Muslim Home School in America: Alhamdulillah, Praise and Thank to Allah.

"....And it will be judged between them in truth, and it will be

said: All praise to Allah, the Lord of the worlds"
(Qur'an surah al-Zumar 39:75)

"....If you be thankful, I will increase surely you (in bounty)....."
(Qur'an surah Ibrahim 14:7)
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Definition Alhamdulillah

Alhamdulillah (الحمد لله) is an Arabic phrase meaning "Praise to Allah" or "All praise belongs to Allah."
Al-Hamdu Lillah (all praise and thanks be to Allah) is: all thanks are due purely to Allah, alone, not any of the objects that are being worshipped instead of Him, nor any of His creation.
You can read The Meaning of Al-Hamd .
The phrase is first found in the first verse of the first surah of the Qur'an.

Al-Hamdu li –Llahi Rabbi l-‘Aalameen
‘Praise be to Allah’

Meaning, He is praised due to His quality of Deity and Lordship:
‘… Allah – The Lord of the Worlds.’

He is praised due to His quality of Mercy:
‘The Most Merciful – the Most Gracious.’

He is praised due to His quality of Sovereignty:
‘Sovereign of the Day of Judgement’
The letters Alif and Lam before the word Hamd serve to encompass all types of thanks and appreciation for Allah, the Exalted.
A Hadith stated, O Allah! All of Al-Hamd is due to You, You own all the ownership, all types of good are in Your Hand and all affairs belong to You.
(source Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Hafs mentioned that `Umar said to `Ali, "We know La ilaha illallah, Subhan Allah and Allahu Akbar. What about Al-Hamdu Lillah'' `Ali said, "A statement that Allah liked for Himself, was pleased with for Himself and He likes that it be repeated.'' Also, Ibn `Abbas said, "Al-Hamdu Lillah is the statement of appreciation. When the servant says Al-Hamdu Lillah, Allah says, `My servant has praised Me.'' Ibn Abi Hatim recorded this Hadith.
(source Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
Definition: A phrase that Muslims often use in conversation, meaning "Praise be to Allah."
In everyday speech it simply means "Thank to Allah!"

Pronunciation: al-ham-doo-li-lah

In What Situation We Should Say Alhamdulillah.

In Islam, Alhamdulillah is used in some of the following situations:

After sneezing.
Alhamdu lillahi
All thanks and praise be to Allah.
Waking up.
Alhamdulillah-hillathee ah-yana ba'da ma ama tana wa ilayhi nushoor.
Many thanks to Allah who has given us life after having giving us death (sleep) and that our final return (on the Day of Qiyaamah End of the world) is to Allah.
After eating or doing good deeds.
Response to "How are you?"
Keifik? or Keifilhal?
Alhamdu lillahi
Thanks to Allah, I am fine.
In general, every time a Muslim desires to praise Allah Almighty, he/she says
Alhamdulillah (الحمد لله).
The prophet Sallahu alayhi wa salam said: "I will teach you something.
After each prayer, say 33 times 'Subhanallah,' 33 times 'Alhamdulillah,' and 33 times 'Allahu akbar.' Almighty Allah will grant you ease."

The Benefit of Alhamdulillah

The Qur'an (2:155) says, "Give glad tidings to those who exercise patience when struck with adversity and say, 'Indeed, we belong to God and to Him is our return.' Such ones receive [the] blessings and mercy of their Lord, and such are the guided ones."

Saying "Alhamdulillah will make us calm for what we have done and for what we are faced with. It will also make us in good health.

When our kid is complaining something, we have to remind him/her to say "Alhamdulillah". The kid will calm down and understand that Allah loves and gives everthing best for him/her. And then we should teach the kid that we should look to others who do not have anything.

I remembered, my kids were complaining about buying new skateboard. I said to them we should use the one that we already had.
And I asked the kids to say "Alhamdulillah."
There're so many kids who do not have toys, they're using natural games that they had in their surrounding house. Some of them could not even think about what they are going to eat today.
Finally, my kids asked me to save their money.
Insha Allah, they will give the money for the needy.

You can read about "The virtue of Al-Hamd" is in here.

We should always remind the kids to say some phrases that the kids can remember Allah, such as following:

"Alhamdullilah" for what we have.
"Insha'Allah" for what we intend.
"Subhana' Allah" when we see something exciting or amazing.
"Jazakallah" for thanking to others.
"Astaghfir'Allah" when we lose our tempers or become weak.
and most importantly, "Allahu Akbar" when we are faced with the challenges of life.

These six phrases, said regularly, are like taking a multi-vitamin for holistic health.

How to Praise and Thank to Allah

To read about the difference between praise and thanks is in here.

Allah is praised and thank in four ways:

By acknowledging His right of Worship, Lordship, and His lofty Names and Attributes, as well as all the bounties He has bestowed us with.
By verbally thanking and praising Him. For example: al-Hamdulillah
By loving Him, longing to see Him, fearing His punishment and hoping for His reward.
By acting in accordance with His commands, only to seek His pleasure.

The best ways of showing gratitude to Allah is by placing all one has been given by Allah in His service, to fulfil his/her role as a true servant of Allah, such as following:

If you have been bestowed with wealth, you should thank Allah by spending it on the needy and Islamic projects
If you have been bestowed with strength, you should thank Allah by using it in your cause.
If you have been bestowed with knowledge, you should thank Allah by educating others with that knowledge.
If you ponder over this, it becomes clear that a Muslim’s entire life, is in fact an act of Hamd and Shukr to Allah.