Alhamdulillah
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ
[al-hum-doo-lil-lah]
Quick Summary:
What is the meaning of the Arabic phrase Alhamdulillah?
Alhamdulillah (sometimes pronounced hamdullah or hamdulillah) is a powerful Arabic phrase which translates to mean, “All praise is due to Allah.” It is often said to express gratitude towards all of Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) blessings and favours like health, safety, and provisions. So, often when people ask, how are you? They respond in the affirmative, "alhamdulillah" as if to mean, "everything is great." However, this is a very short sighted explanation of a complex phrase.
As a Muslim, reciting this word is an integral part of our deen; both the Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) teach us to say this word daily as a form of prayer and worship.
Whenever we pray salah (daily prayer) we begin with the recitation of Surah Fatiha saying, “Alhamdulillahi Rabbil ‘aalameen,” which means "[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds."
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Terms Islamic
Arabic Text:
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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”.
Transliteration:
The transliteration of Arabic words helps convert them into their English counterparts, which assists with pronunciation. We may provide several common transliterations for this word.
1. Alhamdulillah*
2. Hamdulillah
3. Hamdullah
4. Hamdoullah
*This is the most common and accurate transliteration of this Arabic word. Both hamdulillah and hamdullah are shortened abbreviated versions but not the correct pronunciation of the dhikr.
Further Details
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
When to say Alhamdulillah:
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 (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ).
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 (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) wouldn’t have allowed it to happen otherwise. Remember, life is a process. Each part of it is necessary to reach the next milestone. There’s really no such thing as failure, your story continues and life goes on. So embrace whatever Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) has planned and keep moving forward, say Alhamdulillah, as 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
Example Sentences
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.
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