Quran Commentary: al-Fatiha: Praise of God [2 of 7]

PRAISE OF GOD: HAMD

Significance of the term `Allah Al‑Hamdu Lillah': Praise is for Allah only

In Arabic, the word Hamd means praise. The grammatical prefix al denotes a definite article. So, al‑hamdu lillah really means, `Praise (strictly speaking) is for Allah only,' since all goodness and perfection exist only in Him and proceed from Him.

Why does the chapter begin with the praise of God? It is, because, such is the initial reaction inevitably created on the mind of one who takes his first step in the direction of God.

What then is the road one should take to seek knowledge of God? The Qur'an says there is but one road to it, and that is to reflect over the phenomenal world of creation. The study .of an invention take the student, so to say, directly into the very presence of the inventor himself.

Those who bear God in mind, standing, sitting and reclining, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and of the earth, they will say: "Our Lord! Thou has not cre­ated all this in vain (Q:3:191)

Visualize for yourself what his first impression will be when an earnest seeker of truth reflects over the working of the universe? He will notice that his very being and all that is at work outside of him are the handicraft of a consummate artist, and that the touch of his grace and tender providence is clearly felt in every particle of the universe. Naturally, his mind will be filled with wonder and admiration, so much so, that he will cry out instinctively: "Praise is for God only, Lord of all Being!" Praise truly is His who is the fountainhead of the grace, beauty, and perfection which subsist in every corner of His creation.

The tragedy of the human mind has lain in this that it tends to lose itself in the things of creation does not always strive to step beyond them to seek the Creator Himself. Man is dazzled by the artistry of the veils which first meet his eye, but rarely does he attempt to lift them and reach Him who has thrown such attractive veils over His own creative beauty. The worship of the phenomenal owes its origin to this defect in vision. The expression, 'Praise is for God, only' is a definite affirmation of the fact that the beauty and benevolence which subsist in a variety of forms in every field of existence are but manifestations of the attributes of God. Whatever the esteem in which we may hold beauty, perfection or goodness, the credit should go not to the phenomenal object which displays these qualities, but to the artist who fashioned it into a thing of beauty.

Allah Prior to the revelation of the Qur'an, the term Allah was used in Arabic as proper name for God, as is borne out by the writings of pre‑Islamic poets. It was never used in the sense of an attribute, although He was credited with numerous attributes. The Qur'an has but followed the usage:

Allah has beautiful names or attributes; so invoke Him by them. (Q:7:180)

Did the Qur'an adopt the term Allah merely out of regard for etymology, or was there any intrinsic appropriateness about it compelling adoption?

In the annals of ancient religious concepts, there was a period when man used to worship objects of nature. In course of time, this form of worship developed into the worship of demi‑gods. As corollary to this development, different names in different languages came to be applied to the new deities, and as time went on, with the widening of scope in worship, the significance of the terms applied also widened. But since it was not agreeable to human nature to let the human mind ignore the concept of a Crea­tor for the world, there lurked therein, alongside of the thought of demi‑gods, the idea, in one form or other, of a supreme being as well. So, in addition to the numerous terms coined to desig­nate demi‑gods, a term also had necessarily to be invented to apply to this unseen highest being as well.

For instance, a study of the Semitic group of languages‑‑Hebrew, Syriac, Aramaic, Chaldean, Himyarita and Arabic‑‑discloses that a special style of word formation and of sound had been in vogue among the Semitic peoples to denote the supreme being. The alphabets A, L and H combined in varied form to constitute the term by which this supreme being was to be styled. The Chaldean and Syriac term `Ilahia', the Hebrew `Iloha' and the Arabic `Ilah' are of this category. It is the Ilah in Arabic which assumed the form of Allah and was applied exclusively to the Creator of the universe.

But if the term Allah is derived from Ilah what the is Ilah? Lexicographers have given different stories. The most plausible is that it is itself derived from the root 'lah, an ejaculation expres­sive of wonder or helplessness. Some lexicographers trace the term to Walah which bear the same significance. Hence the term Allah came to be used as the proper name for the Creator of the uni­verse in respect of whom man can express nothing except his sense of wonder which increases in intensity, the more he thinks of Him, only to admit eventually that the road to the knowledge of God begins and ends in wonder and humility. Says a poet:

Thou art beyond my speech and thought.
Woe be unto my specifications of you and my comparisons!

Now consider whether, of all the terms which man has used, there could be any better term than this (Allah) to apply to God. If God is to be called by any attribute, an endless number of terms could be suggested. But attributes apart, if God is to be given a proper naive, what other term is there except this to designate a being which inspires nothing but wonder?

This is the reason why whenever anything was said in respect of the highest knowledge gained of God, it was to only admit that the utmost that man could say of God was simply to acknowledge the profundity of his ignorance about Him. The prayer of a gnostic has always been: "O God! increase me in my wonder over what You are". Likewise the admission of philosophers has always been: "We know this much that we know nothing".

Since the term Allah is used as a proper name for God, it has necessarily to cover all the attributes that can appropriately be associated with His Being. If we visualize God in any particular attribute of His, as when we refer to Him as Al‑Rabb or Al‑Rahim, we confine our vision within the limits of the attribute concerned. We shall think of Him only as a being who possesses the attribute of providence or mercy. But when we refer to Him as Allah, our mind instinctively clenches the sum total of all the qualities attributed to Him, or what He necessarily must possess.