Qur’an vs Kitaab

October 30, 2008 – 8:12 pm

Bismillah

The two most common names for the Book of Allah are: Qur’an and Kitaab.

We learn when studying the Qur’an that even the words chosen are a revelation from Allah with divine wisdom. So, in that case, what do these two names mean and what is the difference between them?

The word ‘Qur’an’ is said to be from two roots, one of them qaaf-ra-hamza, this root qara’a means to recite. So Qur’an would be: the Recital.

On the other hand, the word ‘Kitaab’ is from kaaf-ta-ba which means something that is written.

If we look in the Qur’an, we see that Allah ta’ala uses different words to point to it:

ذَ‌ٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ

That is the book! (2:2)

إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ

Indeed this Qur’an. (27:76)

Why does Allah azza wa jal use ‘thaalika’ for Kitaab and ‘haatha’ for Qur’an?

Thaalika is a word that is used to point to something far. The meaning of kitaab again is something WRITTEN, and the Kitaab’s ultimate written location is Lawh al Mahfoodh (The Preserved Tablet) with Allah ta’ala, so Allah ta’ala uses thaalika to point to it because it is with Him above the seven heavens.

Haatha is used to point to something that is close. The meaning of Qur’an is something that is recited, the recitation is taking place HERE, so Allah ta’ala uses a closer pointing word.

How about this ayah?

وَهَذَا كِتَابٌ

and this is a Book. (6:92) Allah ta’ala uses haatha (the close pointing word) for Kitaab. This is one place in the Qur’an where Allah ta’ala uses haatha to point to the Kitaab…What’s the connection?

At the time of the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, the Qur’an was not written as a book that we have nowadays…but of course Allah azza wa jal KNEW it would be in a book form one day, so He azza wa jal said: this book, pointing to it as if it was close.

But to keep the rank and status of the Qur’an, and to dispel any doubts that it was written by a man, Allah ta’ala says right after:

وَهَذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ

And this is a Book, We have sent it down. (6:92)

SubhanAllah!

By AmatulWadood | Posted in Arabic, Gems, Qur'an | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

NOW is the Time to Learn Arabic!

October 11, 2008 – 11:48 am

Bismillah walhamdulillah, was Salaatu was Salaamu ‘alaa Rasoolillaah.

“On the Day of Judgment, the Qur’an and its people who used to act by it in the world shall be brought, being lead by Surat ul-Baqarah and Al-e-Imraan, which shall be arguing on behalf of their companions.” (Reported by Muslim)

We all strive to become a companion of the Qur’an, but who are its true companions? The companions of the Qur’an are those who studied it, memorized it, implemented it and lived by it. It is not possible, in the least bit, for one to become a companion of the Qur’an and not know Arabic. Learning the language is the starting point of a life long journey with the Qur’an. Allah ta’ala chose this blessed language, as He states 11 times throughout the Qur’an: “A Book, whereof the verses are explained in detail as an Arabic Qur’an, for people who know.” (41:3), “An Arabic Qur’an, without any crookedness, so that they may have Taqwa.” (39:28), “We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an, in order that you may gain understanding.” (12:2).

For those who do not know the language of the Qur’an, they will be deprived of its true sweetness, of its blessings and most importantly, understanding the words of Allah ta’ala. It is a cause of much grief and sadness to know that the majority of our ummah has lost the connection with the Book of Allah because the language has been lost, as the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Allah raises up peoples by this Book, and puts down by it others.” (Saheeh Muslim) We have abandoned this book, and the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam will testify to Allah ta’ala on the day of judgment: “And the Messenger will say, O my Rabb, indeed my people deserted this Qur’an!” (25:30)

The righteous companions and scholars of the past have testified to the importance of learning this language and they themselves, who were native Arab speakers, were concerned with studying this language. Umar radi Allahu anhu said, “Learn Arabic for it is a part of your deen.” (Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, 2/207) It is also reported that Ubay ibn Ka’b radi Allahu anhu said, “Learn Arabic just as you learn to memorize the Qur’an.” (Ibn Abî Shaybah, Al-Musannaf Vol.7 p150)

Many of us want to take the proper steps to learn Arabic, but do not know where to start. What is the solution? Where do we begin? The best option is to study overseas, however many of us do not have that option to learn Arabic, so inshaAllah we’ll cover in this article some easy steps one can take to begin the process of learning Qur’anic Arabic if they cannot travel to do so.

