the phrase, “There is no might or power except through Allah,” for it repels ninety-nine gates of harm, the least of which is anxiety.” He said: “Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Awsat.”

I say: I have reservations about the authenticity of this wording from Jabir in al-Awsat, since al-Mundhiri and then al-Haythami did not mention it at all in either of their books. Rather, they cited it from the narration in al-Awsat—where it appears as no. 5360—from Abu Hurayrah, attributed to the Prophet, with the wording: “There is no might or power except through Allah; it is a remedy for ninety-nine ailments, the mildest of which is anxiety.” Ibn Abi al-Dunya likewise narrated it in al-Faraj baʿd al-Shiddah (p. 6, Indian edition), as did al-Hakim (1/542). Al-Tabarani said: “No one narrated it from Ibn ʿAjlan except Bishr ibn Rafiʿ.”

I say: He is very weak, as al-Dhahabi stated in his critique of al-Hakim; he said something similar in al-Targhib (2/255). I then found in Abu Nuʿaym’s Akhbar Isfahan (2/295), through Sulayman ibn Dawud ibn Sulayman al-Basri: ʿAmr ibn Jarir narrated to us from Ismaʿil ibn Abi Khalid, from Qays ibn Abi Hazim, from ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, attributed to the Prophet, with the same wording.

However, this Sulayman—who is al-Shadhakuni—is a liar, and Abu Hatim declared ʿAmr ibn Jarir a liar. Al-Daraqutni said: “His hadith is abandoned.” Thus, neither of them may be used as corroborative evidence—not in the least.

Al-Muhamili narrated in al-Amali (4/47/2), through Ibrahim ibn Hani, who said: Khallad ibn Yahya al-Makki narrated to us; Hisham ibn Saʿd narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Zayd ibn al-Muhajir informed me that Abu Dharr said: “My beloved, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, advised me to frequently say, ‘There is no might or power except through Allah.’ And it used to be said: It contains a remedy for ninety-nine ailments, the least of which is anxiety.”