Alhamdulillah, all praise is for Allah

Alhamdulillah (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ) means "all praise is for Allah". Al-hamd is praise mixed with thanks and love, and the "al" makes it complete: every kind of praise belongs to Allah. It is how the Quran opens: "Alhamdulillahi rabbil-alamin", "All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds" (Quran 1:2).

When to say Alhamdulillah

• For any blessing, and when someone asks "how are you?".
• After eating and drinking (see the dua after eating).
• After sneezing. Whoever hears it replies yarhamukallah (Sahih al-Bukhari 6224).
• On waking up: "Alhamdulillahil-ladhi ahyana..." (see the dua when waking up).
• 33 times after each prayer, with SubhanAllah and Allahu Akbar (Sahih Muslim 597).

In good times and hard times

Aishah reported that when the Prophet ﷺ saw something he liked, he said "alhamdulillahil-ladhi bi ni'matihi tatimmus-salihat", "all praise is for Allah, by whose favour good things are completed". When he saw something he disliked, he said "alhamdulillahi ala kulli hal", "all praise is for Allah in every situation" (Sunan Ibn Majah, graded hasan by al-Albani). Praising Allah in hardship is a sign of trust that He is wise in what He decrees.

Its weight

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Alhamdulillah fills the scale, and SubhanAllah and Alhamdulillah fill what is between the heavens and the earth" (Sahih Muslim 223). He also said that Allah is pleased with the servant who eats a meal or drinks a drink and praises Him for it (Sahih Muslim 2734).

Spellings

Alhamdulillah, alhamdulilah, alhumdulillah, hamdulillah and hamdullah are all used. The full form is al-ḥamdu lillāh. In Urdu and Bangla it is often written الحمد للہ or আলহামদুলিল্লাহ, the same words.

1. Quran 1:2, translation by Sahih International.
2. Sahih al-Bukhari 6224.
3. Sahih Muslim 597.
4. Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Adab, from Aishah, graded hasan by al-Albani.
5. Sahih Muslim 223.
6. Sahih Muslim 2734.