[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds -
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
ٱلْحَمْدُ
([All] praise…)
Root حمد — to praise, commendation, gratitude · 63 times in the Quran
ٱلْحَمْدُword 1
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe prefix ٱلْ at the front of a noun (a naming word) means 'the' — it points to one specific, complete, known thing. Here it marks not just any praise but the praise itself, whole and entire. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ال ('the') is a noun — a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. حَمْدُ carries that prefix and names an idea: praise, from the root حمد — to praise, carrying the ideas of commendation and gratitude. L1 · R1
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes when it is the subject or main topic of its sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl written above the final letter. ٱلْحَمْدُ carries that ḍammah ـُ because 'praise' is what this whole statement is about: praise — is for Allah. L2 · R10
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the noun — the naming word — a sentence opens by talking about: its topic. It must typically be definite and stands in the nominative, marked by a ḍammah ـُ (a small curl written above the final letter) — and ٱلْحَمْدُ shows both signs: the definite prefix ٱلْ ('the') at its front and that ḍammah ـُ on its last letter. The rest of the sentence then tells us something about this topic: the praise — is for Allah. L6 · R2
The letters Alif and Lām before Ḥamd serve to encompass all types of thanks and appreciation for Allah — a statement Allah liked for Himself and loves to have repeated.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 1:2
لِلَّهِ
(…is [due] to Allāh,)
Root اله — god · 2,851 times in the Quran
لِلَّهِword 2
Preposition · حرف جرThe prefix لِ is a preposition — a little helper word, here meaning 'to' or 'for', that relates one thing to another. It assigns the praise to its owner: the praise is for Allah. L4 · R2
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea — and this includes proper names. لَّهِ here is the proper name of Allah, the One to whom the praise belongs. L1 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes after a preposition — a little word like 'to' or 'in' — and it is marked by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter. Because the name of Allah stands right after the preposition لِ ('to/for'), it ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ: لِلَّهِ. L2 · R12
All thanks are due purely to Allah — alone, not any of the objects worshipped instead of Him, nor any of His creation — for His innumerable favors and bounties, whose full amount only He knows.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 1:2
So far: “[All] praise is [due] to Allāh,”
رَبِّ
(…Lord…)
Root ربب — Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher, Regulator, Perfector · 980 times in the Quran
رَبِّword 3
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. رَبِّ names a being — the Lord — from the root ربب, whose related meanings include Lord, Sustainer, Nourisher, the One who regulates and perfects. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرEvery Arabic noun — every naming word — is treated as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word has no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it is the default: a masculine noun, treated as 'he'. L2 · R3
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is a noun ending shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the final letter — and رَبِّ ends with exactly that mark. It carries the same ending as ٱللَّهِ ('to Allah'), the word it renames, which stands in the genitive after the little word لِ ('to/for'). L2 · R12
Apposition (Badal) · بدلAn apposition is a second noun (naming word) that renames the noun before it to make it clearer, and it matches that noun in its case ending. رَبِّ ('Lord') renames ٱللَّهِ — praise is for Allah, that is, the Lord — and so it wears the same genitive kasrah ـِ (a small slanted stroke below the letter). L7 · R4
Ar-Rabb is the owner with full authority over his property — the master, the one with authority to lead. Used alone, the word Rabb is only for Allah, and it was reported that Ar-Rabb is Allah's Greatest Name.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 1:2
ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
(…of the worlds -)
Root علم — to know, knowledge · 854 times in the Quran
ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَword 4
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe prefix ٱلْ at the front of a noun (a naming word) means 'the' — one specific, known one. Here it marks the worlds as the known, complete whole: all the worlds, all that exists. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA word that accepts the prefix ال ('the') is a noun — a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. This word carries that prefix and names the created realms: the worlds. L1 · R1
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة, so it takes the default and is a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more of something. One regular plural, the 'sound' masculine plural, announces itself with the ending ـِينَ — and عَٰلَمِينَ closes with exactly ـِينَ: not one world, but all the worlds together. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes as the owner in an 'of' phrase, and on most nouns it appears as a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the letter. A plural ending in ـِينَ keeps that same ـِينَ for the genitive instead of switching to a kasrah — so ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ wears its genitive inside its plural ending, as the owner in 'Lord of the worlds'. L2 · R7
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهArabic says 'of' by chaining two nouns — two naming words — directly together: رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ reads 'Lord — of the worlds'. The second word of the chain, the owner, always stands in the genitive (the after-'of' ending) and is typically definite — and this one carries the definite prefix ٱلْ ('the'). L5 · R5
Al-ʿĀlamīn is the plural of ʿālam — everything in existence except Allah, the different creations in the heavens and the earth, every generation of creation; ʿālam is related to ʿalāmah, 'sign', for every created thing is a sign testifying to its Creator and His Oneness.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 1:2
So far: “[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds -”