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al-ḥamdu li-llāhi lladhī lahū mā fī s-samāwāti wa-mā fī l-ʾarḍi wa-lahu l-ḥamdu fī l-ʾākhirati wa-huwa l-ḥakīmu l-khabīru
All praise belongs to Allah to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. To Him belongs all praise in the Hereafter, and He is the All-wise, the All-aware.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah As-Saba- Verse 1
1. “(All) praise is (only) Allah’s, to Whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and to Him belongs also (all) praise in the Hereafter, and He is the Wise, the Aware.”
We must learn from Allah how to praise Him. The praises must be for His perfection, power, ownership, awareness, and wisdom. Among the Suras, of the Qur’an, there are five suras which have been begun with the Praise of Allah in three of which the praise of Allah is for the sake of the creation of the heaven and the earth and other creatures. In one Surah1 this praise is for the sake of the descent of the Qur’an on the pure heart of the holy Prophet (S). And, in another Surah, Al-Hamd, there is a conclusive meaning which envelops all these affairs.
It says:
However, Surah Saba begins with the praise of Allah for His Ownership, and Wisdom in both this world and Hereafter. It says:
Thus the sovereignty and ownership of both worlds belong to Him. Every bounty, every merit, every benefit and blessing, and every wonderful elegant, and well-proportioned creation, all belong to His Pure Essence, and it is for this reason that ‘the Praise’, the reality of which is a praise for ‘the optional good deeds’ returns to Him. And if some creatures are also eligible of praise, they are a ray of His Essence and a shade of His deeds and attributes, too.
Therefore, when anybody in this world praises something, this praise finally returns to His Pure Essence. At the end of the verse, the Holy Qur’an adds:
It is because of His vast wisdom that this surprising system governs over the world, and it is because of His Knowledge and awareness that everything has been located in its own place, and whatever thing a being needs, it is available for it (him). The commentators have discussed very much about the objective meaning of:
Some of them have said that although there is no duty for people in the Hereafter, the servants of Allah will eagerly praise Him there and glorify Him, and they will take pleasure by praising Him. Some others have said: the people of Paradise will praise Him for His grace, while the people of Hell will do it for His justice. Sometimes it is said: the people who are in this world, because of the various curtains over their hearts and thoughts, mostly have not a sincere praise, but in Hereafter, where the curtains are removed and according to the sentence:
and everything will be made manifest for everybody, all of them will begin praising Him with a perfect sincere intention. Also in this world human beings may become neglectful and, imagining some beings as independent of the Essence of Allah, praise them. But in Hereafter, where the relation of all to His Pure Essence is like the rays of sunshine to the sun and it will be made manifest, no one will praise aught but Him. Moreover, the holy Qur’an has repeatedly said that the people of Paradise will praise Him there.
For example:
“…and the close of their cry (will be): ‘(All) praise is (only) Allah’s, the Lord of the Worlds’.” 2
In another occurrence, upon the time when the believers enter the eternal gardens of Paradise, it says:
This praise is expressed not only by the tongues of human beings and angels, but also it can be heard from all the particles of the world of existence, and there is no being but praises and glorifies Him.
Footnotes