Some words belong to a specific faith but have become famous across cultures. Let’s learn about SubhanAllah Meaning and its uses.
Subhanallah Meaning – Introduction
If you are living in an area where people from different communities are at the same place then you may have heard various phrases. That phrase may not mean something to you but has importance for the language speakers. The same goes for the word SubhanAllah. Our world is getting closer each day, and people who use the internet understand a few words from another language.
Despite living in the US, we know Allah is the Arabic word for God or a supreme power, depending upon your faith and beliefs. Muslim community uses SubhanAllah frequently during their conversation. Thus, it is natural to have an interest in the word and also to understand SubhanAllah Meaning. Along with understanding the meaning, we’ll also see when to say SubhanAllah.
SubhanAllah Meaning
We know linguistic experts believe that it is nearly impossible to translate a phrase to a language while keeping the same essence alive. No matter how advanced you get in a foreign language, there is some feeling left while translating the phrases. The word SubhanAllah has deep roots in the Islamic tradition.
The most possible and closes definition of the word is Glory be to Allah, or Glorified is Allah. If we go deeper to understand the purpose behind the use of this word, we’ll open new venues. The meaning of SubhanAllah means that the creator is free from imperfection. Everything that the creator has made in this universe is exactly in its correct place. Thus, Allah is above and beyond all wrongs of the universe. When you are saying SubhanAllah, it means you are glorifying Allah’s presence, dignity, and honor. This phrase also means that you are bowing down to the Almighty and accepting him as your protector and savior.
Linguistic Breakdown
For all grammar-loving people, we must understand the origin of this word before proceeding with the discussion. This way, we can understand the purpose behind the use of SubhanAllah. From reading SubhanAllah, we know that this phrase consists of two Arabic words: Subhan and Allah.
The word Subhan in Arabic, when we study grammatical term, is an infinitive. This word means “to declare someone being pure and away from defects.” Upon further understanding and reading, we trace the roots of the word Subhan as well. Subhan comes from the Arabic word Subaha. Subaha is a word that means swim or float. Thus, by keeping this original meaning in mind, we can further understand the SubhanAllah meaning. In this context, if a person says SubhanAllah, it means that the creator has floated away from imperfection.
Significance of the word Allah
Now, the other part of the SubhanAllah phrase is Allah. Many people confuse Allah with God and conceive it to be an original translation. However, we must mention there that as per Grammar it is impossible to translate the word Allah in any other language. We know when the word God comes to mind, it is easy to add plural and make it Gods. Also, there are many beliefs in the world where male and female God concept exists.
Thus, the word Goddess gets attention to this day. However, when we attempt to understand Arabic grammar, linguistic experts mention that you can’t make the Word Allah a plural. The plural word of Allah doesn’t exist in the grammar. Further, the concept of Male or Female God in Islam is far from reality and religious beliefs.
This was the grammatical breakdown of the word Allah. However, the significance of Allah isn’t clear to many of our readers at the moment. In other faiths, there are many terms and phrases to refer to the creator. The word God is common in many religions and, most importantly, among English speakers.
However, due to the opposite nature of the word God from Islamic beliefs, Muslims refer to the creator as Allah. As per the Muslim ideology, this is the name that the creator chose for himself. The name is unique and has no traces in any other myths, religions, and beliefs. While pairing it with Subhan, we combine the two most distinctive words in the Arabic language to glorify the creator. The detailed breakdown and word-by-word understanding answer our question: What does Subhanallah mean?
When to say SubhanAllah
Now that we know about the grammar and literal meaning of the phrase SubhanAllah, we address an important point that’s the core of this discussion. A question will be brewing in our readers’ minds about what’s the appropriate occasion to say SubhanAllah. There are many occasions where we can Say SubhanAllah. Here are a few of those occasions.
Admiring the Nature
We know our universe is vast and wider than our imagination. Despite all the tech advancements, we haven’t been able to know about the size of our universe. Thus, exploring the whole universe is a far-fetched idea at this point. Further, many parts of our world are hidden from the camera, and it takes years of exploring for the experts to get to those places.
We can keep on writing about the wonders of this world, but at this point, that situation is clear enough to proceed. Now, we can enjoy the wonders of nature and continue to live our lives. Otherwise, we can be grateful to the creator for blessing us with the unimaginable world.
Thus, whenever a Muslim witnesses an act of nature that’s out of his imagination, they say the word SubhanAllah. Whether you are witnessing a Rainbow or a shooting star, it is a moment of wonder. Many moments in our daily lives are inspiring. The next time you see something that leaves you without a word of acknowledging nature’s beauty, you can say SubhanAllah.
For example, you are riding a plane for the very first time, and the whole city looks like a children’s block. This moment is something that you have never seen in your life. It will leave you without words. Thus, it would be ideal to say, “The city looks like children’s blocks, SubhanAllah.” By saying SubhanAllah, you are praising the Almighty who created these rules of our world that helped us to create a Plane and fly in the air.
