What Does Alhamdulillah Mean?

Alhamdulillah (Arabic: الحمد لله) is pronounced al-HAM-du-lil-lah, with a breathy “h”. It is made of al-hamd (all praise) and li-llah (belongs to God).

Meaning

Alhamdulillah means “all praise and thanks belong to God”. It is more than “thank you”: it recognises that every good thing ultimately comes from God. It is the first phrase of the Qur’an after the opening words Bismillah:

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٢﴾

[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -

How Muslims use it

Muslims say alhamdulillah many times a day: after eating or drinking, on waking up, when hearing good news, and after sneezing, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught (Sahih al-Bukhari 6224). When you ask a Muslim “How are you?”, the most common answer is alhamdulillah — “praise God”, whatever the situation.

Muslims also say it in hard times. Illness, loss or disappointment do not cancel God’s other blessings, and patience combined with gratitude is one of the highest virtues in Islam. Saying alhamdulillah in such moments is an act of trust that God is wise and merciful, even when we do not understand.

Example

“How was the operation?” — “Alhamdulillah, everything went well.”

See also Mashallah, and read Mental Health and Hope in Islam.