Alhumdulilāh is a statement to show gratitude and is the most superior way to thank Allah. It means, “All praise and thanks are due to Allah“. There are number of aḥādith that show us the great virtue of expressing Alhumdulilāh:
Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
Indeed Allah is pleased at His servant when he eats some food and praises Him for it or when he drinks a drink and praises Him for it. 1
Prophet ﷺ said,
Allah does not grant a servant a favor for which he says Alhumdulilāh except that which he offered [of praising] is better and more virtuous than what he took [of the favor]. 2
Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
Purity is half of faith. [the statement] Alhumdulilāh fills the scales and [the statement] SubhanAllah wal-l-Humdulilah fills what is between the heaven and the earth. 3
Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
The most excellent dhikr is [the statement] Lā ‘ilāha ‘illā-llāh and the most excellent supplication (dua) is [the statement] Alhumdulilāh.4
Aswad bin Sari’ رضي الله عنه said,
I asked Messenger of Allah ﷺ, “Should I not recite to you words of praise that I praised my Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, with?” He replied, “Of course! Indeed your Lord loves praise.” 5
Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
The most beloved statements to Allah are four: SubhānAllāh, Alhumdulilāh, Lā ‘ilāha ‘illā-llāh, Allāhu Akbar. 6
Taken from Abu Rumaysah’s The Spiritual Cure : An Explanation of Surat Al Fatiha (2006), (pg. 76-80). UK: Al-Hidaayah Publishing.