Read More »

By AmatulWadood | Posted in Arabic, Books, Qur'an | Tagged , | Comments (12)

Ismul Jalaalah

October 8, 2008 – 2:11 pm

Bismillah.

Ismul Jalaalah, The Grand Name: Allah الله. This is Allah’s Personal Name. His Identifying Name. This Name only belongs to Allah, no one else can have besides Allah. Allah is the Title, the Name, of the One True Ilaah. The Name of Allah, you cannot play around with: there is no plural, there is no feminine. The Name Allah appears over 3000 times in the Qur’an.

When we mentioned the Name “Allah” linguistically, we don’t say “the word Allah” or “the Name Allah” because it is not appropriate. It is only for Allah ta’ala, so we say: Lafdhul Jalaalah, لفظ الجلالة، the word that is Grand.

There are 4 opinions of the linguistic meaning of lafdhul Jalaalah:

  1. The first opinion is that it is Allah’s Proper Name and it is not derived from any root, any noun, and has no meaning to it. It is just a Name that has no meaning to it, and this opinion is the minority opinion.
  2. The second opinion is that it comes from hamza-laam-ha, and the verb from the root is a-li-ha ََََاَلِهَ and it means to astonish, surprise and amaze someone. So Allah, from aliha, is the One who Astonishes and Amazes His Creation. How? Firstly through His Attributes, when you know about Allah, you are amazed. He is Ar Rahmaan (The All Merciful), and yet Al Azeez (The Mighty) and yet Al Jabbaar (The Compellor) all at the same time, it’s amazing! When you know about the Names and Attributes, you are astonished and impressed. Another way how Allah amazes us is through His creation, all that He has created. When we learn about a bird or an ant, we are amazed and we say SubhanAllah (How Perfect is Allah and Far from any imperfection!), because Allah is truly Amazing and He Amazes His creation. Also, He amazes through His Decisions, Words, Rulings, Actions and Planning for us. When things don’t work out the way we planned, or we see great coincidences, we think: how did this happen?! It is Allah, He amazes us by His words and decisions for us. When we practice the ahkaam (rulings), we realize how much benefit there is in them. So truly He is the One who should be submitted too.
  3. The third opinion is that it is from the same root, hamza laam ha, and the noun is al-la-ha اَلَهَ with a fathah (not li, with a kasrah, as the second opinion) and alaha means to worship, be humble and show dedication to someone. The noun would be ma’looh. Allah is Ma’looh: One who is shown dedication too, One who everyone is humble too, One who is worshipped. Everyone is humble to Allah, and on the Day of Judgment the Mulk (Sovereignty) is only for Allah ta’ala. We also learn from this that Allah is the Only One we should show humbleness too, we should be ‘ebaad, servants, to Allah. In surah Furqaan ayah 43, Allah tells us: أَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ ara ayta man ittakhatha ilaahahu hawaahu, have you seen the one who takes his desires as his ilaah? This ayah shows us the meaning of taking something as your ilaah, God. It meant that they gave their desires the utmost priority and everything else became unimportant and secondary. Their ilaah is the one whom the person never turns down. It became what they loved and feared the most. Allah is the One we should love most, fear most and give the most importance too. According to some linguists (ibn Manthoor of Sibawyh) this opinion is the strongest. Furthermore, when you attach ‘al’ with aliha and alaha, it becomes al-Ilaah, and that becomes Allah. According to this definition this translation would be: The One Only Worthy of worship, Allah is the Only One worthy of worship. Notice: even His Name has tawheed in it, so how can there be other beings attached to Allah?!
  4. The last opinion is that this word is from wow-laam-ha, the noun wilaah وِلَه comes. (the way you write ilaah, write a wow instead of hamzah/alif) Wilaah then turns to ilaah (based on an Arabic grammar rule), so wilaah means to turn to for protection. So Allah is the One Whom everyone turns to for help and protection. The One whose help and assistance is sought by the creation. This teaches us in times of difficulty and hardship, we turn to Allah azza wa jal, because the Name of Allah is the One whom ppl turn to for help and worship.

Review of the 4 opinions:

i.      There is no meaning, just a Proper Name

ii.      From aliha meaning to astonish and amazes, so Allah is the One who Astonishes the creation by His attributes, His creation, His Planning and His Rulings.

iii.      Allah is from alaha, so Allah is Ma’looh, One who is Worshipped.

iv.      Fourth opinion is from wilaah, so Allah means the One whom everyone turns to for help.

اسم الله الاعظم-Ismul Allahil A’tham: mentioned in hadeeth in Sunan Tirmidhi (saheeh): “To Allah belongs a Grand Name (Ismul A’tham), that, if you make du’a with it, it will be responded to. And if you plead or request with it, it shall be answered.” Several opinions on what this Name is, read Yasir Qadhi’s explanation here. Majority of the scholars say it is the Name “Allah” itself, that this is His Greatest Name. When a person makes duaa through this Name, it will be responded too.

wa Allahu ta’ala alam.

Reference: Ta’leem Al Qur’an course for women: Asma ul Husna class.

By AmatulWadood | Posted in Arabic, Asmaa-was-Sifaat, Gems, Ibadah | Tagged , | Comments (0)

The Qur’an is Mubaarak

September 27, 2008 – 6:17 am

Bismillah.
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says in Surah Saad verse 29,
كِتَابٌ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَارَكٌ لِيَدَّبَّرُوا آيَاتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُولُو الأَلْبَابِ

“(This is) a Mubaarak Book which We have sent down to you, that they may reflect upon its signs, and that men of understanding may remember.” (Saad: 38:29)

Mubaarak is that which is full of barakah. And barakah is from the root, ba ra kaaf (ب ر ك), and barakah is that which lasts long and has the ability to increase. When something is Mubaarak, it includes three meanings:

  • It is a source of katheerul khayr, full of goodness. So Mubaarak is that which has a lot of good and is where unexpected and expected good is received.
  • Source of katheerul fawaa’id, a lot of benefits.
  • That which is thaabit, firm and has continuity. The blessings one receives from it is firm, it is not a temporary benefit but has permanence.

So how is the Qur’an Mubaarak? Let’s look at all three of these meanings:

  • the Qur’an is a source of katheerul khayr: it is a guidance and mercy for the believers, it gives the news of Jannah, it is a healing, it contains commandments that guide us, it is a light, it is an admonition and advice from Allah, and it is a source of reward (10 rewards per letter).
  • the Qur’an is a source of katheerul fawaa’id: it benefits in both this life and the next. In this dunya it is a furqaan for us-the criterion between right and wrong, it increases one in knowledge and it is a source of protection. In the aakhirah, it is a means to ascend to the highest levels of Jannah (hadeeth: iqra’ war taqi, read and ascend!), it an intercessor and shade for its companions, and it will accompany its readers in the grave.
  • the Qur’an contains firm, continuous and permanent blessings: the Rabb Who revealed it is Blessed, the Prophet it was revealed to is blessed (alayhi salaatu wa salaam), the month it was revealed in is blessed, the night it was sent down in is blessed, the city it was revealed in is blessed, those who store it in their heart are blessed, those who learn it are blessed and those who teach it are blessed.

So ask yourself: am I missing out on this Mubaarak Book? Have you tasted some of its goodness, benefits and blessings?

may Allah ta’ala make us among the companions of the Qur’an, Ameen.

By AmatulWadood | Posted in Arabic, Gems, Qur'an, Tafseer | Comments (0)

By the Qur’an, full of Dhikr!

September 16, 2008 – 2:06 pm

Bismillah

In one of the most beautiful beginnings of the Qur’an, Allah ta’ala starts surah Saad with a powerful reminder. He says:

ص ۚ وَالْقُرْآنِ ذِي الذِّكْرِ

Saad. And by the Qur’an, full of dhikr! [Surah Saad, verse 1]

This ayah begins with a letter, which are known as: huroof muqatta’aat, the disjointed letters. There are many opinions as to what these letters mean, but the greatest and strongest opinion is that none but Allah ta’ala knows their meanings. But why do some surahs start with these letters, if no one knows the meaning? One reason is that it is for emphasis, and astonishment: here are letters from your own language, yet you cannot produce anything similar to it!

So this surah, with the first letter, has already set the tone with a powerful beginning. Then Allah ta’ala says: “and by the Qur’an, full of dhikr!” If you notice the letter ‘wow’, it shows that Allah is swearing and taking an oath by the Qur’an which is called a ‘qasm’ in Arabic, which is why the translation is “and by”.

