What is the meaning of Hamdullah?
Hamdullah or hamdulilah is the short form of saying Alhamdulillah. This is a powerful Arabic word which translates to mean “All praise is due to Allah”. As a Muslim, reciting this word is an integral part of our deen; both the Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saws) teach us to say this word daily.
Whenever we pray salah (daily prayer) we begin with the recitation of “Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘aalameen” which is the beginning of Suratul Fatiha and means [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Alhamdulillah in Arabic:
In Arabic Alhamdulillah is written,
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ
The word is made of three parts:
al, the definite article meaning “the”.
hamdu, which literal means “praise”
li-llah, preposition + noun Allah.
Putting this together we get “All Praise To Allah” or “Praise and thanks be to Allah”.
Proper Pronunciation of Alhamdulillah
Here’s the correct pronunciation of the word in Arabic:
Hadith on Importance of Remembering Allah:
Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Purity is half of iman (faith). ‘Al-hamdu lillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fills the scales, and ‘subhan-Allah (how far is Allah from every imperfection) and ‘Al-hamdulillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fill that which is between heaven and earth.”
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)
English reference: Book 40, Hadith 927
Arabic reference: Book 1, Hadith 927
Saying Alhamdulillah when someone sneezes:
Abu Salih reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When one of you sneezes, he should say, ‘Praise be to Allah.’ When he says, ‘Praise be to Allah, ‘ his brother or companion should say to him [Yarhamuk-Allah], ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ Then let the person who sneezed say [Yahdikum-ullah wa yuslihu balakum], ‘May Allah guide you and put your affairs in order.'”
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)
English reference: Book 40, Hadith 927
Arabic reference: Book 1, Hadith 927
Transliteration of Alhamdulillah
Transliteration is a way to write the word from the original language (i.e. Arabic) to another language as to help non-native speakers with the pronunciation. There’s no one right way, as long as it accomplishes the goal to pronounce correctly. All across the web you’ll see the following:
- Hamdullah
- Hamdulillah
- Al-hamdulillah
- hamdala
- al hamdu lillah
- hamdoullah
- Al-hamdu lil-lah
- Al-Hamdi Lil lah
- hamdulilah
- Al-HAM-du-LI-lah
- al ham du allah
- Alhamdulillah (also referred to as tahmid which means praising).
Most commonly you’ll find either Alhamdulillah or Al-hamdulillah as it more fully encapsulates how to correctly pronounce this word.
When To Say
There are many different situations that saying alhamdulillah would be acceptable. The most common reason would be for dhikr meaning short prayer to remember and thank Allah.
Whenever we find ourselves waiting, instead of escaping the present moment through our phones we could say silently to ourselves subhanallah, alhamdulillah and allahu akbar repeatedly.
This would be a better use of our time and we would find this a lot more fulfilling than going through our Whatsapp messages or scrolling mindlessly through social media.
More generally, whenever you find yourself benefiting from an accomplishment or achievement remember to say Alhamdulillah. Nothing can happen without the will of Allah, sometimes our ego starts to control us and we begin to believe in our supremacy. We give ourselves too much credit and this can be a destructive characteristic that needs to be avoided at all cost. If left unchecked our egos become inflated and we can become boastful and prideful forgetting about the role Allah has played by giving us the chance, opportunity, and timing which all factor into our success.
Saying Alhamdulillah is more than just a word, it’s a philosophy. It shows your character and ability to be humble and show humility. All very respectable qualities.
Final Remarks:
Every pain has a purpose. Every fall has a reason. Allah wouldn’t have allowed it to happen otherwise. Remember, life is a process. Each part of it is necessary to reach your next milestone. There’s really no such thing as failure, your story continues and life goes on. So embrace whatever Allah has planned and keep moving forward, that’s all there is to do.
“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.”
Surah Baqarah verse 155
How To Use In A Sentence:
Here are some real life examples we’ve compiled from Facebook and Twitter that show how Muslim’s use this word in everyday conversation.
Example #1:
Make dua you find a spouse who completely understands you and supports your every decision every day of your lives together, because trust me it’s priceless. Alhamdulillah.
Example #2:
Alhamdulillah. for another Day. May Allah help us in strengthening our imaan and guide us to straight path.
Example #3:
Al Hamdulillah Brother, Be proud May Allah Bless You!
Example #4:
Everything is slowly piecing together, alhamdulillah.
Example #5:
The more I see of the world. The more I silently whisper, Alhamdulillah for Islam.
Example #6:
My lucks been tough lately but it’s still hamdullah always.
Example #7:
I’m very lucky that despite having no mentor whatsoever, the collective guidance of my family and close colleagues fills that void. But I’ve recently identified my mentor, told them that’s how I see them; and they put in the time when I ask, Hamdulillah! Very grateful.