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Tafseer -
Explanation of the Qur'aan |
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VERSE TWO
·
The saying
of the Exalted: "All Praises and thanks are due to Allah, the Lord of
the Universe":
Meaning
of word Hamd - The
meaning of hamd is praise and extolling (praise, admire, worship). It also
carries the meaning of ridaa (pleasure) and is the opposite of dhamm (blame,
accuse).
Hamd
includes shukr -
Because Hamd is more general and inclusive than that of shukr (giving thanks).
This is due to the reason that Shukr is expressed as a response (reaction) to
a favor whereas hamd is expressed both as a response to a favor as well as a
spontaneous (willing, voluntary) action of dhikr.
Ibn
Abbaas said that ‘Al-Hamdu Lillaah is the word of everyone who gives thanks
and if anyone said: “Al-Hamdu Lillaah” then Allah says: “My slave has
thanked me.” [Narrated by Ibn Abi Haatim]
Hamd
is more general (inclusive, widespread) with respect to when it is done and
shukr is more general (inclusive, widespread) with respect to how it is done.
Some
of the scholars said that shukr is more encompassing (embracing, inclusive)
than hamd because Praise is expressed by the tongue whereas thanks can be
expressed by the tongue, heart and limbs.
A
thanks with the tongue is done by praising the Bestower of Blessings. Thanks
by the limbs are done by acting in obedience to Him and abandoning actions of
disobedience. Thanks in the heart is done by recognizing the magnitude
(extent, importance) of the blessing and knowing that it has been given by the
grace of Allah and not by the servants own merit. Both opinions are correct in
their own place:
Ibn
Jareer also said: “Al-Hamdu Lillaah is praise: Allah praises Himself and
directs us to do likewise, as if He said: “Say: Al-Hamdu Lillaah...”
The
Prophet (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) said: “The best remembrance (of
Allah) is La Ilaaha IllAllah (i.e. none is worthy of worship except Allah),
and the best supplication is Al-Hamdu Lillaah.” [Narrated by Ibn Maajah,
At-Tirmizi, An-Nasaa’i and others)
Hence,
it is due to the comprehensiveness (depth) of this word that we find the
Prophets showing gratitude (thanks, gratefulness) in the Qur`aan by expressing
hamd.
Allah
commanded our Prophet (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) saying: "Say: All
praises and thanks are due to Allah Who has not begotten a son, and who has no
partner in His Dominion, nor He is low to have a Wali (helper, protector or
supporter)…” [Soorah Al-Israa` (17): 111]
These
will be the words of the people of Paradise, thanking and praising Allah for
His Great Favor:
They would say "All
praises and thanks are due to Allah Who has removed from us all grief." [(35):
34] "And the close of their supplication will be: All praises and
thanks are due to Allah, the Lord of the Universe." [(10): 10]
Composition
- Precedence of the word Hamd by the definite article ‘al’
In
the verse the word hamd has been preceded by the definite article al, the
reason for this is to include all the different manners of praise and specify
them to Him. It is an extolling with which Allah has praised Himself and
ordered His servants to praise Him with.
This
meaning is further expressed in the hadeeth
where the
Prophet (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) said: “O Allaah! To You belongs all
praise and thanks in its entirety, to you belongs the dominion in its
entirety, in Your hand is all goodness in its entirety and to You returns the
affair in its entirety. [Ibn Abee ad-Dunya from the hadeeth of Anas.
Al-Bayhaqee from the hadeeth of Sa`d bin Abee Waqqaas and Abu Sa`eed
al-Khudree.]
Therefore
by saying al-Hamdulillaah, the servant is praising and thanking Allah Alone
because of His greatness, unity, perfection, His Beautiful Names and
Attributes and His innumerable favors and blessings that none can encompass
save He. It is indeed an amazing statement that encompasses something that
volumes would be unable to express and created intellects unable to enumerate!
All praise belongs to Allaah!
No
mentioning of the Adverb denoting ‘when’ and ‘where’ is Allah’s
Praise - There
is no mention in this verse as to the adverb denoting when this praise is said
(dharf az-zamaan) or from where this praise comes from (dharf al-makaan).
However,
we learn this in Soorah Rum where Allah discloses this issue (i.e. dharf
al-makaan (where) are His Praises) saying: “And His is all the praises
and thanks in the heavens and the earth." [Soorah Rum (30): 18]
Allah also informed us
in His Final Revelation as to when is His Praise voiced: He said: “And He
is Allah, none has the right to be worshipped besides Him. To Him belongs all
praise in the beginning (i.e. this world) and in the end (i.e. the
Hereafter)." [Soorah Qasas (28): 70]
And His saying in the
beginning of Surah Saba`a implies the same point: “His is all the praise
in the Hereafter, and He is the All-Wise, All-Aware." [Soorah
As-Saba`a (34): 1]
Virtues
of Al- Hamdulillah
1. Al-Hamdulillah - Pleases Allah, the Exalted
Narrated Anas bin Maalik that the Prophet (sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) said:
“Indeed Allah is pleased at His servant when he eats some food and praises
Him for it or when he drinks a drink and praises Him for it. [Saheeh Muslim
Eng. trans. 4/1429 no. 6592]
2.
