KalamSubhanAllah in Arabic
SubhanAllah in Arabic is سُبْحَانَ اللهِ (subḥāna-llāh), meaning "glory be to God" or "God is free of all imperfection." Muslims say it in dhikr after prayer and in daily life when amazed by something. A well-known longer form is سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ (subḥāna-llāhi wa bi-ḥamdih), "glory be to God and praise be to Him."
Literally: “glory be to God (God is far above any imperfection)”
SubhanAllah across the Arab world
Arabic changes from country to country. Here's what you'll actually hear.
The standard wording. The phrase is the same in every Arab country.
Same phrase. Egyptians also use it for "funny how things work out" when a coincidence happens.
Levantineسبحان اللهsubḥān allaSame phrase, often with a slight shake of the head in wonder or at life's twists.
Gulfسبحان اللهsubḥān allāhSame phrase and same uses. Also said slowly when reflecting on someone's passing or a strange turn of events.
Other ways to say subhanallah
How to say it right
The sounds English speakers find tricky, and how to get them right.
Practise with feedbackThe ḥ (ح) in subḥān is a strong, breathy h from the throat, like breathing on glasses to clean them. It is not a soft English h.
Hold the long ā: sub-ḤĀ-na. Rushing it to "subhana" with a short a is a common learner mistake.
In subḥāna-llāh, the a at the end of subḥāna flows straight into the double l: sub-ḥā-nal-lāh.
In wa bi-ḥamdih, the same ḥ appears again. Keep the m and d close together: ḥam-dih.
Example sentences
Glory be to God and praise be to Him, glory be to God the Almighty.
Standard (MSA)SubhanAllah! I was just talking about you.
EgyptianSubhanAllah, what a beautiful view.
LevantineSubhanAllah, it's a small world.
GulfUsing it like a local
SubhanAllah declares that God is above any flaw or limitation. The Quran uses it often, as in the opening of Surah Al-Isra: "subḥāna lladhī asrā bi-ʿabdihi laylan," "Glory be to the One who took His servant by night" (17:1). A common practice after each obligatory prayer is saying SubhanAllah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 33 or 34 times (Sahih Muslim).
In conversation, SubhanAllah is the natural reaction to wonder: a sunset, a newborn, an uncanny coincidence, or how life turned out. It can also carry a soft sense of sadness or irony, like "isn't it strange how things go."
SubhanAllah and MashaAllah overlap but aren't the same. MashaAllah (ما شاء الله) is the usual phrase for praising a person's blessing, like a child or a new house. SubhanAllah fits awe and amazement more generally.
SubhanAllah: common questions
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What does SubhanAllah mean?
سبحان الله (subḥāna-llāh) means "glory be to God," in the sense that God is perfect and free from any fault. It comes from the root s-b-ḥ, connected to the idea of exalting and keeping something far above imperfection.
What is subhanallahi wa bihamdihi?
سبحان الله وبحمده (subḥāna-llāhi wa bi-ḥamdih) means "glory be to God and praise be to Him." In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, whoever says it 100 times a day has their sins forgiven, even if they are like the foam of the sea.
When should you say SubhanAllah?
In dhikr after prayer, while bowing and prostrating, and anytime you're struck by something amazing or surprising. It's also fitting when you hear something said about God that is inappropriate, to affirm His perfection.
Do non-Muslim Arabs say SubhanAllah?
Yes, sometimes. Phrases like SubhanAllah are part of everyday Arabic culture, and some Arab Christians use them in conversation too, though they are most strongly associated with Muslim speech.
Related words & phrases
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