What is this Qur’an? ذِي الذِّكْرِdhi dhikr, full of dhikr. the word ‘dhi’ means possessor, one that contains, one that owns something. So what does the Qur’an own, contain and possess? adh-Dhikr. This is one of the names of the Qur’an, and gives multiple interpretations. There is a reason why this word has not be translated yet in this post, it is because this word in this context has several meanings:

  1. Firstly, dhikr here means “tadhkeer” (تذكير), a reminder. What does the Qur’an remind of? It reminds us of reality of life and of our duties and obligations.
  2. Secondly, dhikr here means “maw’idhah” (موعظة), admonition. A maw’idhah is an advice or instruction, but not just any advice, this advice is effective and pushes a person to do good deeds and to abstain from disobedience.
  3. Thirdly, dhikr here means a bayyaan (بيان) ‘a mention, explanation’. What does the Qur’an mention? The nations of the past, ahkaam (rulings) and future events as well.
  4. Lastly, dhikr here means sharaf (شرف), honor. The Qur’an, by its mention, is a source of honor for those who accept. The one who mentions the Qur’an is honored as well as the Qur’an itself is honorable.

So this Qur’an is dhi dhikr: possessor and owner of reminder, admonition, advice and honor. SubhanAllah, absolute completeness. This ayah is a response to the pagans of Makkah who said, we wish we had a dhikr from the former people! Allah responds, this is the Qur’an, dhi dhikr.

Have you sought out the dhikr today? May Allah ta’ala make us companions of the Qur’an, Ameen.

and Allah ta’ala knows best.

By AmatulWadood | Posted in Arabic, Islam, Qur'an, Tafseer | Tagged , , , , | Comments (4)

The Greatest Delight

September 15, 2008 – 10:27 pm

Bismillah

What is the greatest gift you could ever receive? That you could ever want? That would bring you the greatest happiness and delight?…..Think about it.

Got an idea? ….good.

Most of us will be thinking of Jannah and all of its delights. But the most pleasurable thing in Jannah is not having spouses, or servants that will serve you, or drinking milk and honey. No rather, there is something MUCH GREATER for the Dwellers of Jannah that Allah ta’ala is keeping for them…

حدثنا ‏ ‏عبيد الله بن ميسرة ‏ ‏قال حدثني ‏ ‏عبد الرحمن بن مهدي ‏ ‏حدثنا ‏ ‏حماد بن سلمة ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏ثابت البناني ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏عبد الرحمن بن أبي ليلى ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏صهيب ‏
‏عن النبي ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏قال ‏ ‏إذا دخل أهل الجنة الجنة قال يقول الله تبارك وتعالى تريدون شيئا أزيدكم فيقولون ألم تبيض وجوهنا ألم تدخلنا الجنة وتنجنا من النار قال فيكشف الحجاب فما أعطوا شيئا أحب إليهم من النظر إلى ربهم عز وجل ‏
The most pleasurable thing to the Dwellers of Jannah:
When those deserving of Paradise would enter Paradise, the Blessed and the Exalted would ask: Do you wish Me to give you anything more? They would say: Hast Thou not brightened our faces? Hast Thou not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Fire? He (the narrator) said: He (God) would lift the veil, and of things given to them nothing would he dearer to them than the sight of their Lord, the Mighty and the Glorious. Muslim.

So which duaa should we make to receive this pleasure? Our Messenger alayhi salaatu wa salaam teaches us:
اللهم اني اسالك لذة النظر الى وجهك و الشوق الى لقائك
Allahumma innee asaluka lathatan-nadhari ilaa wajhika was-shawqa ilaa liqaa’ik
I ask You for the delight of gazing at Your Countenance and the eagerness of meeting You. (Narrated in Nisaa’i)

Remember: “The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient” (Bukhari and Muslim) So make this duaa in this blessed month with full conviction, full hope that Allah will answer your duaa. Allah is near to His slaves, call upon Him Alone, He is Samee’un wa Mujeebu Ad-Da’waat. (The Hearer and Responder to Prayers). Do not be hesitant in your duaas, ask Allah for the BEST.

May Allah ta’ala bless us with the delight of gazing upon Him, make our best deeds our last, and make the best day of ours the day that we meet Him ta’ala. Ameen.

