سبحان الله
subhan Allah
The phrase "glory be to God" in Arabic is سبحان الله (subhan Allah).
سبحان الله is an expression used to praise the perfection and greatness of God. It is a formal act of worship and it functions as an exclamation of surprise, wonder or disbelief in daily conversation.
What does it mean word for word?
The word سبحان is a verbal noun meaning glory, exaltation or transcendence. It implies that God is far removed from any imperfection or flaw.
Which one should you use?
A common extended version of the phrase used in prayer and dhikr (remembrance) is سبحان الله وبحمده, which means "Glory be to God and praise be to Him".
How do you pronounce it?
subhan Allah
Did you know?
- People may say سبحان الله when admiring a person's beauty to prevent the 'evil eye' from causing harm.
- The word الله shares the same ancient Proto-Semitic root as the Hebrew word for God, אֱלוֹהַּ.
- Repeating سبحان الله in a practice called 'dhikr' is viewed not just as prayer, but as a spiritual exercise to cleanse the heart.
Examples in context
- سبحان الله، هذا المنظر رائع جداً!Subhan Allah, hadha al-manzar ra'i' jiddan!Glory be to God, this view is very wonderful!
- سبحان الله، كيف حدث هذا؟Subhan Allah, kayfa hadatha hadha?Glory be to God, how did this happen?
- سبحان الله، الطبيعة جميلة جداً.Subhan Allah, al-tabi'a jamila jiddan.Glory be to God, nature is very beautiful.
Example conversation
Youssef and Layla are looking at a beautiful sunset.
- يوسف Youssefسبحان الله، انظري إلى ألوان السماء يا ليلى.Subhan Allah, unzhuri ila alwan al-sama' ya Layla.Glory be to God, look at the colors of the sky, Layla.
- ليلى Laylaفعلاً، إنه منظر مذهل!Fi'lan, innahu manzar mudhhil!Indeed, it is an amazing sight!
- يوسف Youssefأنا سعيد لأننا أتينا إلى هنا اليوم.Ana sa'id li'annana atayna ila huna al-yawm.I am happy that we came here today.
- ليلى Laylaوأنا أيضاً يا يوسف.Wa ana aydan ya Youssef.And me too, Youssef.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries الله, CC BY-SA 4.0.
