The Messenger of Allah — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — when he saw something he liked, he would say: “Praise be to Allah by Whose blessing good deeds are completed.”
And when he saw something he disliked, he would say: “Praise be to Allah in every circumstance.”
Narrated by Ibn Mājah (no. 3803), al-Ṭabarānī in al-Mu‘jam al-Awsaṭ (no. 6663), al-Ḥākim in al-Mustadrak (no. 1840), al-Bayhaqī in Shu‘ab al-Īmān (no. 4065), and Ibn al-Sunnī in ‘Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah (no. 378), from the narration of ʿĀʾishah — may Allah be pleased with her.
Authenticated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ (no. 4727) and Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah (no. 265).
Brief Explanation of the Hadith
It was from the guidance of the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — to constantly remember his Lord, submit to Him, and be content with His decree in both prosperity and adversity. Among that is what ʿĀ’ishah — may Allah be pleased with her — narrated: that when he saw something he liked, he would say: “All praise is due to Allah, by Whose blessing good deeds are perfected,” meaning: all righteous words and deeds, beneficial in this world and the Hereafter, are completed and perfected by Allah’s facilitation and granting of success. This is a praise of gratitude and acknowledgment of His favor.
So, when a Muslim attains that which pleases and delights him in matters of his religion or his worldly life, he praises Allah; for every righteous matter — whether word or deed — is only perfected by Allah’s grace and His granting of success. For He alone is the True Bestower and the One who grants every favor.
And if something he dislikes befalls him — in himself, his wealth, or his family — he says: ‘All praise is due to Allah in every circumstance’; for whatever Allah decrees may outwardly appear evil, yet in reality it contains a hidden benefit that the servant does not perceive. Indeed, Allah is All-Wise, All-Knowing, and He decrees nothing except that it holds good for His servants.
In this ḥadīth appears the perfection of the Prophet’s — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — etiquette with his Lord; for in the first case, he explicitly attributed the blessing to Allah’s bounty, saying: ‘All praise is due to Allah by whose favor righteous deeds are completed.’ But when he saw what he disliked, he said: ‘All praise is due to Allah in every circumstance’ — without explicitly attributing the disliked matter to Allah, as he explicitly attributed the blessing to Him, even though all is by His decree and predestination. This is from the perfection of his etiquette with Allah, exalted and sublime.