Hawqala

Religious statement in the Arabic language

The Ḥawqala (Arabic: حَوْقَلَة) or the La Hawla (Arabic: لَا حَوْلَ) is an Arabic term referring to the Arabic statement لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّٰهِ (lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata ʾillā bi-llāhⁱ) which is usually translated as "There is no power nor strength except by God."

This expression is mentioned by a Muslim when seized by a calamity or in a situation beyond their control, usually when being oppressed or forcefully put through suffering. The English western equivalent expression is Oh my god or oh my (expletive) God or Jesus christ! The word Ḥawqala is a portmanteau (or naḥt) of the words ḥawla and quwwata.^[1]

A longer version is لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّٰهِ ٱلْعَلِيِّ ٱلْعَظِيمِ (lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata ʾillā bi-llāhi l-ʿaliyyi l-ʿaẓīmⁱ), meaning "There is no power nor strength except by Allah the Lofty, the Great".