الحمد لله
al-hamdu lillah
In Arabic, "thanks to Allah" is expressed as الحمد لله (al-hamdu lillah).
This phrase is used to express gratitude for blessings, guidance or protection. It is also a standard response to the question "How are you?"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of al-hamdu, meaning "the praise" and lillah, meaning "to Allah" or "for Allah".
How do you pronounce it?
al-hamdu lillah
Did you know?
- While الحمد لله is centrally Islamic, it is also used by millions of Arab Christians to express gratitude to God.
- If you sneeze and someone says 'Bless you', a common polite response in an Arabic context is to say الحمد لله to acknowledge the physiological function as a blessing.
- Even when someone is facing a difficult situation, they might respond with الحمد لله to show patience or acceptance of destiny.
Examples in context
- كل شيء يسير بشكل جيد، الحمد لله.kull shay' yasīr bi-shakl jayyid, al-hamdu lillāh.Everything is going well, thanks to Allah.
- الحمد لله على كل حال.al-hamdu lillāhi 'alā kulli ḥāl.Thanks to Allah in any case.
Example conversation
Yousef meets Sarah at a cafe and asks how she is.
- يوسف Youssefكيف حالك يا سارة؟kayfa ḥāluki yā Sāra?How are you, Sarah?
- سارة Saraالحمد لله، أنا بخير.al-hamdu lillāh, ana bi-khayr.Thanks to Allah, I am well.
- يوسف Youssefهذا خبر جيد جداً.hādhā khabar jayyid jiddan.That is very good news.
- سارة Saraشكراً لك يا يوسف.shukran laka yā Yūsuf.Thank you, Yousef.
