paradise.
4 – Numerous hadiths extol the merit of these noble phrases, and rigorously authenticated reports detail their fruits, among them that they earn the pleasure of the Most Merciful and cause the servant