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The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) led his Companions in prayer one day, and as he raised his head from bowing and said: “Sami‘allāhu liman hamidah (Allah hears he who praises Him),” a man behind him said: “Rabbana wa laka al-hamd hamdan kathīran tayyiban mubārakan fīh (Our Lord, praise be to You, praise that is abundant, good, and blessed).” When he finished, he asked: “Who said that?” The man said: “Me.” He said: “I saw over thirty angels competing to write this down first.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri] How could they not compete over this while Allah Almighty loves praise?!
We extend all praise to You, our Lord,
though we cannot praise You enough.
Allah Almighty praises Himself saying: {...He is the Guardian, the Praiseworthy.} [Surat ash-Shūra: 28]
Our Lord, Exalted be He, is Praiseworthy in terms of His essence, His names, attributes, and actions. He possesses the most beautiful names and the most sublime attributes, and does the best and most perfect actions.
And our Lord is Praiseworthy in terms of His Shariah, which is the best and most beneficial for all creatures.
Moreover, our Lord is Praiseworthy for His Oneness and for being Exalted above having partners, equals, or supporters due to weakness. Allah Almighty says: {And say, “Praise be to Allah Who has not taken a son, nor does He have any partner in His dominion, nor does He need any protector out of weakness. And proclaim His greatness immensely.”} [Surat al-Isrā’: 111]
Our Lord is praised by all tongues and in every condition. All creatures constantly sing praise of Him, including inanimate objects, for His favors and blessings as well as for His perfection and majesty. Allah Almighty says: {The seven heavens and the earth, and all those in them glorify Him. There is not a single thing that does not glorify Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification. Indeed, He is Most Forbearing, All-Forgiving.} [Surat al-Isrā’: 44]
The Almighty Lord is worthy of being praised in every form of praise. Even if His creatures did not praise Him, He is still Praiseworthy for His bounty, grace, and mercy.
No one except Him is praised for all conditions and circumstances.
Allah Almighty restricted the praise exclusively to Himself, and prohibited that one should praise himself. He says: {...So do not claim purity for yourselves...} [Surat an-Najm: 32]
Our Lord praises Himself to introduce Himself to us and so that we can turn to Him through praise and hope to receive His forgiveness, bounty, and Paradise.
What a Generous Lord! He guides us to perform good deeds and then appreciates that, and rewards us for it. {...They will be called, “This is Paradise that you are made to inherit for what you used to do.”} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 43] When our Lord wants to make His bounty manifest upon us, He creates it and attributes it to us. For example, He gives you money, and you spend out of it in charity, and then He appreciates your charity, though the money originally belongs to Him!
Out of His kindness, Allah Almighty laid down various forms of praise, so that we know how to praise Him in the best manner. He says: {All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.} [Surat al-Fātihah: 2] He also says: {All praise be to Allah Who created the heavens and earth, and made darkness and light...} [Surat al-An‘ām: 1]
The greatest trait in the believers is that they praise their Lord constantly and at both good and hard times, as they know that the actions of Allah Almighty are all wise and good for them.
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said: “If a man’s child dies, Allah Almighty asks His angels: ‘Have you taken the soul of My servant’s child?’ They reply in the affirmative.
He then asks: ‘Have you taken the fruit of his heart?’ They reply in the affirmative.
Then He asks: ‘What did My servant say?’ They say: ‘He praised You and said: We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.’
Thereupon, Allah says: ‘Build a house for My servant in Paradise and name it the House of Praise.’” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi]
Hence, one of the best forms of Dhikr is to say: Alhamdulillāh (Praise be to Allah). Allah Almighty says: {...and glorify the praise of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset.} [Surat Qāf: 39]
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said: “Whoever says: Subhānallāh wa bihamdih (Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him) one hundred times a day, his sins will be erased even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: “Which speech is the best?”
He said: “What Allah chose for His angels or His servants: Subhānallāh wa bihamdih (Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him).” [Narrated by Muslim] Praise can be expressed by the tongue, within the heart, and through the body organs.
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The best servants of Allah on the Day of Judgment will be those who praise Him a lot.” [Narrated by Al-Tabarāni in Al-Mu‘jam al-Kabīr; Sahīh (authentic)]
Praise be to You, our Lord, praise that is good and so great that it fills the heavens
and the earth and all that it contains.
Praise be to You, eternal and blessed.
The sea has a limit, but Your praise is limitless.
Praise be to You, the Owner of glory and highness.
He who praises You with gratitude is indeed grateful.
O Allah, to You praise is due as befits the glory of Your Face and the greatness of Your might.