Hamd

A hamd (Arabic: حمد‎‎), "Praise" in English, is a word that is usually written in Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, or Urdu and means a poetic piece in praise of God. The word "Hamd" comes from the Qur'an. Hamds are recited all over the Muslim world, from Indonesia to Morocco. A Qawwali performance usually includes at least one Hamd, which is traditionally the first song in the performance.

In the five pillars of Islam, the concept of Hamd is in each pillar to emphasize the importance of this word. In the first pillar Shahada, Muslims praise Allah for the blessings of being born Muslim and the belief in one god and his prophet. They also praise Him for giving them better health and wealth than those who suffer. The second pillar is Salat which is performing prayer, Muslims pray five times a day in order to keep remembering Allah and this allows a direct link between the worshipper and God. In each prayer Muslims recite Surah (passage), Al-Fatiha and choose the next surah they would like to recite, but Al-Fatiha must always be recited in order for prayers to be accepted. The third pillar is giving Zakat which is the act of giving a percentage of a Muslim's income to certain classes of needy people; this allows Muslims to remember the poor and to never forget that everything belongs to Allah. Therefore they should be thankful for what they have at all times. Fasting is the fourth pillar, and this emphasizes the depth meaning of Hamd in the holy month of Ramadan. Muslims fast every year for a month from sunrise to sunset. This allows to purify the soul and gain true sympathy with the hungry in addition to remind them of their blessings and amounts of food they have. The fifth pillar is Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, the concept of Hamd is implemented in the action of Muslims visiting the Kaabah or House of God. In all five pillars in Islam, Hamd is used either by action or words. In all aspects of Islam, Hamd is used and can only be used for Allah alone. Hamd is the root word for AlHamdAllah which means praise to Allah. When a Muslim thanks or praises Allah for his favours and bounties it can be done by reciting the word or by act of prayer.

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