Al-Hamid
Allah is Al-Hameed, the only one worthy of praise for he has given us all that we have. He is The One who deserves every manner of praise and we should exalt him. Join in extolling him by repeating ‘al-hamdu lillah meaning ‘praise be to Allah’.
From the root h-m-d which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to praise, to laud with deep feelings of adoration and submission to praise one for something done by that one’s own will to speak well of, honor, commend to eulogize
And Moses said, “If you should disbelieve, you and whoever is on the earth entirely – indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy.” (Quran 14:8)
And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom [and said], “Be grateful to Allah.” And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] – then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy. (Quran 31:12)
To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth. Indeed, Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy. (Quran 31:26)
Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it;
[it is] a revelation from a [Lord who is] Wise and Praiseworthy. (Quran 41:42)
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Name: |
Al-Hamid |
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Al-Hamid in Arabic: |
الْحَمِيدُ |
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Arabic root: |
(ح م د) |
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Al-Hamid pronunciation: |
Al-Ha-Meed |
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Al-Hamid meaning in English: |
The Praiseworthy, The Laudable one. |
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Al-Hamid meaning in Urdu: |
تعريف کے لائق |
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Appearance in the Quran: |
17 times |
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Al-Hamid Benefits: |
The believer who recites this name frequently has a greater chance of being loved and praised insha’Allah |
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Tasbeeh: |
Recite 100 times after every fardh prayer and make dua that all your undesirable habits change into praiseworthy ones |
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Asma ul Husna with similar meaning: |
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This name denotes the One who is Praised, the only One who is praiseworthy in every way. Allah is Praiseworthy in his Attributes, Names, Actions, and Person. Indeed, His Actions stem from justice and when we call Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) Al-Hameed, it means that He is the only One worthy of true praise. His Attributes make Him worthy of this praise, along with all the blessings He has given us.
Al-Hamid comes from the root ha-mim-dal (ح م د). These classical Arabic letters have the connotations of ‘to praise,’ ‘submission to praise one,’ ‘honor,’ and so on. ‘Al-Hamid’ is used in the connotation of the Name of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) 17 times in the Holy Qur’an. The first of these comes in the second ayat of the whole Qur’an. Here, we have this mention:
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلہِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْنَ
English Translation: "[All] praise and thanks'' and continues lillaahi "be to Allah." (1:2 Qur’an)
The surah then goes on to list the reasons why Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has this Attribute. It mentions that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is the Lord of the worlds, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, and the Master of the Day of Judgement.
The surah hence affirms Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) as being Al-Hamid. Moving further on, the surah tells us the natural response to such a realization. It comes in the words Iyyaaka na'budu wa lyyaaka nasta'een "It is You we worship and You we ask for help." (Qur’an 1:5)
This beginning part of Surah Fatiha teaching is how Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) alone is the source of all the gifts we have. He is the one who gives us life, intellect, beauty, love, and everything else we cherish. He is also the Judge on the Day of Recompense. Since He is the All-Merciful, He will also be Just in His rulings. Keeping all this in mind, we should be grateful and say ’alhamdulillah’ at all times.
The name Al-Hamid helps us to better understand the Divine Essence of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). It is usually paired with another name of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), thereby helping us reflect on these attributes better.
For instance, we have the pairing of Al-Ghaniyy and Al-Hamid ten times in the Holy Qur’an. Exploring this association helps us clarify the significance of each name. Al-Ghaniyy means ‘The Self-Sufficient’. When paired with Al-Hamid, we may take this to mean that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is worthy of all praise even if no one and nothing else existed.
As Imam al-Ghazali wrote, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is praised by the virtue of His praise of Himself from eternity." We praise Him because that is the point of our whole existence. We are the needy ones, so we praise Him in order to benefit ourselves.
Ibn Arabi also wrote: "He is His own praiser, the one who praises Himself [...] This is the height of generosity (karam): first, He gives you, and then He Praises you for what He has given you."
Many of us often praise certain celebrities, authors, and other people for their achievements. We make them beloved to us and take them to be our heroes. Instead of this idolization, we should remember that the real master and creator of this world is Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). Therefore, He is the One we must glorify.
We should infuse our daily conversations with the name and meaning of ‘Al-Hameed.’ Many Muslims already remember this Attribute by saying ‘Alhamdulillah’ frequently throughout their regular routine.
