سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ
subḥān Allāh
'Glory be to God', or more literally, 'God is far above' any flaw or limit we could imagine.
The Milky Way on a clear night. A murmuration of starlings turning like smoke. A newborn's fingernails. Many Muslims say, almost without thinking: subḥān Allāh.
The Qur'an says that everything is already saying it. The stars, the birds and the earth 'glorify Him', it says, 'but you do not understand their glorification'. When people say subḥān Allāh, they are joining in.
In scripture
In the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition
“Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory.”Isaiah 6:3, JPS 1917Jews say these words standing, in the Kedushah of the daily prayers.
In the New Testament and Christian tradition
“Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will towards men.”Luke 2:14, WEBChristians sing 'Holy, holy, holy' at the Eucharist and say the Gloria Patri: 'Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit'.
In the Qur'an
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتُ ٱلسَّبْعُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ ۚ وَإِن مِّن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِۦ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ
“The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein praise Him, and there is not a thing but hymneth His praise; but ye understand not their praise. Lo! He is ever Clement, Forgiving.”Qur'an 17:44, Pickthall (1930)In the Qur'an
“And (mention) Dhu'n-Nun, when he went off in anger and deemed that We had no power over him, but he cried out in the darkness, saying: There is no God save Thee. Be Thou Glorified! Lo! I have been a wrong-doer.”Qur'an 21:87, Pickthall (1930)In the sayings of the Prophet (hadith)
“Two phrases are light on the tongue, heavy in the balance and loved by the Most Merciful: subḥān Allāh wa bi-ḥamdihi, and subḥān Allāh al-ʿAẓīm.”Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6406In the sayings of the Prophet (hadith)
“Whoever glorifies God thirty-three times after every prayer, praises Him thirty-three times and declares His greatness thirty-three times, and completes the hundred with 'there is no god but God'…”Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 597How people use it
In wonder: at a view, a fact about the universe, a beautiful voice.
In counting prayers. After each prayer many Muslims say subḥān Allāh thirty-three times, often on their fingers or on prayer beads, followed by alḥamdu lillāh and Allāhu akbar.
In surprise or dismay: 'Subḥān Allāh, how did that happen?' Here it means, roughly, 'God is above all this'.
Christians and Jews have their own words for the same moment: 'Glory to God', 'Holy, holy, holy', 'Baruch HaShem'.
What neighbours say, with glosses. Jews say Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, ‘Holy, holy, holy’, standing in the Kedushah, and Baruch HaShem, ‘blessed be the Name’. Christians sing the Sanctus, ‘Holy, holy, holy Lord’, and say the Gloria Patri, ‘Glory be to the Father’. Sikhs say Waheguru, which itself means ‘Wondrous Lord’: a word of wonder that is also God’s name. Hindus may chant God’s names in kirtan, as in the Hare Krishna mantra, or simply breathe ‘Hey Ram’. Non-religious people say ‘wow’, or nothing at all, and the silence can be just as full.
How it is misheard
Because it can express shock as well as wonder, it is sometimes used in a way that sounds sarcastic. Most of the time it is sincere.
It is also sometimes heard as just a filler word. For those who say it carefully, it is a short prayer: a reminder that God is greater than our ideas of Him.
Say it
SUB-haa-nal-LAAH
The 'ḥ' is a breathy 'h' from the throat, as if fogging glasses. Subḥān sounds like 'soob-HAAN'; the words run together.
A moment to reflect
- When did something last stop you in your tracks? What did you say?
- If a tree or a bird could praise, what do you imagine it would say?
- Is wonder a feeling, a thought, or a kind of prayer?
Do it together
Go outside at dusk and watch the first stars or birds going to roost. Stay quiet for three minutes. Afterwards, share one word each for what you felt, in any language.
Bring examples of prayer beads from different traditions: misbaḥa, rosary, Orthodox prayer rope. Ask people to explain what they say on each bead and why counting helps them pray.
Go together to Choral Evensong at a cathedral, where every psalm ends with the Gloria Patri. Count how many times you hear ‘glory’, and talk afterwards about the moment that moved you most.
Go deeper
- Isaiah 6, ‘Holy, holy, holy’ (Sefaria) · scripture
- Luke 2 (Bible Gateway, WEB) · scripture
- Guru Granth Sahib, ang 1, the Mool Mantar (SikhiToTheMax) · scripture
Sources (5)
- Qur'an 17:44, 21:87: Quran.com
- 'Light on the tongue, heavy in the balance': Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6406
- Thirty-three glorifications after prayer: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 597
- Isaiah 6:3 (JPS 1917): Sefaria
- Luke 2:14 (WEB): Bible Gateway