The real meaning of praise ḥamd is extolling the One who is praiseworthy maḥmūd by mentioning His sublime attributes and beautiful acts. The [letter] lām here [from the particle al in al-ḥamdu li-Llāh] indicates an all- comprehensive category since all praiseworthy acts are God's سبحانه either by attribution waṣf or creation khalq. Praise belongs to Him because of the manifestation of His sovereign power and gratitude belongs to Him because of the abundance of His goodness. Praise belongs to God because of what He is due from His sublimity and His beauty and gratitude belongs to God because of the plentitude of His favors and the preciousness of His gifts. The praise for Him سبحانه which is from Him is from the attributes of His speech and word and the praise of Him which is from His creation is by virtue of His favors and His might. His sublimity and His beauty are His due because of the attributes of grandeur. They are His entitlement because of [His] qualities of exaltedness and loftiness. Eternal existence belongs to Him. Noble generosity belongs to Him. Unique permanence belongs to Him as do everlasting being eternal remaining endless splendor and perpetual praise. Hearing and seeing belong to Him as do divine decree and measure speech might and power mercy and generosity entity ʿayn and existence wujūd the beautiful face al-wajhu dhū l-jamāl and the sublime measure al-qadru dhū l-jalāl. He is the One most high. His grandeur is His garment His loftiness is His brilliance His magnificence is His exaltedness His being is His essence His eternity without beginning is His everlasting eternity His timelessness is His endless eternity His truth is His self and His permanence is His entity. His perpetuity is His remaining His decree is His measure His sublimity is His beauty His prohibition is His command His wrath is His mercy and His desire is His will. He is the King by His invincibility jabarūt and the One in His dominion malakūt. God the blessed and glorified! Glory be to Him how weighty is His affair! The Real سبحانه وتعالى knows the intensity of the spiritual desire irāda of His friends to praise and extol Him and their inability to perform the praise due to Him in accordance with His exaltedness and radiance.
