Subhan Allah: glory be to Allah

Subhan Allah is often the first thing a Muslim says when something amazes them. It is also one of the lightest and most rewarding ways to remember Allah (dhikr). In this lesson you will learn what it means, when people say it, and why it matters so much.

What it means

Subhan Allah is usually translated as "Glory be to Allah". At its heart, it declares that Allah is far above every flaw, weakness, and shortcoming. Scholars define it simply: "It is exalting Allah Almighty far above any imperfection."

So when you say it, you are saying: whatever I see and whatever happens, Allah Himself is perfect.

The Quran describes people who look at the sky and the earth, think deeply, and answer with this very praise:

Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.

Quran 3:191 (Saheeh International translation)

"Exalted are You" translates subhanaka, the same word, spoken directly to Allah.

When people say it

When something amazes you. The companion Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) once slipped away from the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, because he needed a full ritual bath (ghusl) and felt he should not sit with him before washing. When he came back and explained, the Prophet said:

Glory be to Allah! The believer never becomes impure.

Sahih al-Bukhari 283 and Sahih Muslim 371 (agreed upon)

Scholars note that this shows saying Subhan Allah when you are astonished is part of the Prophet's way (Sunnah).

When you see beauty in creation. A sky full of stars, a newborn baby, the sea at sunset. Many Muslims say Subhan Allah in moments like these, because the beauty points to the One who made it without any flaw, just as the verse above describes.

When going downhill. The companion Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

When we ascended (a high land), we used to say Takbīr, and when we descended, we used to say Tasbīh.

Sahih al-Bukhari 2993

Tasbih means saying Subhan Allah. Takbir means saying Allahu akbar, which you will meet in a later lesson.

A light word with a heavy reward

The Prophet said:

There are two words that are light on the tongue, heavy on the scale, and dear to the Most Merciful: subhān Allah al-‘azhīm (glory be to Allah, the Majestic), subhān Allah wa bihamdih (glory and praise be to Allah).

Sahih al-Bukhari 6406 and Sahih Muslim 2694 (agreed upon)

The scale is the scale of deeds on the Day of Judgment. Two short phrases, a few seconds each, weigh heavily there. The Prophet also said that every Subhan Allah is a charity (Sahih Muslim 1006), so each one counts, even if you only manage a few.

He also taught a short routine for after each obligatory prayer. He said that whoever does it will have his sins forgiven even if they are like the foam of the sea (Sahih Muslim 597):

Many people count on their fingers. If this feels like a lot right now, start with what you can. You will learn the other phrases in this list over the next two lessons.

Next, you will learn Alhamdulillah, the phrase of praise and thanks.