Alhamdulillah: The shortest & best dua to thank Allah

You have probably been wondering what to say to express your gratitude to Allah for a blessing as many Muslims are unaware of what specific dua in Arabic they should say to thank God. 

The dua we will have a look at now is short, concise and the best of all... It is actually taught by Allah himself in the Quran. So what can be better than the words God Himself chooses for us to thank Him? 

Here's the Arabic text, along with English translation and transliteration, so you can use the concise prayer to express shukr in its original language but while also understanding the meaning.

Saying Alhamdulillah is the shortest yet most comprehensive way to thank Allah for His blessings upon us. The dua is mentioned in the Arabic text with English translation and transliteration

Allah Himself recommends this dua

What dua can be better than the dua that is directly taught and recommended by God? So we must use these God's chosen words to give thanks to Him for whatever we feel gratitude for. 

In the Quran, Allah is instructing Prophet Noah AS and his companions to say "Alhamdulillah" to thank God for saving them from evil people. 

فَإِذَا اسْتَوَيْتَ أَنْتَ وَمَنْ مَعَكَ عَلَى الْفُلْكِ فَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ 

الَّذِي نَجَّانَا مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

Translation 

"And when you have boarded the ship, you and those with you, then say, praise be to Allah (Alhamdulillah), Who has saved us from the wrongdoing people.'"

Hadith

According to a Hadith of Prophet Mohammad Peace Be Upon Him, Alhamdulillah is the best prayer. And when it comes to praising God for His favors upon us, we must recite it. 

"The best supplication is Alhamdulillah (all praise is due to Allah)" narrated Jabir bin Abdulllah (ra).

Related: 4 powerful duas to make you a thankful person

How to say it properly 

Do not just say it verbally, without any real feelings. Take a moment to think why you are saying it. Most of the times, we get attached to the words due to excessive use that we don't even remember why we are supposed to say it.

When saying "Alhamdulillah, create real feelings of thankfulness and let Allah know that you are really grateful for His favor. To create powerful feelings of gratitude, think about the benefits and relief from that particular blessing. Think about why Allah deserves thanks for the blessing. Also think that you are not entitled to the blessing and you don't take it for granted.

With practice you will develop the habit of saying this supplication in a way that actually generates real feelings of shukr and attracts God's mercy.