SubhanAllah meaning
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ · Subḥāna‑llāh · Glory be to Allah. Allah is far above any imperfection.
The answer
SubhanAllah means "glory be to Allah", declaring Allah free of any fault or imperfection. Muslims say it in wonder at something beautiful, in dismay at something wrong, and 33 times after each of the five daily prayers.
What does subhanallah mean in English?
SubhanAllah means "glory be to Allah", in the sense of declaring Allah far above every imperfection. It is said in awe, in surprise, and as fixed dhikr after prayer.
Subhan is a verbal noun from the root s-b-ḥ, whose underlying sense is to move away. The phrase declares Allah removed from any defect that could be imagined of Him.
How do you spell subhanallah?
Subhanallah is the standard English spelling. Subhan Allah, subhaanallah, subhanalah, subxanallah and sub7anallah are all spellings of the same Arabic phrase, سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ, which never varies.
Subxanallah is the Somali convention, where x carries the Arabic letter ح. Sub7anallah is chat transliteration, where the digit 7 stands for that same letter. Both are the identical phrase written for a different keyboard.
How do you pronounce subhanallah?
Say sub-HAA-na-LLAAH, with the stress on HAA and a long aa held for about two beats. The h is the Arabic letter ح, a breathy sound made by tightening the throat rather than the ordinary English h.
The final llah has a doubled l and a long vowel: lLAAH, not lah, and the h at the end is breathed out rather than silent.
SubhanAllah word by word
The gloss above is the whole phrase. This is what each part of the Arabic is doing, which is usually what people mean when they ask what SubhanAllah means literally.
- سُبْحَانَsubḥān
- declaring free of every defect. From s-b-ḥ, whose sense is to move away, so: Allah is far removed from any imperfection.
- اللَّهِAllāh
- Allah, in the genitive: the one declared far above defect.
When to say SubhanAllah
- In awe: sunrise, a new life, an unexpected kindness.
- After prescribed prayer, 33 times (part of Tasbih Fatimah).
- When you hear or see something that surprises you.
When SubhanAllah is not the right phrase
- On hearing of a death. The taught words there are inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
- As a compliment to something you admire. The phrase for that is mashallah.
Reported to be among the phrases most beloved to Allah (Sahih Muslim 2137). Part of the four baqiyat al-salihat, the enduring good words.
How to spell SubhanAllah
Arabic has one spelling for this phrase. English has many, because it is written by ear. These all refer to the same words.
- subhanallah (standard), subhan Allah, subhaanallah
- subhanalah, subxanallah, sub7anallah (chat transliteration where 7 stands for the letter ح)
- subhanallahi wa bihamdihi is a longer phrase built on the same opening
Each way people write SubhanAllah has its own answer, plus the reason English produces it, on how to spell SubhanAllah.
How to pronounce SubhanAllah
sub-HAA-na‑LLAH. The ḥ is a light throat sound, softer than the English H.
Syllables: sub · HAA · na · LLAAH (/sub.ˈħaː.na.lːaːh/)
sub-HAA-na-LLAAH, with a breathy h from deep in the throat and a long aa in the middle.
- ḥ (ح). A hard, breathy h made by tightening the throat, not the ordinary English h. Think of fogging a cold window with effort. Using a plain h is understood but is a different Arabic letter.
- The long aa. SubHAAn holds the a for roughly two beats. Cutting it short changes the rhythm the phrase is normally recited in.
- Joining. In connected speech subhana and Allah run together as one word, so there is no pause before the final llaah.
About one second, which is why 33 repetitions take under a minute.
Spellings people type for SubhanAllah
- subhanalah. Single l. The Arabic has a doubled l in Allah, so the l is held.
- subhan allah. Written as two words, which is fine. It is one phrase, سبحان الله, spoken without a break.
- sobhanallah. Reflects a Persian and South Asian vowel colouring of the first syllable. Same phrase.
Full IPA, stress marks and audio-style guidance: how to pronounce SubhanAllah.
SubhanAllah meaning in other languages
The sense of SubhanAllah does not change between languages, only the words used to carry it. Here it is in the scripts most readers ask for.
| Language | SubhanAllah written | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Urduاردو | سبحان اللہ | اللہ ہر عیب سے پاک ہے۔ |
| Hindiहिन्दी | सुबहानअल्लाह | अल्लाह हर ऐब से पाक है। |
| Bengaliবাংলা | সুবহানাল্লাহ | আল্লাহ সমস্ত ত্রুটি থেকে পবিত্র। |
| Malayalamമലയാളം | സുബ്ഹാനല്ലാഹ് | അല്ലാഹു എല്ലാ ന്യൂനതകളിൽ നിന്നും പരിശുദ്ധനാണ്. |
| Tamilதமிழ் | சுப்ஹானல்லாஹ் | அல்லாஹ் அனைத்துக் குறைகளிலிருந்தும் தூயவன். |
| Teluguతెలుగు | సుబ్హానల్లాహ్ | అల్లాహ్ అన్ని లోపాల నుండి పవిత్రుడు. |
| Kannadaಕನ್ನಡ | ಸುಬ್ಹಾನಲ್ಲಾಹ್ | ಅಲ್ಲಾಹನು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ದೋಷಗಳಿಂದ ಪರಿಶುದ್ಧನು. |
People also ask about SubhanAllah
What does SubhanAllah mean in English?
SubhanAllah means "glory be to Allah", with the sense of declaring Allah far removed from every defect, partner and limitation. It is not simply praise. The root s-b-h carries the idea of removing something from what does not belong to it.
When do Muslims say SubhanAllah?
Muslims say SubhanAllah at anything that provokes wonder, such as a sunset, a newborn or an unlikely coincidence, and also at anything wrong or shocking, where it functions as a declaration that Allah is above such a thing. It is said 33 times after each obligatory prayer.
How many times should you say SubhanAllah?
Thirty-three times after each of the five obligatory prayers, followed by 33 Alhamdulillah and 34 Allahu Akbar, which completes a hundred (Sahih Muslim 596). A reported alternative is 33, 33 and 33 with one la ilaha illa Allah to close. Outside prayer there is no limit.
What is the difference between SubhanAllah and Alhamdulillah?
SubhanAllah declares Allah free of any fault, so it is glorification. Alhamdulillah praises Allah for what He gives, so it is thanks. Wonder and shock call for SubhanAllah; blessing and relief call for Alhamdulillah. The post-prayer set includes 33 of each.
What is SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi?
SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi means "glory be to Allah and praise be to Him". A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 6405 reports that whoever says it a hundred times a day has their sins removed even if they were like the foam of the sea. It joins glorification and thanks in one phrase.
How is SubhanAllah written in Arabic?
SubhanAllah is written سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ in Arabic, read right to left as subhana Allah. The first word is a verbal noun expressing absolute glorification, and the second names Allah. English spellings vary widely because the Arabic h and the long a have no exact English equivalents.
Frequently asked
When do Muslims say subhanallah?
In awe, in response to something surprising, and as a fixed dhikr after prayer (33 times).
How many times do you say subhanallah?
33 times after prescribed prayer, and freely otherwise. There is no upper cap.
Can you say subhanallah when someone dies?
The prescribed phrase in that moment is inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji`un. SubhanAllah is not wrong, but the tradition-specific phrase is preferred.
Is it "subhanAllah" or "subhanallah"?
Both spellings appear in English writing. The Arabic is a fixed construction; the English spelling is a convention.
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