Commentary

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَ‌بِّ ٱلْعـٰلَمِينَ

All praise be to Allah, the Rabb of the worlds

The Surah begins with the words ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ (All Praise be to Allah), signifying that all praise essentially belongs to Allah Ta’ala alone. Whosoever praises anything anywhere in the world is ultimately praising the creator of all things, Allah Ta’ala. The world contains millions of things which draw man's attention towards its beauty and splendour, but if one tries to look beyond the veil in order to see who is controlling everything and who is allowing the magnificent universe to function in such harmony, one will certainly reach the conclusion that it is none other than Allah Ta’ala alone. In essence each and every creation in its beauty is the manifestation of the grandeur of the Almighty Allah Ta’ala.

Once man has realized that there is only one being in the whole universe who is worthy of all praise, then he ought to understand that this great being alone should be worthy of worship. Thus we see that although the phrase ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ (All Praise be to Allah) has been used to signify praise, yet, by implication, it cuts the very root of shrirk (polytheism) or the worship of all created entities and at the same time establishes the belief of tawheed (bringing faith in the oneness of Allah Ta’ala). Hence we understand that the very first verse of the Holy Quraan establishes the foundational principle of the Islam (i.e. Tawheed – the oneness of Allah Ta’ala).

‌رَ‌بِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ - (The Rabb of the worlds)

The word رَب signifies the being who nurtures every creation and takes them from different levels of development gradually from the beginning to the end. He takes special care of them in gradual stages in a manner which is conducive to its nature till it attains perfection. Hence we understand that this attribute is exclusive to the sacred being of Allah Ta’ala and nobody else shares in it.

عـٰلَمِينَ refers to the worlds or the different planets that Allah Ta’ala has created. One world is the world that we are presently living in. This world is visible to man. However there are many other worlds or planets which are created by Allah Ta’ala which are not visible to man.

Then عـٰلَمِينَ can also refer to the different species of creation like the human kingdom, the animal kingdom, the kingdom of the jinaat and the kingdom of the Malaaikah, etc. These creations are at times referred to as the different worlds (the world of man, the world of jinn, the animal world, etc). Hence when Allah Ta’ala says ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَ‌بِّ ٱلْعـٰلَمِينَ (All Praise be to Allah, the Rabb of the worlds) it means all praise for that being who has given existence to every creation, nurtures them and takes care of them in the world they live in.