Fiqh al-Adiyah wa-al-Adhkar - Abd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr - (1/267)

Fiqh al-Adiyah wa-al-AdhkarAbd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr

is broader in terms of its causes. An example of this is the hadith: ‘Praising Allah is the foremost expression of gratitude; whoever does not praise Allah has not thanked Him.’1 It is also reported in the Sahīh that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: ‘Indeed, Allah is pleased with His servant when he eats a meal and praises Him for it, and when he takes a drink and praises Him for it.’2”3 Here ends his statement—may Allah have mercy on him.

This makes it clear that praise and gratitude overlap in one respect, while each has its own distinct scope. They coincide when words are spoken in response to a blessing: this is called both praise and gratitude. Praise alone applies when a servant extols his Lord by mentioning His Most Beautiful Names and sublime attributes; this is called praise, not gratitude. Gratitude alone applies when a servant uses a blessing from Allah in obedience to Him; this is called gratitude, not praise.

Praising Allah means extolling Him by mentioning His sublime attributes and abundant blessings, while loving, exalting, and venerating Him. Such praise is exclusive to Him—glorified is He—and is due to Him alone. All praise therefore belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds. “That is why He—glorified is He—said, ‘All praise is due to Allah.’ The phrase employs lām al-jins (the generic definite article), which denotes universality. All praise is therefore His, either as His possession or as His rightful due. His praise of Himself is His rightful due, while His servants’ praise of Him and their praise of one another are His possession ... Thus, when someone says, ‘All praise is due to Allah,’ his words convey a statement about everything for which praise is offered

1. Narrated by ʿAbd al-Razzāq in *al-Musannaf* (10/424) and by al-Bayhaqī in *al-Ādāb* (p. 459), through Qatāda, who reported that ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr said, “The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said…” and then cited the hadith. Al-Bayhaqī said: “It was transmitted in this manner as a *mursal* report, with a gap between Qatāda and those above him in the chain.” 2. *Sahīh Muslim* (no. 2734). 3. *Al-Fatāwā* (11/133–134).

أعمّ من جهة أسبابه، ومن هذا الحديثُ: "الحمد لله رأس الشكر، فمن لم يحمد الله لم يشكره"١، وفي الصحيح عن النبي ﷺ أنَّه قال: "إنَّ الله ليرضى عن العبد يأكل الأكلة فيحمده عليها ويشرب الشربة فيحمده عليها" ٢") ٣. اهـ كلامه ﵀. وبه يتبيّن أن بين الحمد والشكر عموماً وخصوصاً من وجه، فيجتمعان فيما إذا كان باللسان في مقابلة نعمة، فهذا يُسمَّى حمداً ويُسمَّى شكراً، وينفرد الحمد فيما إذا أثنى العبد على ربّه بذكر أسمائه الحسنى ونعوته العظيمة فهذا يُسمَّى حمداً، ولا يُسمَّى شكراً، وينفرد الشكر فيما إذا استعمل العبد نعمة الله في طاعة الله فهذا يُسمى شكراً ولا يُسمَّى حمداً. إنَّ حمدَ الله هو الثناءُ على الله بذكر صفاته العظيمة ونعمِه العميمة مع حبّه وتعظيمه وإجلاله، وهو مختصٌّ به سبحانه لا يكون إلاّ له، فالحمد كلّه لله رب العالمين؛ "ولذلك قال سبحانه: ﴿الحَمْدُ للهِ﴾ ب لام الجنس المفيدة للاستغراق، فالحمد كلُّه له إمّا ملكاً وإما استحقاقاً، فحمده لنفسه استحقاق، وحمد العباد له وحمدُ بعضهم لبعض ملكٌ له ... فالقائل إذا قال: الحمد لله تضمّن كلامه الخبر عن كلِّ ما يحمد

١ رواه عبد الرزاق في المصنف (١٠/٤٢٤) ، والبيهقي في الآداب (ص:٤٥٩) من طريق قتادة: أنَّ عبد الله بن عمرو قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ، فذكره. قال البيهقي: "هكذا جاء مرسلاً بين قتادة ومن فوقه". ٢ صحيح مسلم (رقم:٢٧٣٤) . ٣ الفتاوى (١١/١٣٣،١٣٤) .