Hamdan Kathiran Tayyiban Mubarakan Fihi: Meaning, Reward and When to Say It

Hamdan kathiran tayyiban mubarakan fihi: “praise that is abundant, good and blessed.” A man said these few words in prayer, and the Prophet ﷺ saw over thirty angels racing to write them down. The sentence is short, but it is powerful.

Hamdan kathiran tayyiban mubarakan fihi in Arabic, with meaning

This is the wording the man said in prayer, as reported in Sahih al-Bukhari:

Word by word:

1. Ḥamdan (حَمْدًا): praise.
2. Kathīran (كَثِيرًا): much, abundant.
3. Ṭayyiban (طَيِّبًا): good and pure.
4. Mubārakan fīh (مُبَارَكًا فِيهِ): blessed, full of blessing.

Put together: our Lord, all praise belongs to You, praise that is abundant, pure and full of blessing.

1. After rising from ruku‘ (Sahih al-Bukhari 799)

Rifa‘ah bin Rafi‘ az-Zuraqi (may Allah be pleased with him) describes a day when the companions were praying behind the Prophet ﷺ:

This is the best-known occasion. The man said it right after the imam’s “Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah,” as he stood up from ruku‘. Over thirty angels hurried to be the first to record it.

2. When joining the prayer (Sahih Muslim 600)

Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports a second occasion, with a slightly different opening, “Al-hamdu lillah”:

Notice how the people stayed silent at first, perhaps worried they had done something wrong. The Prophet ﷺ reassured them: “He said nothing wrong.” A latecomer, still catching his breath, said a few sincere words, and twelve angels raced to raise them.

3. The longer version, said after sneezing (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 404)

Rifa‘ah bin Rafi‘ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he himself sneezed in prayer and said a longer form:

Abu Dawud reports the same incident in Sunan Abi Dawud 773, graded Hasan by al-Albani. Here is the longer wording on its own:

Right after this hadith, at-Tirmidhi adds that some scholars understood it as being in a voluntary prayer, because several of the Tabi‘in said that someone who sneezes in an obligatory prayer praises Allah only within himself (our translation of his note in the Arabic on Sunnah.com). Scholars differ on details like this, so ask a qualified local scholar.

What it means: praise that fills the moment

Reflection: “Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah” means Allah hears the one who praises Him. In these hadith, a companion answered that moment with praise that was more than enough: abundant, pure and blessed. Twice the Prophet ﷺ had to ask who said it, and the man was slow to own up. He was not trying to be noticed, and that may be part of why it rose so high. The words are short. What made them heavy was the heart behind them.

You can listen to the recitation here to get the pronunciation right:

How to practise it

• Say it after “Rabbana wa lakal-hamd” when you rise from ruku‘. That is where the man said it in Bukhari 799.
• Learn the short version first. The hadith give no set number of times.
• When it comes easily, learn the longer wording from Tirmidhi 404: “…mubarakan ‘alaihi, kama yuhibbu Rabbuna wa yarda.”
• Questions like saying it aloud, or in an obligatory prayer after sneezing, are for a qualified local scholar.
• Outside salah, it is still a beautiful way to praise Allah. That is a suggestion, not something these hadith state.

It is easy to memorize and a beautiful sentence to add during our meeting with Allah. May Allah fill our books with good deeds.

Kathiran, kaseeran or katheeran? A note on spelling

You will see this phrase written many ways: kathiran, kaseeran, katheeran or kasiran; tayyiban or taiyiban; fihi, feeh or fih. They are all English spellings of the same Arabic words, such as كَثِيرًا. The words, the meaning and the reward are the same.

Questions people ask

Key lessons

• Over thirty angels raced to record these words (Sahih al-Bukhari 799).
• Twelve angels raced to raise them when a breathless latecomer said them (Sahih Muslim 600).
• A longer version adds “mubarakan ‘alaihi, kama yuhibbu Rabbuna wa yarda” (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 404).
• Short, sincere praise of Allah can carry great reward.

Part of our Salah and Dhikr series: see all our salah articles and dhikr articles in one place.

A few words, yet angels raced to write them down. By Allah’s grace, He opens many ways for us to add rewards to our book of deeds. So why not make it part of our salah, starting with the next one?

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