الحميد
al-Ḥamīd
Topic
A divine name meaning He Who is worthy of being the object of al-ḥamd, praise.
What it means
Al-Ḥamīd is one of the ninety-nine names of God. It marks a Being who deserves praise for what He is, whether or not anyone praises Him. The Quran says: “God is Self-Sufficient and Praiseworthy” (14:8), and in another place “He is the Praiseworthy, the Glorious” (11:73). The form names the one who is the object of ḥamd. The name is often paired with al-Majīd, the Glorious, in the Quran.
The name shows that praise is due to God from His own perfection and not from any need, for He is “Self-Sufficient” in every case. The believer’s ḥamd answers this worthiness. In the blessing on the Prophet that Muslims say in the final sitting of the prayer, the words close with innaka ḥamīdun majīd, “You are Praiseworthy and Glorious”. The name differs from the participle ḥāmid, “one who praises”, which Faruqi’s transliteration shows, but his definition fits al-Ḥamīd.
Often misunderstood as
Confused with the active form ḥāmid, the one who praises; the divine name denotes the One Who is worthy of praise.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 30, listed as AL ḤĀMID. The definition is restated here.