The Book of Praising and Thanking Allah the Exalted

[Explanation]

The compiler, Imam al-Nawawi (d. 676 AH), titled in his Riyad al-Salihin: “Chapter on Praising and Thanking Allah.” To praise Allah is to ascribe to Him every perfection and laudable quality and to declare Him free from anything that negates or contradicts that. He—glorified is He—is worthy of all praise: He is praised for His magnificent generosity and for the perfection of His attributes, all while being loved and held in utmost veneration.

Allah praised Himself at the very dawn of creation when He said, “All praise is due to Allah, who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light” (Q 6:1). He praised Himself again when He sent down the Book to His servant: “All praise is due to Allah, who has sent down the Book to His servant and has allowed therein no crookedness” (Q 18:1). He praised Himself for His transcendence above any partner or equal: “And say, ‘All praise is due to Allah, who has never taken a son, who has no partner in dominion, and who needs no protector out of weakness; so magnify Him with all magnificence’” (Q 17:111). And He—majestic and exalted—praised Himself at the conclusion of creation: “You will see the angels surrounding the Throne, glorifying their Lord with His praise. Judgment will have been passed between them in truth, and it will be said, ‘All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds’” (Q 39:75).

Thus He, glorified and exalted, is praised at the beginning of creation, at its end, and throughout its duration; praised for the laws He revealed to His servant; praised in every circumstance. For that reason the Prophet ﷺ, when something pleased him, would say, “All praise is due to Allah, by whose favor righteous deeds are completed,” and when something contrary to that came to him