. J (cont.)

4 It truly comes about when a person realizes the numerous bounties Allah has bestowed upon him. This includes even the bounty of knowing Allah and recognizing that He should be thanked. It also comes about when one thinks about Allah and His attributes of perfection. 1 Al-Haitami, p. 185. 2 Al-Sindi states that statements like al-hamdulillah may become "bodies of light" that do not "crowd each other" in the same way that a person could have one thousand lamps in a room and the light of each lamp is there without it forcing the other lights not to exist. See Abu al-Hasan al­ Hanafi al-Sindi, Sharh Sunan ibn Maajah al-Qazweeni (Beirut: Daar al-Jee!, n.d.), vol. I, pp. 120-121. 3 The reference in this hadith is to the phrase, "al-hamdulillah" and not to Surah al-Faatiha, which is sometimes referred to as al-hamd. Many commentators made this comment in their discussion of this hadith, inferring that some people had the wrong understanding of this hadith. 4 There is a hadith that states, "The best supplication is al-hamdulillah." This hadith is recorded by al-Tirmidhi, ibn Majah and others. Although some scholars state that it is hasan, it seems that its chain is weak. See Abu Ishaaq al-Huwaini's footnotes to Ismaaeel ibn Katheer, Ta/seer al­ Quran al-Adheem (al-Dammam, Saudi Arabia: Daar ibn al-Jauzi, 1997), vol. 1, p. 460. Hadith #23: "Purification is Half of Faith . . . " In his commentary on the Quran, Maudoodi has explained the phrase al-hamdulillah, which forms part of the second verse of Surah al-Faatiha, in the following manner, Whenever we praise someone, we do so for two reasons. First, because excellence calls for praise, irrespective of whether that excellence has any direct relevance to us or not. Second, we praise one whom we consider to be our benefactor; when this is the case our praise arises from a deep feeling of gratitude. God is worthy of praise on both counts. It is incumbent on us to praise Him not only in recognition of His infinite excellence but also because of our feeling of gratitude to Him, arising from our awareness of the blessings He has lavished upon us. It is important to note that what is said here [meaning the phrase al-hamdulillah] is not merely that praise be to God, but that all praise be to God alone. Wherever there be any beauty, any excellence, any perfection-- in whatever thing or in whatever shape it may manifest itselfits ultimate source is none other than God Himself. No human beings, angels, demigods, heavenly bodies-- in short, no created beings-- are possessed of an innate excellence; where excellence exists, it is a gift from God. Thus, if there is anyone at all whom we ought to adore and worship, to whom we ought to feel indebted and grateful, toward whom we should remain humble and obedient, it is the creator of excellence, rather than its possessor.1 Although commonly used interchangeably, there is a difference between al-hamd (praise and gratitude .l.o.:>..1 ), al-madh (praise c.i..l ) and al-shukr (thankfulness ft..!.!1). A person can be praised (al-madh) for things that he does voluntarily as well as for things that are beyond his control. A person may be praised for his physical appearance, for example, which he has little control over, or for his spending in charity, which is a voluntary act on his part. In fact, madh is even done toward non-living things, such as praising the quality of a pearl. Al-hamd would only be used in the latter case of the person's own voluntary act and not in the former case. Hence, in this sense, al-hamd is something more specific than al-madh. Furthermore, with respect to Allah, al­ hamd is much more befitting as He is being praised for His qualities that He has set for Himself. 2 On the other hand, al-hamd is more general than al-shukr. Al-shukr is only in response to something that has come from somebody else. For example, if a person does another person a favor, he would thank him for that favor. One would not give "thanks" to a person because of that person's characteristics. If 1 Abu! Ala Maudoodi, Towards Understanding the Quran (Leicester, United Kingdom: The Islamic Foundation, 1988), vol. I , pp. 35-36. 2 See al-Raazi, vol. I, pp. 218-219. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi another person is generous, for example, one would not say, "I thank him because he has the characteristic of generosity," although one would thank him for an act of generosity. However, al-hamd is expressed for both specific acts as well as the qualities of a person. 1 Furthermore, al-hamd is used for an act done toward the person himself as well as acts done toward others. In other words, one does not give shukr for what Allah has bestowed upon others but one does express hamd in such a case.