SubhanAllah Meaning: What It Means and When Muslims Say It

SubhanAllah (subhan Allah, سبحان الله) means "glory be to God" or "God is exalted above every imperfection." Muslims say it to declare that God is free of any flaw, weakness or false description, both as daily remembrance, especially 33 times after each prayer, and as an exclamation of wonder when they see something remarkable.

The act of saying subhanAllah is called tasbih (tasbih, تسبيح), and the Quran describes the whole universe as engaged in it. This guide explains what the phrase means, how it is written, where it appears in the Quran, how Muslims use it in prayer, the famous phrase SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi, and why you might hear it said in surprise.

Key takeaways

• SubhanAllah declares that God is far above any imperfection; Sahih International usually translates it "Exalted is Allah."
• The Quran says that "there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise" (Quran 17:44).
• After each obligatory prayer, the Prophet taught saying subhanAllah 33 times, alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu akbar 33 times, completed to 100 with a declaration of God's oneness (Sahih Muslim 597).
• The Prophet called SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi and SubhanAllahil-Azim two phrases "very easy for the tongue" but "very heavy in the balance" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6406).
• The Prophet himself said "SubhanAllah!" in surprise, as recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 283.

What does subhanAllah mean?

The phrase has two parts. Subhan is a noun from the Arabic root s-b-h, and Allah is the Arabic word for God. The root carries the idea of moving far away, and subhan came to mean declaring someone far removed from anything unworthy of them. So subhanAllah means "God is far above any fault," usually rendered "glory be to God."

Scholars call this kind of statement tanzih, declaring God free of imperfection. It is the counterpart of alhamdulillah. When a Muslim says subhanAllah, they deny every flaw in God: He does not tire, forget, need help or have partners. When they say alhamdulillah, they affirm every perfection in Him. Together, the two phrases form a complete picture. Our guide to alhamdulillah meaning covers the second half.

This idea of God's purity is also captured in His name al-Quddus, "the Holy" or "the Pure," which you can read about on the al-Quddus name page.

SubhanAllah in Arabic and how to spell it

In Arabic, subhanAllah is written سبحان الله, two words. Several English spellings are common.

The long vowel in subhaan is the part most often lost in English spelling. Listening to it recited is the best way to learn the pronunciation, as our guide on how to read the Quran suggests.

Where does subhanAllah appear in the Quran?

The word subhan and other forms of the root appear throughout the Quran, often at the moment when false ideas about God are rejected. After explaining that God has no son and no partner, the Quran declares:

Allah has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have sought to overcome others. Exalted is Allah above what they describe [concerning Him].

— Quran 23:91

Other well-known examples include:

• The Night Journey. Surah al-Isra opens with the word: "Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa."
• The names of God. A passage listing many of God's names ends, "Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him" (59:23).
• The angels. When asked about things beyond their knowledge, they answered, "Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us" (2:32).
• Prophet Jonah. From inside the whale he called out, "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers" (21:87).

The Quran also describes the entire creation as glorifying God:

The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing and Forgiving.

— Quran 17:44

When a Muslim says subhanAllah, they join in what the Quran presents as the constant activity of the universe.

What is tasbih?

Tasbih is the act of glorifying God by saying subhanAllah. The same word is used for the string of prayer beads that many Muslims use to keep count, also called a misbaha. Tasbih has fixed places in the daily routine taught by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The post-prayer count carries a large promise. Sahih Muslim 597 says that whoever completes it after every prayer will have their sins forgiven "even if these are as abundant as the foam of the sea."

The bedtime tasbih has a moving background. When Fatimah, the Prophet's daughter, asked him for a servant because her hands were blistered from grinding grain, he came to her and Ali at night and taught them these words instead, saying they were "better for you both than a servant" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3705). Our guide to how to pray salah shows where the bowing and prostration phrases fit into the prayer.

SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi: the two light phrases

The longer phrase SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi (سبحان الله وبحمده) means "Glory be to God, and praise be to Him." It joins the denial of imperfection with the affirmation of praise in one breath. The Prophet said:

"There are two expressions which are very easy for the tongue to say, but they are very heavy in the balance and are very dear to The Beneficent (Allah), and they are, 'Subhan Allah Al-'Azim and 'Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi.'"

— Sahih al-Bukhari 6406

The second phrase, SubhanAllahil-Azim (سبحان الله العظيم), means "Glory be to God, the Magnificent." The same hadith, with the two phrases in the reverse order, is the very last hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari (7563) and also appears in Sahih Muslim 2694.

