A Timeless Beginning
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
All praise is for Allah [alone], Lord of [all] the worlds.
Sūrah al-Fātiḥah 1:1
In the Arabic language, a compelling sentence begins with a verb. So why does Allah begin the Quran with the noun “all praise” (al-ḥamdu) instead of its verb equivalent “we praise” (naḥmadu)? This divine secret is twofold. First, unlike a verb, a noun is not limited to time or other temporal measures, which means it is limited to neither the past, present, nor future. As such, and most fittingly, al-ḥamdu places the praise of Allah beyond time. Allah was always praiseworthy in the past, He is always praiseworthy in the present, and He will always be praise- worthy in the future. Second, unlike a noun, a verb is burdened by a grammatical dependency upon someone carrying out the action. However, Allah is never in need of anyone’s praise. Regardless of our profuse praise or lack thereof, He remains unconditionally praised.
The praise of Allah is beyond the limitations of time. Allah is never in need of anyone to praise Him. He is forever, unconditionally praised.