الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ
al-ḥamdu lillāhi
The English phrase 'thank God' can be translated into Arabic as الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ (al-ḥamdu lillāhi) or الشُّكْرُ لِلّٰهِ.
Meaning: exclamation of gratitude or relief (intj)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ | al-ḥamdu lillāhi |
| الشُّكْرُ لِلّٰهِ | aš-šukru lillāhi |
Both forms are used as interjections to express relief after a difficult situation or to express gratitude for good news.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ literally translates to 'the praise is for God', while الشُّكْرُ لِلّٰهِ literally translates to 'the thanks are for God'.
Which one should you use?
الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ is more common and carries a deeper sense of spiritual praise compared to the more direct expression of thanks in الشُّكْرُ لِلّٰهِ.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ is a complete sentence where the first word is the subject and the second part is the predicate.
How do you pronounce it?
al-ḥamdu lillāhi
Did you know?
- People often say الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ when they sneeze, and the person who heard them should reply with يرحمكم الله, which means 'may God have mercy on you'.
- The phrase الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ can be used sarcastically in some dialects to express frustration or resignation when things are going poorly.
- The phrase الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ is the opening line of the first chapter of the Quran, making it one of the most repeated sequences of words in the daily life of millions.
Examples in context
- الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ، أَنَا بِخَيْرٍ.al-ḥamdu lillāh, ana bikhayr.Thank God, I am well.
- الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ، وَصَلَتِ الطَّائِرَةُ بِسَلَامٍ.al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣalat aṭ-ṭā'iratu bisalām.Thank God, the plane arrived safely.
- الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ، لَمْ يَكُنْ هُنَاكَ حَادِثٌ.al-ḥamdu lillāh, lam yakun hunāka ḥādith.Thank God, there was no accident.
Example conversation
Ziad and Sarah are talking after a difficult exam.
- زياد Ziadكَيْفَ كَانَ الِامْتِحَانُ يَا سَارَةُ؟Kayfa kāna al-imtiḥānu yā Sārah?How was the exam, Sarah?
- سارة Saraالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ، كَانَ سَهْلًا.al-ḥamdu lillāh, kāna sahlan.Thank God, it was easy.
- زياد Ziadهَذَا خَبَرٌ رَائِعٌ!Hādhā khabarun rā'i'!That is great news!
- سارة Saraنَعَمْ، أَنَا مُرْتَاحَةٌ الآنَ.Na'am, ana murtaḥatun al-ān.Yes, I am relieved now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank God” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
