Every meal we finish is a quiet sign of Allah's mercy — food that we did not create, served on a table we did not always earn. The Prophet ﷺ taught us to seal that gratitude with words. There is a short dua most Muslims grow up with, and a longer one with a remarkable promise of forgiveness for whoever recites it.
The short dua after eating
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنِي هَذَا وَرَزَقَنِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلَا قُوَّةٍ
Alhamdu lillahi alladhi at'amani hadha wa razaqanihi min ghayri hawlin minni wa la quwwah.
All praise is for Allah who fed me this and provided it for me, without any might or power on my part.
(Sunan Abi Dawud 4023, Jami at-Tirmidhi 3458 — narrated by Mu'adh ibn Anas (RA))
The promise attached to it
Whoever eats food and then says: 'All praise is for Allah who fed me this and provided it for me, without any might or power on my part' — his past sins will be forgiven.
The shorter, everyday version
Many Muslims simply say one word: Alhamdulillah. This too is from the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah is pleased with His servant who eats a meal and then praises Him for it, and who drinks a drink and then praises Him for it (Sahih Muslim 2734).
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
Alhamdulillah.
All praise is for Allah.
(Sahih Muslim 2734)
Why this matters
Saying Alhamdulillah after a meal trains the heart to notice the small mercies that fill our day. The dua reminds us that the food in front of us did not arrive by our 'might or power' — the soil, the rain, the farmers, the supply chains, the appetite to enjoy it: every link belongs to Allah.
Hadith reference
The longer dua with the promise of forgiveness is reported by Mu'adh ibn Anas (RA) and recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud (4023) and Jami at-Tirmidhi (3458) — graded Hasan (sound). The shorter Alhamdulillah is from Sahih Muslim (2734).