the earth, and to fill whatever else You will. You are worthy of praise and glory. This is the truest thing a servant can say—and we are all Your servants. None can withhold what You give, and none can give what You withhold; nor can wealth avail its possessor against You.” This is the wording of the hadith.

“The truest” (ahaqqu) is a superlative. Some authors have mistakenly given the wording as, “True is what the servant says.” This is not the Messenger’s wording, nor is it a sound statement, for a servant speaks both truth and falsehood. Rather, what the Lord says is true, as He Most High says:

“The truth—and I speak the truth.”

The actual wording, however, is “the truest thing a servant can say.” This is the predicate of an omitted subject, meaning: “Praise is the truest thing a servant can say,” or, “This—namely, praise—is the truest thing a servant can say.”

This makes clear that praising Allah is the truest thing His servants can say. For this reason, He has made it obligatory to utter it in every prayer and has ordained that al-Fātihah begin with it. He has also made it obligatory to utter it in every sermon and in every matter of importance. Praise is the opposite of blame. Praise concerns the praiseworthy qualities of the one praised and is accompanied by love for him, just as blame concerns his faults and is accompanied by hatred for him.

Thus, if it is said that He, glorified be He, does good and acts benevolently, and that He is Wise and Merciful