Al-Hamdulillah - Better than the entire world.
Narrated Anas bin Maalik (radiyallahu anhu): “The Messenger of Allah
(sallallahu alahi wa-sallam) said: “If the entire world along with its
contents were to be in the hand of a man from my nation and then he were to
say al-Hamdulillaah, then al-Hamdulillaah would be better than [what his hand
contained]." [Tirmidhee reports in ‘Nawaadir al-Usul’]
Al-Qurtobee
commented upon this saying: “This means that granting of the entire world
is not very great blessing in comparison to the guidance of uttering
Al-Hamdulillah. This statement is better than the world because the world is
soon to perish whereas the statement will endure (prevail, exist) for it is
from those righteous deeds that remain. Allah said: “The righteous deeds
that last are better in the Sight of your Lord, for reward and better for
resort (hope, chance)." [Soorah
Maryam (19): 76]
3.
Al-Hamdulillah - Fills the Scale
Narrated Abu Musaa al-Ash`aree: “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi
wa-sallam) said: “Purity is half of faith. Al-Hamdulillaah fills the
scales and Subhaan Allah wal-Hamdulillaah fills what is between the heaven and
the earth.” [Muslim Eng.tran. 1 # 432]
4.
Al- Hamdulillah - Most excellent supplication
Narrated Jaabir bin Abdullaah: “The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alahi
wa-sallam) said: “The most excellent dhikr is ‘Laa ilaaha illallah and the
most excellent supplication is [the statement] al-Hamdulillaah.” [Sunan
at-Tirmidhee [no. 3623]. It was declared hasan by Al-Albaanee in ‘Saheeh
at-Tirmidhee’ [no. 2694]
Meaning
of the word 'Rabb’
Linguistically the word rabb means master (one who is obeyed), owner, one who
puts something in order. When used in a possessive structure it can be applied
to other than Allah, for example it is said ‘rabb ad-daar’(the master of
the house), similarly in the Qur’aan it is mentioned that Yusuf (alaihi
as-salaam) said to one of the inmates of prison: “Mention me in the
presence of your master. (Rabbika)" [Yusuf (12): 42] Likewise, it is
mentioned in the famous hadeeth of Jibreel, when the Prophet (sallallahu alahi
wa-sallam) listed some of the signs of the Hour: “…When the slave-girl
gives birth to her master (rabbatahaa)..." [Sahih Muslim eng. Trans.
v1 #1]
However
the word ar-Rabb can only ever be applied to Allah as it is one of the Names
of Allah and means the One Who cultivates (builds) and sustains (maintains,
preserves) all of His servants through regulating the affairs and granting all
types of favors and blessings. [See Fundamentals of Allah’s Names &
Attributes ]
Meaning
of the word aalamen - ‘Aalameen’
is the plural of ‘aalam’ and ‘aalam’ is itself a plural and has no
singular. Except Allah all the creation is known as Aalam. So all generations
and species are a world (Aalam) of its own.
Allah
Himself manifested the meaning of Aalameen in the Qur’aan recalling the
words of Pharaoh when he said: “and what is the Lord of the Aalameen?”
He (Moosa (alaihi as-salaam) said: “the Lord of the heavens and the earth
and what is between them." [Ash-Shu`araa (26): 23-24]
Ibn
Abbaas (radiyallahu anhu) said in explanation to this verse of al-Faatihah:
“All praise and thanks are due to Allah, to Whom belongs the creation in its
entirety (totality), the heavens and the earth and whosoever is in them and
whatsoever is between them – that which is known and unknown.”
We
Learn –
Fundamentals of Tawheed ar-Ruboobeyyah –
(Maintaining the Unity of Allah’s Lordship)
We learn from the meaning of the word ‘Rabb’ that Allah is the sole
Creator of the Universe, all the affairs are under His disposition, He
maintains and Sustains it, He is Self-Sufficient and the Creation is in need
of Allah. From the latter part of the verse we know that He is distinct from
His creation and not everywhere. These are issues is unanimously agreed upon
by the Salafs and
clearly proven by a multitude of texts from the Book and the Sunnah:
“Allah
created all things and He is the Wakil’ (Trustee, Disposer of affairs,
Guardian etc.) over all things.” [Soorah Zumar (39): 62]
“No
calamity strikes except by the will of Allah.” [Soorah at-Taghaabun
(64): 11]
“The
Rahmaan Istawa (rose) upon the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty).”
[Soorah Ta-Ha 20: 25]
[Al-Mu`minoon (23): 28] [Ibraaheem
(14): 39] [An-Naml (27): 15]
[Faatir (35): 34] [Yunus
(10): 10]
Salaf: lit. Predecessor. The early righteous Muslim, particularly those of
the first three generations. Salafee: One who knows Salaf- us-Saaliheen
and loves them, tries to follow their way (manhaj) & sticks to their
creed aqeedah.