By AmatulWadood | Posted in Arabic, Du'a, Gems | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

SubhanAllah: A Pure Negation (Salat 101)

September 13, 2008 – 10:50 am

Bismillah walhamdolilah was-salatu was-salam ‘ala Rasool Allah sallalahu alayhi wasalam

Continuing in our discussion of the oft-repeated words and phrases in our salat, this week inshallah we will focus on looking at: SubhanAllah

This is another word that is very common in the Muslim’s vocabulary. We all have heard the word, we all say it in our prayers daily (inshallah), yet how many of us truly understand its meaning?

Commonly this word is translated as, “Glory be to Allah” or “All Glory is to Allah”. I’m not going to say these definitions are wrong but I do think there is a lot depth associated with saying SubhanAllah which is not captured in the above translations. A better translation or meaning of the word would be, “far above is Allah from that which they associate to Him”

وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لِابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ
And (remember) when Luqman said unto his son, when he was exhorting him: O my dear son! Ascribe no partners unto Allah. Lo! to ascribe partners (unto Him) is a tremendous wrong [31:13]

And so the greatest transgression, the great act of disbelief, the greatest act of disrespect, the greatest of all sins, the most disgusting of all acts one could do is to associate partners with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

And so saying SubhanAllah implies the following:

  • All Glory is due to Allah
  • Allah is the One who is far above the partners people associate with Him
  • This phrase is a negation of shirk (associating partners with Allah; to learn more click here)
  • It encompasses the greatest act of goodness (negating any partners to Allah)
  • The negation of shirk leads you to affirm His Oneness (tawheed; to learn more click here)
  • Forgiveness for our sins

Allah said: “…O son of Adam! If you bring forth the earth full of errors, then you meet Me while you do not associate anything (or anyone) with Me, I will bring forth for you its full of forgiveness.” [At-Tirmidhee (Shaikh Albanee rendered it as Hasan)]

Allah’s Apostle sallalahu alayhi wasalam said, “Whoever says, ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,’ one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.” [Sahih Bukhari]

How is it that just by saying a simple phrase like SubhanAllahi wa bihamdi we can have all our sins forgiven? Because in it is a negation of shirk (the worst of all acts), which leads to the affirmation of pure tawheed (the greatest of all acts).

My dearest brothers and sisters, next time you’re in sajood and you say Subhana Rabbi al-’ala or Subhana Rabbi al-adzeem let yourself ponder about its meanings…let yourself taste the sweetness of salat by pondering over that which you say and recite.

May Allah make us amongst those who establish our prayers with full submissiveness and concentration.

By Abd al-Ahad | Posted in Arabic, Gems, Ibadah, Islam, Salaah | Comments (4)

What is Tasbeeh?

September 11, 2008 – 9:22 am

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah, we now know what hamd means, let’s move on to tasbeeh!

Tasbeeh means to say subhanAllah just as tahmeed means to say alhamdulillah.

Tasbeeh is comprised of two words: Subhan and Allah: سبحان الله

Subhan which is derived from tasbeeh is from seen-ba-ha (س-ب-ح) and it means to glorify, praise, magnify, extol Allah, by tongue or by heart. It includes:

1-To say He has no flaw in His Perfection Far above any imperfection

2-He is far above and beyond any similarity to His Creation

3-He is free from and above all kinds of association and any un-divine attributes.

When one does tasbeeh, they negate any flaw and affirm all perfection in Allah azza wa jal, He is Flawless.

Another meaning of the root seen-ba-ha is the act of swimming, floating, and being quick and swift as well as being remote. How does this connect with glorifying Allah? It denotes the ‘quickness’ in betaking oneself to Allah, in agility in serving and obeying Him. When doing tasbeeh, you affirm (i.e., keep afloat) the Perfection of Allah ta’ala and His disassociation to His creation. It is used for prompt obedience, comes out immediately. An immediate reaction. Imagine when you see something amazing, right away, you say: “subhanAllah!”

So when we say “SubhanAllah” the meaning is:I declare (or celebrate, extol) the remoteness, or freedom, of Allah from any imperfection or impurity or from anything derogatory from His glory. From the imputation of there being an equal to Him, or any companion, or anything like unto Him, or anything contrary to Him, from everything that should not be imputed to Him.

Say subhanAllah.

By AmatulWadood | Posted in Arabic, Gems, Tazkiyyah | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Tooba!

