WHAT IS HAMD?
Hamd, which has no single-word equivalent in English, is to commemorate the Power that is the source and owner of a beauty or blessing with feelings of praise and glorification. Expressing this with the single word "praising" is not sufficient. Furthermore, madh (extolling), which we also know as praising, is the act of praising any beauty or blessing without necessarily carrying a sense of glorification, and thus it cannot take the place of hamd. In other words, every hamd contains an aspect of madh; however, not every madh contains hamd.
Raghib defines this in his work as follows: To perform hamd (حَمْد) to Allah the Almighty is to praise Him for His virtues. This is more specific than madh (extolling) and more general than shukr (gratitude); because: extolling can be done both for matters involving a person’s own choice and for things bestowed upon them by Allah the Almighty. In this respect, a person can be extolled, for example, for their height or the beauty of their face. Likewise, they are subject to extolment for spending their wealth on charitable causes, or for their generosity and knowledge. Hamd, however, occurs in the second case but not in the first. Shukr, on the other hand, is only performed in response to a blessing received. Accordingly, every shukr is considered a hamd, and every hamd is a madh, but not every madh is a hamd.
According to the consensus of all commentators (mufassir) and Arabic lexicographers, hamd is gratitude in its broadest sense. Its difference from shukr is that hamd is performed with the tongue. Shukr, meanwhile, is a way of glorification that can be expressed both through the tongue and through actions and behaviors. Additionally, shukr is strictly performed in return for a blessing obtained. However, hamd is performed toward the Creator of the blessing, even if that blessing does not actually reach us. Therefore, hamd to Allah is performed in every state and circumstance, whereas shukr is performed in response to blessings that reach us. And for this reason, we give shukr for the things we wish to increase.
The differences between hamd, shukr, and madh necessitate the following determination: Hamd is a type of praise that cannot be directed toward any person or power other than the Creator. "Hamd is performed to the Power whose blessings are limitless and infinite, and that is Allah."
Hamd is not a praise expressed in return for personal and simple interests. It is an expression of admiration felt for universal and total values, which can be voiced even in situations that conflict with our personal benefits. It has been noted that praises where personal interests are used as the starting point conflict with the hamd shown by the Qur'an.
Hamd is to praise the divine attribute and power of Allah by contemplating the countless wisdoms of His quality of godhood. Hamd must be performed even if the being or event that this power brings before us contradicts our personal interests. This is why, in the first verse of the Fatiha, a universal and total expression such as "Hamd belongs to Allah" was used instead of "I perform hamd" or "We perform hamd." Thus, hamd has been freed from the personal ties of human beings and registered as a right of the Creator Power.
Whether humans perform it or not, and both before and after the hamd of humans, hamd belongs to Allah; it is His right. Using the expressions "I perform hamd" or "We perform hamd" would have meant limiting the hamd of the Creator Power to the desire and will of the mortal human being. The Qur'an states that hamd is the right of Allah at the beginning and the end, in pre-eternity and post-eternity:
He is Allah; there is no deity except Him. To Him belongs [all] praise (hamd) in the first [here in the world] and in the last [in the hereafter]. To Him belongs the verdict, and to Him you will be returned.
Then to Allah belongs [all] praise (hamd), Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds.
Evaluating these points, Qur'anic commentators have expressed hamd as the "innate feeling of praise and glorification felt for the unique divine mercy." The Qur'an states that the 'final word and wish of those who believe in Allah is to perform hamd to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.'
Their call therein will be, "Exalted are You, O Allah," and their greeting therein will be, "Peace." And the last of their call will be, "Praise (hamd) to Allah, Lord of the worlds."
If one notices, the infinitive in the hamd sentence of the Fatiha has no subject or object. However, infinitives made definite with the definite article usually take a subject and object (fail and maful). It did not in the verse of hamd. In this case, the meaning expressed by the hamd sentence, according to the consensus of the commentators, is this: No matter who it is performed for, and no matter who performs it, hamd belongs to the Creator Power known by the name Allah.
Another point we will highlight regarding hamd is this: Although all beings and existence are in a state of hamd toward the Creator Power, the most perfect hamd comes from the most perfect being, the human.
The act of performing hamd is called hamdala. Its shortest form is to say "Alhamdulillah" (Hamd is specific to Allah). Within the structure of the Qur'an, there are 4 surahs that begin with Alhamdulillah: Al-Fatiha, Al-An'am, Al-Kahf, and Fatir. The number of verses in which the expression Alhamdulillah occurs is 23.
One of the beautiful names of Allah is Al-Hamid. It means the One who is praised much.