46 / Praising Allah Is the Best of Blessings

There can be no doubt about the immense importance of praising Allah, its exalted status, and its abundant reward. It is among the noblest acts of obedience and the finest means of drawing near to Allah; indeed, it is the most worthy means by which a servant may draw near to his Lord, Glorified is He. It is authentically established that, upon raising his head from bowing, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say: “Our Lord, to You belongs all praise—a praise that fills the heavens, fills the earth, and fills whatever else You will. You are worthy of all praise and glory. Praise is the truest thing a servant can utter, and we are all Your servants. None can withhold what You give, none can give what You withhold, and no person of fortune can avail himself against You through his fortune.”1

Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyya (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “This is the wording of the hadith. ‘The truest’ is an elative form. A number of authors have erred regarding it, saying: ‘What the servant has said is true.’ This is not the wording of the Messenger, nor is it a sound statement, for a servant may speak both truth and falsehood. Rather, the truth is what the Lord says, as He Most High said: ‘The truth is—and the truth I speak.’ 2 The actual wording, however, is: ‘The truest thing a servant has uttered.’ This is the predicate of an omitted subject; that is, ‘Praise is the truest thing a servant has uttered,’ or, ‘This—namely, praise—is the truest thing a servant has uttered.’ He thereby made clear that praise is the truest thing uttered by a servant. Hence, Allah made its utterance obligatory in every prayer, ordained that al-Fātiha begin with it, and made its utterance obligatory in every sermon and every matter of importance.”3 End quote.