This, then, is the meaning of the formula la ḥawla wa-la quwwata illā billāh (“There is no might and no power except with Allah”). In other words, no one possesses any stratagem, movement, or escape from disobeying Allah without His aid, and no one has the strength to establish obedience to Allah and remain steadfast upon it except through Allah’s enabling grace. Everything takes place by Allah’s will, His knowledge, His decree, and His predestination.

… and I break the fast; whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me.” (1) Thus Allah does not impose upon them anything onerous. By Allah, had He imposed it, they would have been able to bear it, but He does not approve hardship and difficulty for them.

(La ḥawla) means: there is no transition from one state to another, (illā billāh) except by Allah and His assistance. Likewise, you possess no strength except from the strength of Allah. The phrase therefore signifies submission and disavowal of independent power: a person must not marvel at his own stratagem or strength but must return to Allah, seeking His help. He will then aid you in obedience, in turning from sin to obedience, and from disbelief to Islam. Everything is by Allah’s might and power; were He to leave you to your own devices, you would be unable. The same applies to toil and earning in the pursuit of wealth: the exertion and labor are yours, but success and the placing of blessing come from Allah.

Nothing occurs within His dominion except with His knowledge and determination: “And you do not will unless Allah, Lord of the worlds, wills” (al-Takwir 81:29).

Whatever occurs is what He has decreed and pre-ordained, and what He has written in the Preserved Tablet; every