Al-Jathiyah · Makki · ayah 36 of 37

Al-Jathiyah 45:36

فَلِلَّهِ ٱلْحَمْدُ رَبِّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَرَبِّ ٱلْأَرْضِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

“Then, to Allāh belongs [all] praise - Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds.”

Saheeh International

Essence

After every sign, warning and verdict in this surah, one word gathers it all up: so praise belongs to Allah, Lord of everything.

A reflection

The applause was never ours

The ayah begins with a small but heavy letter: fa, 'so'. One classical commentator explains what it gathers up. Everything the surah has contained. Allah's favours and gifts, the signs in the horizons and in the self, the proofs about the beginning and the return. So praise belongs to Allah. He adds a striking line. Their disbelief does not affect His lordship in the least, nor block the way of His kindness and mercy. Who, he asks, can block the path of a pouring rain-cloud?

And al-ḥamd, with the definite article, he explains, means all praise, or praise as such, belongs to Him alone.

Picture a concert hall at the end of a performance. The audience is on its feet. The soloist steps forward and bows, again and again, soaking in the applause. Then, slowly, he turns and gestures to the orchestra behind him, to the conductor, to the empty chair where the composer would sit. Without them there would have been nothing to applaud.

The ego is always stepping forward to take the bow. My success, my talent, my achievement. This ayah gestures to where all of it came from. Every good thing anyone has ever praised, a sunrise, a kind act, a brilliant mind, a healthy child, traces back to one Source. So the praise is His.

That is not a demand made by a vain ruler. He is free of need of all the worlds (29:6). One concise commentary says simply: the praise is His for His countless favours. The ayah tells the truth about where the applause belongs, and there is relief in that. You no longer have to collect it all for yourself.

Next time someone praises you, say quietly to yourself: al-ḥamdu li-llāh. Pass the applause to its Owner.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.