Some additional terms that may be useful
for Wazîfa practices and meditation:

---

Allâhumma      اللَّهُمَّ

        O Allâh
 

The greatest wazîfa.

Allâhumma means "O Allâh" and is often used rather than Yâ Allâh (which would be pronounced yâllâh).

The derivation of the sacred name Allâh is not entirely known, but it is likely related to the older Semitic names for the One such as the Canaanite Elat, Aramaic Alaha, and Hebrew El.
 

---

lâ ilâha illâ Allâh

        there is no deity except Allâh
 

The four individual words in the phrase lâ ilâha illâ allâh, have the following meanings:

lâ = no, not, none, neither
ilâha = a god, deity, object of worship
illâ = but, except (illâ is a contraction of in-lâ, literally if not)
allâh = Allâh

See the tahlil page for more information on this sacred phrase.
 

---

lâ hawla wa lâ quwwata illâ billâh

there is no change or power except through Allâh

there is no transformation or potency except through Allâh

there is no power or strength except through Allâh

The phrase may be translated word-by-word as:

lâ = no, not, none, neither
hawla = change, transformation, skillful means, motion, power
wa = and
lâ = no, not, none, neither
quwwata = strength, power, potency, intensity
illâ = but, except, if not
bi = with, to, for, in, through, by means of
llâh = allâh

Please see the tawhil page for much more information about the meaning of this phrase.

---

Yâ Sattâr

        O Veiler,  O Coverer,  O Protector,  O Shelterer

From the root s-t-r which has the following classical Arabic connotations:

to cover, veil
to hide, conceal
to be shielded
that by which something is protected, sheltered
to be modest, chaste

 

The name as-Satîr (as used in the hadith) is an attribute of Allâh, meaning Veiler or Protector.

The name as-Sattâr is considered by some to be an attribute of Allah, although others consider it to be a serious error to attempt to derive any divine names from the verbs that are used to describe the actions of Allah.
 

---

Yâ Shâfî

        O Restorer of Health,  O Extinguisher of Problems,  O Healer

From the Arabic root sh-f-y which has the following classical Arabic connotations:

to heal, make well
to restore to health
to quench, extinguish

yâ shâfî anta ash-shâfî is a powerful wazîfa which can be translated as O Healer, Thou art The Healer.

Sahîh Bukhâri, Volume 7, Book 70, Number 579, Narrated 'Aisha:
Whenever Allah's Apostle paid a visit to a patient, or a patient was brought to him, he used to invoke Allah, saying, "Take away the disease, O the Lord of the people! Cure him as You are the One Who cures (ash-shâfiy). There is no cure but Yours, a cure that leaves no disease."
 

---

Yâ Kâfî

        O Sufficient One,  O Saving One,  O Protector, O Shield

From the root k-f-y which has the following classical Arabic connotations:

to be enough, to be sufficient
to meet all requirements
to protect, shield from something
to save from something

yâ kâfî anta al-kâfî is a wazîfa which can be translated as O All-Sufficient One, Thou art The Sufficient One.

---

Yâ Musabbib al-Asbâb

          O Causer of causes, O First Cause of the cause, O Causer of apparent causes

From the root s-b-b which has the following classical Arabic connotations:

to connect one thing to another (as a rope)
to be a means for obtaining, a medium
to be a reason, a cause

Allah is recognized as the First Cause, and all other causes are thus considered to be only apparent causes (secondary causes) which all depend upon the First Cause. These apparent causes tend to conceal the First Cause, yet they are the very evidence that demonstrates the existence of the First Cause. Allah discloses Himself by means of the apparent causes.

Shaikh ibn 'Arabi considered these apparent causes to be used by Allah as a part of the Divine Plan:

Allah did not establish the secondary causes aimlessly.

                  ibn 'Arabi (II 208.16)

 

Allah established the apparent causes and made them like veils. Hence the secondary causes take everyone who knows that they are veils back to Him. But they block anyone who takes them as lords.

                  ibn 'Arabi (III 416.19)
 

---

Yâ Rûh

        O Breath of Life,  O Holy Spirit,  O Revelation,  O Divine Inspiration

From the root r-w-h which has the following classical Arabic connotations:

to be a good or pleasant breeze
to be a lively wind
to be breath
to be the soul, spirit

The ancient roots of rûh point toward every idea of expansion and aerial dilation, such as wind, breath, soul, spirit; and also point toward that which moves, stirs animates or inspires.
 

---

Yâ Rabb

       O Nurturing Lord,  O Nourisher and Master,  O Nourisher unto Perfection

The Lord and Master who nourishes and sustains us, both physically and spiritually, step by step, unto perfection.

The One who fosters something in such a way as to cause it to attain one condition after another, step by step, until it reaches the goal of completion.

From the root r-b-b which has the following classical Arabic connotations:

to be lord, master, ruler
to nourish, foster
to sustain something
to perfect something
to bring something to maturity
to regulate, complete, accomplish

In the Qur'ân, the attribute most frequently used to refer to Allâh is ar-Rabb, which occurs in various forms about 980 times.

---

Click this link for a few additional Arabic devotional phrases.