who has no partner in His dominion, who needs no protector out of weakness; so proclaim His greatness with all magnification.” (Q 17:111). This is a command to praise Him for the perfections of His being—His absolute oneness (wahdaniyyah) and His self-subsistence (samadiyyah).

Concerning the phrase “All praise is for Allah,” the definite article (al-) in al-hamdu has been explained in three ways:

1. Some say it is the article of specification (ʿahd), meaning: the particular, already-known praise.
2. Others say it is the article that defines the genus, i.e., praise in the abstract sense; this view is weak.
3. Still others—among them Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir—hold that it is an article of total inclusion (istighrāq). This is the soundest view, supported by the report: “O Allah, to You belongs all praise,” by the supplication of qunūt, “We extol You with every kind of good,” and by his words ﷺ: “I cannot enumerate praise of You; You are as You have praised Yourself.”

If someone asks: Since all praise belongs to Allah, how can His creatures be praised, and how can the Prophet ﷺ bear the name Muḥammad—a superlative form derived from praise? Three answers have been given:

First: All praise belongs to Allah in the sense that He alone deserves it, and He is the One who praises whatever He wills of His creation. No one is praised except the one whom He Himself has praised; thus the praise accorded to certain creatures is nothing but His own praise for them, and therefore this does not