When we truly understand what Al-Hameed means, we will better connect with Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). In the same way, we can also consistently remind our children and wards that only Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is worthy of praise. We should remember Him and His blessings at all times. Once we start looking closely at everything we have–including our achievements, education, and skills–we will realize that only Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is worthy of praise for all this. If it were not for Him, we wouldn’t even get the chance to achieve anything.
Some people might want their child to have a connection to a virtue or attribute like Al-Hamid. They may have the goal of having a praiseworthy child with laudable accomplishments. However, it is not appropriate to name anyone Hamid after this name. The attribute of being truly Praiseworthy belongs to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) alone.
If someone still wants their child to absorb something related to this virtue, they can choose the name ‘Hammad,’ which means ‘one who praises.’ Alternatively, they can also choose ‘Abdul Hamid,’ meaning ‘Servant of Al-Hamid.’
We recite the names Al-Hameed and Al-Majeed while reciting the Durood-e-Ibrahimi in each prayer. In a Hadith narrated by Ka`b bin Ujra (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), the Prophet ﷺ was asked: "O Allah's Messenger ﷺ We know how to greet you, but how to invoke Allah for you?" The Prophet said, "Say: Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa'ala `Ali Muhammaddin, kama sallaita 'ala all Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid." Meaning: "O Allah, send your grace, honor, and mercy upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your grace, honor, and mercy upon Ibrahim. You are indeed Praiseworthy, Most Glorious." [Sahih al-Bukhari 4797]
In reflecting upon this name, we may ask ourselves how to earn some semblance of praise as well. As humble servants of Allah, we should seek this virtue not for self-glorification but for further humility and the hope of some reward in the Hereafter. Our characters, actions, and faith should all be worthy of praise and respect. It is upon ourselves to strive towards that goal.
These are the names paired with Al-Hamid in the Holy Qur’an:
The pairing of all these names gives us an idea of how to think about the attributes of Al-Hamid. With al-Waliyy, we understand Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is Worthy of praise due to Him being our Patron and Friend. With Al-Hakim, we understand that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is the Mighty One. With Al-Azeez, we understand that the Wisdom of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) surpasses all. With Al-Majid, we understand His glory and how no one and nothing is like Him. Since he is also the most Just and Most Merciful, we cannot do anything except praise him always.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَبۡخَلُونَ وَيَأۡمُرُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ بِٱلۡبُخۡلِۗ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡغَنِيُّ ٱلۡحَمِيدُ
English Translation:
"[Those] who are stingy and enjoin upon people stinginess. And whoever turns away – then indeed, Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy."— (Qur'an 57:24)
وَلَقَدۡ ءَاتَيۡنَا لُقۡمَٰنَ ٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ أَنِ ٱشۡكُرۡ لِلَّهِۚ وَمَن يَشۡكُرۡ فَإِنَّمَا يَشۡكُرُ لِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٞ
English Translation:
"And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom [and said], “Be grateful to Allah.” And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] – then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy." (Qur’an 2:267)
وَلَقَدۡ ءَاتَيۡنَا لُقۡمَٰنَ ٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ أَنِ ٱشۡكُرۡ لِلَّهِۚ وَمَن يَشۡكُرۡ فَإِنَّمَا يَشۡكُرُ لِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٞ
English Translation:
"And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom [and said], “Be grateful to Allah.” And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] – then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy."— (Qur'an 31:12)
۞يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلۡفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِۖ وَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلۡغَنِيُّ ٱلۡحَمِيدُ
English Translation:
"O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy."— (Qur'an 35:15)
لَّا يَأۡتِيهِ ٱلۡبَٰطِلُ مِنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَلَا مِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦۖ تَنزِيلٞ مِّنۡ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٖ
English Translation:
"Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a [Lord who is] Wise and Praiseworthy."— (Qur'an 41:42)
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ ٱلۡغَيۡثَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا قَنَطُواْ وَيَنشُرُ رَحۡمَتَهُۥۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡوَلِيُّ ٱلۡحَمِيدُ
English Translation:
"And it is He who sends down the rain after they had despaired and spreads His mercy. And He is the Protector, the Praiseworthy."— (Qur'an 42:28)