Alhamdulillah
Alhamdulillah is an Arabic phrase meaning "praise be to God", sometimes translated as "thank God". This phrase is called Tahmid or Hamdalah.
It is frequently used by Muslims of every background, due to its centrality to the texts of the Quran and Hadith—the words of the Islamic prophet Muhammad—and its meaning and in-depth explanation have been the subject of much exegesis. It is also commonly used by Arab Christians, and other non-Muslim speakers of the Arabic language.
Meaning
The phrase has three basic parts:- al-, the definite article, "the".
- ḥamd, literally meaning "praise", "commendation".
- li-llāh, preposition + noun Allāh. Li- is a dative preposition.
The phrase is first found in the second verse of the first sura of the Qur'an. So frequently do Muslims and Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians invoke this phrase that the quadriliteral verb hamdala, "to say al-ḥamdu li-llāh" was coined, and the derived noun ḥamdalah is used as a name for this phrase. The triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning "praise", can also be found in the names Muhammad, Mahmud, Hamid and Ahmad.
Translation
English translations of alhamdulillah include:- "all praise is due to God alone"
- "all the praises and thanks be to Allah"
- "praise be to Allah"
- "all praise is due to Allah"
- “All perfect praises belong to the Almighty alone.”
Variants
Arabic Qurʾanic Spelling | Transliteration IPA | Phrase |
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ | ʾalḥamdu lillāh /ʔal.ħam.du lil.laː.hi/ | All praise is due to God. |
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَالَمِينَ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ | ʾalḥamdu lillāhi rabbi l-ʿālamīn /ʔal.ħam.du lil.laː.hi rab.bi‿l.ʕaː.la.miː.na/ | All praise is due to God, Lord of all the worlds. |
سُبْحَانَ ٱللَّٰهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّٰهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ | subḥāna -llāhi wa-bi-ḥamdih /sub.ħaː.na‿ɫ.ɫaː.hi wa.bi.ħam.di.hiː/ | Glorified is God and by His praise. |
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْعَظِيمِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْعَظِيمِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ | subḥāna rabbiya l-ʿaẓīmi wa-bi-ḥamdih /sub.ħaː.na rab.bi.ja‿l.ʕa.ðˤiː.mi wa.bi.ħam.di.hiː/ | Glorified is my Lord, the Great, and by His praise. |
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ وَبِحَمْدِهِ | subḥāna rabbiya l-ʾaʿlā wa-bi-ḥamdih /sub.ħaː.na rab.bi.ja‿l.ʔaʕ.laː wa.bi.ħam.di.hiː/ | Glorified is my Lord, the Most High, and by His praise. |