September 9, 2008 – 8:50 pm

Bismillah
Allah ta’ala says:

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ طُوبَىٰ لَهُمْ وَحُسْنُ مَآبٍ

Those who have believed and done righteous deeds – ‘Tooba’ is theirs and a good return. (Suratur Ra’ad, ayah 29)

Allah ta’ala promises ‘Tooba’ to the believers in this ayah. We also know this word for the famous hadeeth of the strangers, the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam states: fa Tooba lil ghurabaa’, so Tooba to the strangers. What does Tooba mean?

It is said to be from 3 derivatives:
1- plural of tayyibah
2- masdar of tayyib
3- feminine version of the superlative, atyab اطيب‬‬

All of these derivatives are from the same root word, which is tayyib, from taw-ya-ba (ط ي ب) and it literally means to be good, pleasant, agreeable, lawful.

From this we derive that Tooba means every kind of good that has biqaa’, an everlasting nature. Tooba is happiness that lasts. Tooba is also whatever makes you rich and content and you won’t be in need of anything else to satisfy you. We also learn from a hadeeth that Tooba is a tree in Jannah. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Tooba is a tree in Paradise, as big as a hundred year’s journey; the clothes of the people of Paradise comes from the outer parts of its flowers” (Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/639, no. 1985, the isnaad is hasan)

may Allah ta’ala grant us Tooba, Ameen!

wa lillahil hamd.

Reference

Al-Huda Institute Canada: Ta’leem Al Qur’an English course for women.

By AmatulWadood | Posted in Arabic, Gems, Qur'an, Tazkiyyah | Tagged , | Comments (1)

What is Hamd?

September 7, 2008 – 5:19 pm

Bismillah.

As Muslims, the phrase “alhamdulillah” الحمد لله (all praise and thanks is for Allah) is an integral part of our deen; we are taught to say it from both the Qur’an and Sunnah. Linguistically, Hamd is from ha-meem-daal ( حمد or ح م د) and it is to mention the good attribute of a person, such an attribute that is the at the level of perfection. Hamd is based on mahabbah (love) and ta’dheem (greatness). Hamd is not a fake praise, meaning it is not done to please the person or with no significance, Hamd is always true. Hamd implies admiration, love and magnifying the praise of mahmood (one who is praised). Hamd is a sincere and true praise, that the mahmood (one who is praised) deserves. The one doing hamd is doing submission to the one being praise–out of humility. Hamd also includes sincere gratitude and mentioning the kamaal (best) traits of someone.When we say alhamdulillah, it implies exclusivity and entirety, meaning that praise is entirely and only for Allah. The ‘al’ (ال) before ‘hamd’ is called “istighraaq” in Arabic, and when “al” comes before this phrase its means that entire praise, all kinds of praise and all the time, hamd is due to Allah. The “li” (in lillah, meaning for Allah) implies limitation which is known as “ikhtisaas” in Arabic and it means that Allah is the only One who deserves the hamd.

Now with this concrete definition in mind, what exactly does ‘Alhamdulillah’ mean? It means: The perfect, most Beautiful praise is only for Allah.

Alhamdulillah appears 38 times in the Qur’an, five of them at the beginning of surahs. (Look up which surahs start with hamd if you are not aware of them)

When a surah begins with hamd, it implies three interpretations:

  • Firstly, to tell and to make it known that: alhamdulillah, all praise and thanks is for Allah. As if to announce it.
  • Secondly, when we open something we begin with hamd. (like a khutbah)
  • Thirdly, it teaches us how we should praise Allah, by saying: alhamdulillah and we also learn that we must praise Him.

A Name of Allah that coincides with Hamd is, Al-Hameed, Allah ta’ala is Al-Hameed, The Praiseworthy. How is this different from mahmood (one who is praised)? Mahmood is one who is praised only when they are praised by someone. Hameed is One who is ALWAYS deserving of praise, NO MATTER if He is praised or not. So Allah ta’ala is The Most Praiseworthy, if we do hamd of Him or not.

Alhamdulillah. Such a short phrase with a heavy meaning. Let us remember this meaning the next time we say Alhamdulillah.

wa lillahil hamd!

Reference

Al-Huda Institute Canada: Ta’leem Al Qur’an English course for women.

By AmatulWadood | Posted in Arabic, Arabic Grammar, Gems, Islam, Qur'an, Sahaba | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)