Understanding the vocabulary of salah

HADITH QUDSI

QASAMTU: means to divide something

SALAH TA BAYNI: between me

NISFAYN: double form of the word NISF (meaning half) especially when you use it in conjunction. It becomes a fraction. It means exactly half. The word NISF means half but ESPECIALLY when you use it in the context of dividing something. NISFAYN means TWO EQUAL halves.

Allah says I have divided the prayer into TWO EQUAL HALVES.
WALI ABDI MA SA AL: For my slave is that which he has asked for, meaning my slave will get what ever he has asked for. What is he asking for? – It will make sense at the end of Surah Fatiha
The Quran and Sunnah literature speaks to people according to the NATURE of people how people process information. It’s in the human element, it is more effective when you build something up and then give it versus just giving it.
Look at the entertainment industry. They study humans and craft their entertainment in such a way that is effective. They know who to get our attention and keep it. If you look at movie trailers it develops ANTICIPATION, the cliffhanger, the teaser, it is how we work and how we process information. Similarly Quran also plays on our human nature. It says “something important is coming” which makes us think “what is coming?”
Example ayah in Quran “Do you know what this major event will be?”

“How can You understand this major event!”…

Allah is addressing us, HE KNOWS how we process the information.
So Allah says, “I have divided the prayer into 2 equal halves” it makes you think “What half is Allah talking about? What will I receive?”
SO WHEN THE SLAVE SAYS ALHUMDU LILLAHI RABIL A LAMEEN What does this mean?
THE WORD ALHUMDU

ALHUMDU: this comes from the word HAMD which means PRAISE. It refers to a SPECIFIC type of praise. There are two words for praising someone or something- HAMD and MADH- They both have same letters shuffled around and this is no coincidence,

HAMD: Praising someone or something that is DESERVING OF THAT PRAISE. The praise is appropriate. What ever you are praising is deserving of that praise. It is its RIGHT to get praised.

MADH: You praise someone of something that is not deserving, you may be falsely praising them. For example, some poets would just keep praising kings mindlessly. Or you praise someone for something they didn’t do (for example you praise someone for being tall-they didn’t do anything to make themselves tall! They shouldn’t be praised for it)

ALHUMDU just doesn’t mean praise, it means PRAISE THAT ALLAH IS DESERVING OF!*