Alhamdulillah Meaning الحمد لله
The meaning of “Alhamdulillah” is praising Allah for His perfect attributes and acknowledging His evident and hidden blessings, both in the religious and worldly contexts. It also includes the command for His servants to praise Him, as He alone is deserving of it.
Alhamdulillah الحمد لله رب العالمين Meaning:
“Alhamd”: The description of beauty and praise for the praiseworthy, who possesses virtues and excellences, like commendation and gratitude.
“Lillah”: “Li” is a preposition indicating deservingness, meaning that Allah alone is deserving of all praises. And Allah knows best about His own essence, exalted and glorified.
“Rabb”: The Lord, the Owner, the Benefactor, and the One who is worshipped with true greatness and majesty.
“‘Alamin”: The plural form of “Alam,” which includes everything other than Allah, such as the realm of angels, jinn, humans, animals, and plants.
Meaning of Verse Alhamdulillah
Meaning of the verse: It informs that all types of praises, which include the attributes of majesty and perfection, are exclusively for Allah alone, without any partners. He is the Lord of everything, the Creator, and the Owner. We are obligated to praise and extol Him for that.
“Alhamdulillah” is a form of praise directed towards Allah Himself, and it also includes the command for His servants to praise Him. It is as if Allah is saying, “Say: Alhamdulillah.”
“Alhamdulillah” was the first statement uttered by Adam upon his creation by Allah, and it is the opening phrase in the Noble Qur’an. The best people on the Day of Judgment are those who are the praisers of Allah, and the best supplication is “Alhamdulillah.”
As explained by Al-Tha’labi, “Alhamd” means complete praise, and the “Alif” and “Lam” in it imply the inclusiveness of all types of praises. It is broader than gratitude because gratitude is only for a good deed done to the one expressing gratitude, while “Alhamd” is a praise for the praiseworthy qualities of the one being praised.
Al-Azhari said, “So, ‘Hamidullah’ means praising Him, and it is a gratitude for His blessings that encompass everything. And ‘Alhamd’ is more comprehensive than ‘Shukr’ (gratitude).”}
“Alhamdulillah” means praising Allah with sincere gratitude and acknowledging that He alone is worthy of all praise, above all that is worshipped besides Him and all of His creation. It is a recognition of the countless blessings that Allah has bestowed upon His servants, blessings that cannot be counted by anyone other than Him. It includes the proper use of faculties to obey Him and the enabling of bodily organs to fulfill His obligations.
It also encompasses the sustenance and the bounties provided to people in this world without them deserving it. Additionally, it encompasses the guidance and the means to attain eternal bliss in the abode of everlasting felicity.
So, all praise and gratitude are due to our Lord, both in the beginning and the end.
As explained by Al-Tha’labi, “Alhamd” means complete praise, and the “Alif” and “Lam” in it imply the inclusiveness of all types of praises. It is broader than gratitude because gratitude is only for a good deed done to the one expressing gratitude, while “Alhamd” is a praise for the praiseworthy qualities of the one being praised.
Al-Azhari said, “So, ‘Hamidullah’ means praising Him, and it is a gratitude for His blessings that encompass everything. And ‘Alhamd’ is more comprehensive than ‘Shukr’ (gratitude).”}
The meaning of “Alhamdulillah” is to offer sincere thanks and praise exclusively to Allah, the Possessor of all glory, above everything worshipped besides Him and everything He has created. It is in recognition of the countless blessings He has bestowed upon His servants, blessings so numerous that no one can comprehend their true count except Allah Himself.
This includes enabling His servants to obey Him and facilitating the performance of their religious duties, as well as providing them with sustenance and the pleasures of life without them deserving it. It also encompasses the guidance He has provided them, inviting them to the means leading to eternal bliss in the abode of everlasting felicity.
The Reward of Alhamdulillah
- The praise be to Allah. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Verily, the best of Allah’s servants on the Day of Judgment are those who praise Him abundantly.” (Authenticated by Ahmad and At-Tabarani).
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also said, “To say, ‘SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah), Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), La ilaha illallah (There is no deity but Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest),’ is dearer to me than everything on which the sun rises.” (Authenticated by Muslim).
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “A man said, ‘Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah)’ abundantly, and the angels asked Allah to record it for him. Then Allah asked the angels to record it as the man said it, and He knew best about it.” (Hasan according to At-Tabarani).
The supplication of Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah):
- Narrated by Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “When Gabriel descended to me, he said, ‘O Muhammad, if it pleases you to worship Allah for a whole night or a day, then say, “O Allah, all praise is due to You, much eternal praise, with Your eternal existence. All praise is due to You, praise that has no limit apart from Your knowledge. All praise is due to You, praise that has no limit apart from Your will. All praise is due to You, and the one who says it receives no reward except Your pleasure.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to say, “O Allah, to You is all praise, the filling of the heavens, the filling of the earth, and the filling of whatever You will after that. O Allah, cleanse me with snow, hail, and cold water. O Allah, cleanse me from sins and faults, just as a white garment is cleansed from filth… And in the narration of Mu’adh, just as a white garment is cleansed from dirt. And in the narration of Yazid, from impurities.” (Reported by Muslim)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Shall I not tell you about something that is greater in reward than your mentioning of Allah throughout the day and night? Say, ‘Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah)’ a number of times equal to the creation of Allah, ‘Alhamdulillah’ a number of times equal to the filling of what is in the heavens and what is on the earth, ‘Alhamdulillah’ a number of times equal to the counting of His Book,
‘Alhamdulillah’ a number of times equal to what His Book counted, ‘Alhamdulillah’ a number of times equal to everything, and ‘Alhamdulillah’ a number of times equal to all things. And glorify Allah in the same manner, and teach them to those who come after you.” (Authenticated by At-Tabarani)
