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Which has more reward: saying "Alhamdulillah" or saying "La ilaha illa Allah"? And what are the scholars' sayings regarding that?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed regarding the preference between "Lā ilāha illā Allāh" (There is no god but Allah) and "Alḥamdulillāh" (Praise be to Allah). Some have favored the word of Tawhid (Oneness of God), based on hadiths such as "The best remembrance is 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh'." Others, however, preferred "Alḥamdulillāh" due to its meaning of gratitude and praise, and because it is the invocation of the people of Paradise.

Some scholars have reconciled the seemingly contradictory hadiths by stating that when these forms of remembrance are declared superior, it is meant when they are combined with others, or that merely reciting some of them is sufficient because their essence is glorification and transcendence.

It is also possible that "Lā ilāha illā Allāh" is superior because its superiority is explicitly stated, while it is mentioned as being beloved alongside others. And Allah knows best.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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