Hamd

HAMD

ROOT= HA-MEEM-DAL 

A deep, intense feeling of appreciation which comes out from one's heart spontaneously after seeing an exceptionally beautiful and unique thing; the expression of such a feeling is Hamd. The intention or the object is to acknowledge the greatness of its creator. There are, however, certain requirements or conditions imperative for the object which is being appreciated.

The thing which is being appreciated must be perceptible. Anything which cannot be seen or felt cannot be appreciated by our senses or feelings, e.g., an artist cannot be appreciated

without seeing his painting. Conversely speaking, the Quran says, "These people expect that they should be appreciated for what they have not done." (3/187)

The thing which is being appreciated should be the product of a deliberate, conscious act. Anything which just happens on its own or by chance is not worthy of Hamd. For instance, the Arabs did not use the word Hamd while appreciating a person who was born beautiful; for this they used "Madah." If a machine is producing beautiful articles, the machine is not worthy of Hamd, but of Madah. Similar is the case of a dancing peacock. The peacock deserves appreciation but Hamd is due only to his creator - Allah.

The person who is appreciating it, should be doing so on his own, voluntarily and not under any compulsion or pretension, not hypocritically or to please someone; the feelings of appreciation should come forth abruptly, instantly and spontaneously.

The person who is appreciating a thing must have definite knowledge about it. Appreciation cannot be expressed on the basis of knowledge which is vague, hearsay or even slightly doubtful - it cannot come out of blind faith, deception or whimsical feelings. Its source is definite and complete faith. Madah can be used for imaginary things but not Hamd.

Things which are being appreciated because of their rare beauty, complete harmony and exceptional attraction, must have attained absolute perfection. They must be beneficial for humanity and their benefits should be tangible (Taj). A piece of art which is not complete or not beneficial to mankind does not deserve Hamd.

So Hamd is the expression of such feelings with the requirements and conditions mentioned above. Even if one element is missing, it would not deserve Hamd but Madah. The Quran has used the word Hamd while appreciating all the Attributes or Creative Works of Allah; not even once the word Madah is used (13/13, 13/18, 17/44, 6/45, 64/1). The entire authority and appreciation is for Him. In order to appreciate all that is created by Allah, man was given the knowledge about them (2/31). This enables him to explore them further by doing research, and at the same time keep himself and his feelings under the guidance of Wahi. This enables him to reach the most exalted position, Maqam-e-Mahmood (17/79), without duress or any fear. It is a position worth all the praise and appreciation, something that Rasool-Allah (peace be upon him) attained and became "Ahmad" and "Muhammad" (48/29), i.e., one who is worthy of constant and continuous praise and appreciation (Taj). According to Kit'ab-ul-Ishtiq'aq, "Mahmood" is one who is praised once and Rasool-Allah is the one who possesses immense qualities worth praising and is, therefore, praised again and again for one quality or the other.

Now consider the opening verse of the Holy Quran (1/1) and ponder over how beautifully He has summed up the great reality. It says "Al Hamd-o-lillah e-Rabbil 'Al'ameen," meaning: "Everything in the entire universe is a living proof of the amazing system that provides it nourishment, thus enabling it to actualise its potentialities." It is, therefore, evident that this Hamd does not come as a faith but is an expression of appreciation. It is only after deep reflection and extensive research that one can proclaim Al-Hamd-o-lillah; how can, therefore, a person or a community which does not ponder over or unveil the masterpieces of its Creator, appreciate, or say Al-Hamd-o-lillah? How can these people put into actual practice or utilize these things, and how would they be considered deserving to enjoy the result or the fruits of such a system? Allah has given a practical program to enforce His system, which once put into practice would produce such unparalleled, exceptionally praiseworthy, and everlasting results that the whole world, after seeing them, proclaim, "Allah Who has given these Laws, really deserves all the praise and appreciation." (1/1)