Arabic vocabulary
حمدpraise in Arabic
حمد is how you say “praise” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in a real example sentence from classical texts below.
Root ح م د (ḥ-m-d)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar of حَمِدَ)Pronounced ḥamd
Meaning of praise in Arabic
- praise, eulogy, commendation — speaking well of someone or mentioning them with approbation; the opposite of ذمّ (blame). Broader than مدح (praise), which is reserved for qualities within one's own choice.
- thanks, gratitude — close to شكر but wider in scope: شكر is offered only for a favour received, while ḥamd can be given for other qualities too (e.g. praising someone for their courage) and not only for benefit received
- recompense; giving someone his due — a less common sense of the verb حَمِدَهُ: to repay or requite a person
Most familiar in the phrase الحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ ("praise be to God"), the standard expression of praise and gratitude used even in hardship, since it implies magnifying the One praised and humility in the one praising rather than only thanks for a worldly benefit. Classical grammarians distinguish ḥamd from مدح (praise for a chosen quality, e.g. a pearl's clearness is مدح not ḥamd) and from شكر (thanks strictly for a favour received).
Words from the same root
- حَمِدَto praise, commend, speak well of (verb, form I)
- حَمَّدَto praise God repeatedly and intensively, with good forms of praise (verb, form II)
- تَحْمِيدٌthe repeated declaring of God's praises
- حَمِيدٌpraiseworthy, laudable; also used as a divine epithet
- مَحْمُودٌpraised, commended (passive participle)
- مُحَمَّدٌthe highly-praised one; the Prophet's name
- أَحْمَدُmore/most praiseworthy; another name of the Prophet
- مَحْمَدَةٌa praiseworthy quality; a quality for which one is praised
Common questions
- How do you say "praise" in Arabic?
- "Praise" is حَمْد (ḥamd), the verbal noun from the root ح م د (ḥ-m-d).
- What does الحمد لله mean?
- It means "praise be to God," the standard Arabic phrase of praise and gratitude, built on the noun حَمْد (ḥamd).
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
قالوا بلى يا رسول الله، قال تسبحون، وتحمدون، وتكبرون، خلف كل صلاة ثلاثًا وثلاثين
They said: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'You should glorify Allah, praise Him, and declare His greatness after every prayer thirty-three times.'
وَتَحْمَدُونَ — praise Him. This is 'and' plus a present verb 'praise [God] / say al-hamdu li-llah', sound masculine plural — 'and you praise'. The second of the three phrases to be said.
From: Praises That Elevate the Poor →
Related words
Learn Arabic vocabulary in context
OpenArabic teaches words like حمد through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
Get the app