wisdom, mercy, might, and the other implications of His lordship.

Lessons:

1 — One lesson from this verse is the affirmation that perfect praise belongs to Allah, Glorious and Exalted. This is indicated by the definite article in His words, ﴿All praise﴾, for it conveys universality.

2 — Another is that Allah Most High alone deserves perfect praise in every respect. Thus, whenever something pleasing befell the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), he would say, “All praise is due to Allah, by whose grace righteous deeds are brought to completion.” Whenever something otherwise befell him, he would say, “All praise is due to Allah in every circumstance.” (1)

3 — Another is that Allah’s exclusive right to worship is mentioned before His lordship. This is either because “Allah” is the proper name unique to Him, to which all the other names are subordinate, or because the peoples to whom the messengers were sent denied only His exclusive right to worship.

4 — Another is the universality of Allah Most High’s lordship over all creation, as indicated by His words, ﴿the worlds﴾.

﴿The Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful﴾

In the words of Allah Most High, ﴿the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful﴾, “the Most Compassionate” is an adjective qualifying the divine name “Allah,” and “the Most Merciful” is another adjective. The Most Compassionate is the One possessed of vast mercy, while the Most Merciful is the One whose mercy reaches His creation. Thus, “the Most Compassionate” refers to His attribute, while “the Most Merciful” refers to His action. If either “the Most Compassionate” or “the Most Merciful” occurred alone, it would encompass both the attribute and the action; but when they occur together, “the Most Compassionate” is interpreted as referring to the attribute and “the Most Merciful” as referring to the action.