Alhamdulillah: all praise is for Allah

Alhamdulillah may be the phrase you hear most often from Muslims. Ask "How are you?" and the answer is often "Alhamdulillah". It opens the Quran right after the basmala, and it fits every kind of day. In this lesson you will learn what it means and when to say it.

What it means

Al-hamd means praise. Lillah means for Allah. So Alhamdulillah means all praise belongs to Allah. Scholars explain that this praise is "ascribing complete perfection to Allah, along with loving and extolling Him." It includes thanking Allah for His blessings, and it also praises Him for who He is.

You thank a person for one favor. With Alhamdulillah you praise Allah for who He is and for all His blessings, the ones you notice and the ones you never see.

The first words of Al-Fatiha

Surah Al-Fatiha, which you recite in every unit of prayer, begins with the basmala, "In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful." Then it continues:

[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

Quran 1:2 (Saheeh International translation)

Rabb al-alamin, Lord of the worlds, means the One who created all beings, takes care of their affairs, and nurtures them with His blessings. So every time you pray, you begin by praising Him.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that Alhamdulillah fills the scale of good deeds (Sahih Muslim 223).

In good times and in hard times

The Prophet said:

How astonishing the believer's affair is! Indeed, all of his affairs are good, and this is for none but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is grateful, which is good for him; and if something bad happens to him, he shows patience, which is good for him.

Sahih Muslim 2999

Saying Alhamdulillah on a hard day does not mean pretending you are fine. You can be sad and still praise Allah. It means trusting that He is still wise and still good to you, even when you cannot yet see how.

When you sneeze

Islam even turns a sneeze into a small moment of worship and kindness. The Prophet said:

When one of you sneezes, he should say 'alhamdu-lillāh' (praise be to Allah) and his brother or companion should say to him: 'yarhamuk Allah' (may Allah have mercy on you). When he says so to him, the sneezer should reply: 'yahdīkum Allah wa yuslih bālakum!' (may Allah guide you and grant you well being).

Sahih al-Bukhari 6224

It is a small exchange of prayers for each other, three short sentences long. Try it the next time someone sneezes near you.

Next, you will learn Allahu akbar, the phrase that opens every prayer.