الله سبحانه وتعالى
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
The English phrase 'allah swt' refers to the Arabic expression الله سبحانه وتعالى (Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala), which uses the name of God in Islam followed by an honorific phrase.
In English, 'SWT' is used as an abbreviation for the Arabic honorific phrase that follows the name of God. The full Arabic expression, الله سبحانه وتعالى, means 'Allah (glory be to Him and He is Exalted)'.
What does it mean word for word?
The honorific part سبحانه وتعالى literally means 'Glory be to Him and He is Exalted'. Within the word subhanahu, the suffix '-hu' is a third-person masculine singular pronoun meaning 'Him', which refers back to Allah.
How do you pronounce it?
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
Did you know?
- While many people see 'Allah' as a purely Islamic name, the term was used in the pre-Islamic era and is also used by Arabic-speaking Christians to refer to God.
- The name الله is theorized by some to be a contraction of الٱِلٰه, which combines the definite article 'the' with the word for 'deity'.
- In many printed Arabic-language texts, you might see a very tiny, stylized version of the full phrase سبحانه وتعالى squeezed into a small space next to the word 'Allah' rather than the 'SWT' abbreviation used in English.
Examples in context
- كل شيء بيد الله سبحانه وتعالى.kullu shay'in bi yadi Allahi subhanahu wa ta'ala.Everything is in the hands of Allah, glory be to Him.
- نحن نتوكل على الله سبحانه وتعالى.nahnu natawakkalu 'ala Allahi subhanahu wa ta'ala.We rely upon Allah, glory be to Him.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their faith in a living room.
- عمر Omarأشعر بالراحة عندما أتذكر قدرة الله سبحانه وتعالى.Ash'uru bil-raha 'indama atadhakkar qudrat Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.I feel at peace when I remember the power of Allah, glory be to Him.
- نور Nourبالفعل، هو خالق كل شيء في هذا الكون.Bil-fi'l, huwa khaliq kull shay' fi hadha al-kawn.Indeed, He is the creator of everything in this universe.
- عمر Omarالحمد لله على هدايته لنا يا نور.Al-hamdu lillah 'ala hidayatihi lana ya Nur.Praise be to Allah for His guidance to us, Nur.
- نور Nourونعم بالله، يا عمر.Wa ni'ma billah, ya Omar.And yes, we trust in Allah, Omar.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries الله, CC BY-SA 4.0.
