Sigh al-Hamd
- Author died
- 751 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-ʿĀṣimah
Sigh al-Hamd (Arabic: صيغ الحمد, lit. 'Formulas of Praise'), also known as Futya fi Sighat al-Hamd (فتيا في صيغة الحمد), is a short treatise and legal-theological verdict (fatwa) by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (691–751 AH / 1292–1350 CE) analyzing the validity, transmission, and theological implications of specific formulas used to praise God .
Background and Topic
The treatise was written in response to a query concerning the supplication formula: "Praise be to God, a praise that meets His blessings and matches His abundance" ( الحمد لله حمدًا يوافي نعمه ويكافئ مزيده ) . A group of scholars, particularly among later Shafi'i jurists, held that if an individual swore an oath to praise God using the most comprehensive or supreme forms of praise, the oath would be fulfilled by uttering this specific wording . Proponents relied on an account attributed to Abu Nasr al-Tammar narrating that Adam asked God to teach him the comprehensive formulas of praise and glorification, whereupon God instructed him to recite this phrase three times in the morning and three times in the evening .
Contents and Arguments
Ibn al-Qayyim rejected the claim that this phrase constitutes the most complete form of praise, refuting it on both textual (riwayah) and rational (dirayah) grounds :
- Hadith Transmission (Riwayah): Ibn al-Qayyim argued that the report is absent from both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, does not appear in standard Sunan or Musnad compendia, and possesses no recognized chain of transmission (isnad) . He highlighted that Abu Nasr al-Tammar lived generations after Adam, rendering the chain severely broken (munqati'); he noted that even if Abu Nasr had attributed the statement directly to the Prophet Muhammad, it would be unacceptable due to the gap, making an attribution directly to Adam even less tenable .
- Survey of Canonical Formulas: He demonstrated that no angels, prophets, or companions used this phrase . He assembled the authentic Quranic praises and prophetic invocations prescribed across various occasions—such as sermons, inaugurating matters, after meals, when donning clothes, upon leaving the lavatory, and when encountering pleasing or displeasing events—arguing that had this unverified formula been the most comprehensive, it would have been prioritized in revelation and prophetic practice .
- Theological Meaning (Dirayah): Ibn al-Qayyim critiqued the phrase's theological premise, stating that no servant's praise could ever fully correspond to (yuwafi) or equal (yukafi') God's boundless divine grace and blessings . He cited earlier scholars, such as Bakr ibn 'Abd Allah al-Muzani, who observed that the very ability of a servant to utter praise is itself a new blessing requiring further gratitude .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript witnesses of the text originally circulated untitled, as was customary for legal responses . Surviving copies include a manuscript fragment in Leiden (photographed at the King Faisal Center) and a complete copy at the Saudi Library in Riyadh .
The text has been published under several titles:
- Matali' al-Sa'd bi-Kashf Mawaqi' al-Hamd, edited by Fahd ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-'Askar (Riyadh: Dar Ibn Khuzaymah, 1414 AH / 1993 CE) .
- Jawab fi Sighat al-Hamd, edited by Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Sa'ran (Riyadh: Dar al-'Asimah, 1415 AH / 1994 CE) .
- Futya fi Sighat al-Hamd, edited by 'Abd Allah ibn Salim al-Batati under the supervision of Bakr Abu Zayd (Mecca: Dar 'Alam al-Fawa'id, 1425 AH) .
Answer updated