Hamdala

The Hamdala ( Arabic حمدلة, DMG ḥamdala ) or Hamdullah is the Arabic formula al-Hamdu li-Llāh (الحمد لله / al-ḥamdu li-Llāh  / 'Praise be to God, thank God'), which appears in the second verse of the first sura al-Fātiha of the Quran and plays an important role in the everyday life of Muslims. It roughly corresponds to the Hebrew formula Halelu Yah .

Muslims and Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians weave the phrase into everyday language so often that the phrase hamdala  /حمدل / 'Al-Hamdu-li-'llah-say' developed. The three-consonant root HMD (ح م د), which means “praise”, can also be found in the names Muhammad , Mahmud , Hamid and Ahmad .

use

In Arabic one uses al-Hamdu li-Llāh z. B. for the following situations:

After the sneeze: al-Hamdu li-Llāh . “My praise and adoration of the Lord” or “Thank God”. (Compare also the article sneezing for proverbs in other cultures)

In response to “How are you?”: Al-Hamdu li-Llāh : In any case, even if things are not going well, always first of all: “Thank God (I'm fine)!"

After the meal: Just as one should begin the meal with the Basmala , one should also end it with al-Hamdu li-Llāh (norm under Islamic law [mašrūʿ], but not an obligation [wāǧib]).

See also

• List of Islamic terms in Arabic
• Inshallah
• Allahu akbar

literature

• DB Macdonald: Article “Ḥamdala” in The Encyclopaedia of Islam. New Edition . Volume III, pp. 122b-123a.