Another appropriate example here is to imagine you visiting your nearest park for a walk in the morning. Everything looks in place like regular days and you see a flower blooming in the corner that’s new and fresh. The flower is unique and leaves you amazed. Here, at this moment, you can say: “This flower is so beautiful, SubhanAllah.”
Devotional Worship
There are countless moments when nature amazes us with its beauty. But we have a different moment when we can use the SubhanAllah meaning words as well. It is obvious at this point that if you believe in the creator and are amazed by nature, you will be accepting the existence of the Almighty Allah. Thus, after accepting Allah, a devoted follower must keep remembering the greatness of Allah. When you are a dedicated follower, there are various ways to pay your gratitude to the creator.
As per Muslim beliefs, we must pay our appreciation in the best possible way. Now, a question must be raised about the best way of remembering Allah. Muslims believe that the Almighty, through his Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), has shared the most suitable way of remembering Allah. This method is known as a Dhikar. Dhikar is the devotional worship of Allah consisting of Holy words that you repeat in specific numbers. The best Dhikar, as per Muslims, is to say SubhanAllah 33 times, followed by Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 34 times. Muslims perform this Dhikar after every prayer five times in the day.
- The three phrases in the Dhikar are also important. When a Muslim reads or recites ‘SubhanAllah’ 33 times, it is known as the ‘Tasbih.’
- While reciting Alhamdulillah for the 33 times is “Takbir.”
- Reciting Allahu Akbar for the 34 times is ‘Tahmid.’
The Origin of the Devotional Worship
There is an amazing story behind the origin of the devotional worship that we have shared above. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had a daughter named Fatimah. After her marriage, Fatimah asked the prophet for a Slave to help her with the household chores. However, the prophet asked her if he could tell her something better that would be helpful in the afterlife as well. Upon agreeing, the Prophet shared the Tasbih, Takbir, and Tahmid.
Erasing your Sins by Saying SubhanAllah
A devoted follower of any religion or faith always looks to please the creator and spend their life as per the creator’s teachings. However, in all the hassle of the world, somehow, we slip off and forget the teachings. Further, there are moments when a devoted follower acts as per their will instead of the creator and commits a Sin. Upon realizing their Sins, devoted followers look for different ways to seek the creator’s forgiveness. The same goes for Muslims as well. As we understand SubhanAllah Meaning, we found that there is a major role in seeking Allah’s forgiveness as well.
According to Islamic teachings, a follower must read “SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi” 100 times a day to seek Allah’s forgiveness and show his connection with the creator.
Use During Personal Struggle
We know things are tough in the current environment. People get depressed and tense due to many financial, social, and emotional reasons. In those moments of pessimism, it is difficult to restore your positive sense and get your life back on track. There are many ways of dealing with emotional issues when you are feeling down and out. However, for Muslims, things are different due to their faith and trust in Allah. Muslim teachers share different phrases and words to restore your faith in the creator. SubhanAllah is the best one when it comes to believing in Allah’s decisions.
Understanding the SubhanAllah meaning also involves appreciating the minor details of life instead of focusing on the negative moments of life. SubhanAllah also means to know that your life may become difficult only to test your faith in Allah. You will have many moments in life when Allah is testing your faith. Being a Muslim follower asks you to believe that things will get better soon.
Use During Surprising Moments
You can start staying SubhanAllah right out of nowhere unless you know SubhanAllah meaning. There is an essence in the sense that it takes more than a while to get across to many people. If we observe, there are many Muslims who don’t feel positive all the time and lose their faith in negative moments. Thus, it is understandable if we aren’t saying SubhanAllah in regular life.
Muslims who spend their life as per the book get to know the essence of SubhanAllah Meaning. If they are met with a surprising moment, they express their surprise using this word. Along with becoming their habit, Muslims share a strong reason behind using SubhanAllah frequently. As per the Muslim belief, it is Sunnah to say SubhanAllah during the moments of surprise. Sunnah is an act or speaking of the prophet himself. As per the Muslims, it is a pleasing act for Allah to live your life as per the Sunnah.
SubhanAllah Mention in the Book
SubhanAllah isn’t a word that’s a myth or part of the Arabic Culture. The noble Quran also mentioned SubahAllah, the word several times. If we study, whenever Allah wants to warn the Muslims to avoid comparing Allah with other deities, Allah uses the word SubhanAllah. The use of SubhanAllah in the Holy Quran solidifies the Muslim belief of Allah being the sole supreme power in the Universe.
In Chapter 52, verse 43, Allah mentions the word SubhanAllah. The verse reads, “Or do they have a god other than Allah? Glorified is Allah far above what they associate with Him!”
Conclusion
SubhanAllah is more than another word from a religion. It is the base of living your life as per the ultimate creator’s preachings. Reaching the ultimate goal isn’t possible in a day or two. A person must read and research before making the life-changing decision of spending their life as per a deity’s creation. Thus, ultimately understanding SubhanAllah Meaning.