Other authentic reports show how highly the Prophet valued it:

• Asked which words were best, he named "SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi" as the words God chose for His angels and servants (Sahih Muslim 2731).
• Whoever says it 100 times in a day "will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6405).
• "SubhanAllah and alhamdulillah fill up what is between the heavens and the earth" (Sahih Muslim 223).

Muslims understand these promises as signs of God's generosity, not as a mechanical exchange. The reward rests on sincerity and on avoiding the major sins that require repentance.

SubhanAllah as an expression of amazement

Outside formal remembrance, subhanAllah is the natural Muslim response to something astonishing. A breathtaking mountain, a newborn's tiny fingers, a remarkable coincidence: "SubhanAllah." The wonder is directed past the thing itself to the One who made it.

The Prophet used it this way. Abu Hurayrah once slipped away to bathe after meeting the Prophet in a street of Madinah, because he was in a state of major ritual impurity and did not want to sit with him. When he returned and explained, the Prophet said, "SubhanAllah! A believer never becomes impure" (Sahih al-Bukhari 283). Here the phrase expresses surprise, and a gentle correction.

Muslims also say it when they hear something unfitting said about God, or something shocking or wrong. In each case the phrase means: God is far above this.

How do you reply to subhanAllah?

There is no fixed reply. If someone says subhanAllah in wonder, you can share the moment by saying subhanAllah yourself. If they say it in remembrance, no reply is needed. Non-Muslims can simply respond as they would to "amazing" or "wow," which is often the spirit of the moment.

Common mistakes with subhanAllah

• Using it only as "wow." Its root meaning is about God's perfection, and the exclamation works best when that meaning stays in mind.
• Confusing it with mashallah. SubhanAllah expresses wonder at God's power; mashallah credits a specific blessing to God's will. Both can fit the same moment. See mashallah meaning.
• Rushing the count. Saying the post-prayer tasbih as fast as possible misses the purpose. The words are meant to be understood.
• Treating it as a sign of disapproval only. It can express shock, but it is far more often an expression of awe and praise.

SubhanAllah, mashallah and Allahu akbar compared

These three phrases are often said in similar moments of wonder. Here is how they differ.

All four are forms of dhikr, the remembrance of God, explained in our guide to what dhikr is.

Read the verses of tasbih on Quran Universe

You can read Quran 17:44 on Quran Universe, the verse that describes all creation glorifying God, with the Arabic text, word-by-word meaning, transliteration and Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Surah al-Hashr 59:23 is another good place to start, as it pairs subhanAllah with a cluster of God's names.

Frequently asked questions

What does subhanAllah mean?

SubhanAllah means "glory be to God" or "God is exalted above every imperfection." It declares that God is free of any flaw, weakness or false description. Sahih International often translates it "Exalted is Allah." Muslims say it as remembrance, after prayer, and as an expression of wonder at something remarkable.

How do you write subhanAllah in Arabic?

SubhanAllah is written سبحان الله in Arabic, two words: subhan, meaning glory or exaltation, and Allah, the Arabic word for God. Common English spellings include SubhanAllah, Subhanallah and Subhan Allah. The second syllable has a long "a" sound, which is why some people write it Subhaan Allah.

What does SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi mean?

SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi means "Glory be to God, and praise be to Him." The Prophet said it is one of two phrases "very easy for the tongue" but "very heavy in the balance" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6406), and that saying it 100 times a day wipes away sins even like the foam of the sea (Sahih al-Bukhari 6405).

What is tasbih in Islam?

Tasbih is the act of glorifying God by saying subhanAllah. The word also refers to the prayer beads many Muslims use to count their remembrance. The best-known tasbih is said after each obligatory prayer: subhanAllah, alhamdulillah and Allahu akbar 33 times each, completed to 100, as taught in Sahih Muslim 597.

How many times do you say subhanAllah after prayer?

The Prophet taught saying subhanAllah 33 times after each obligatory prayer, followed by alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu akbar 33 times. The hundredth phrase is "There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner; His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has power over all things" (Sahih Muslim 597).

Why do Muslims say subhanAllah when surprised?

Because it directs wonder toward God, the Creator of whatever caused the surprise. The Prophet himself said "SubhanAllah!" in surprise when Abu Hurayrah avoided sitting with him while ritually impure (Sahih al-Bukhari 283). It is also said on hearing something shocking, meaning that God is far above it.