A plantling comes out from a very tiny seed buried deep in the ground, after you planted it, watered it, and tended it for a few days. The plantling grows and grows with the sunlight shining on it to become a bigger plant as days go by and finally grows a flower and then a fruit and more seeds inside the fruit. Who caused this tiny dry seed to fall anywhere on the ground or probably in a seed packet in a plant shop stored up for months, to grow a thriving plant out of it? And to nurture it and get you the fruits of it? SubhanAllah! Seeing a plant grow in your garden or balcony is a good enough reason for the tasbih of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala.
When Do We Say SubhanAllah?
We use the dhikr Sub’hanAllah quite often when we see something that amazes us. One of the greatest dhikrs that will bring us close to Allah is Sub’hanAllah. SubhanAllah is a dhikr, which is a remembrance of Allah, and it is a good deed that will save one from the punishment of Allah.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal (radi’Allahu anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said, “The son of Adam never acts with a deed better to save him from the punishment of Allah than with the remembrance (dhikr) of Allah.”
Source: Musnad Aḥmad 21574
Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani
What is The Meaning of SubhanAllah?
SubhanAllah – the word Sub’han comes from the word Sab’h which means ‘remaining distant’. It means that ‘I disassociate Allah, I free Allah, far from any imperfections, any defects, or any flaws”. I declare the Perfection of Allah. I disassociate Allah from anything that is inappropriate for Allah.
The common translation, i.e. the meaning of SubhanAllah is Glory be to Allah. SubhanAllah is a word Allah chose for us to use in some of the important positions in our salah, that is, “Sub’hanaRabbi’al Adheem” in ruku’ and “Sub’hanaRabbi’al A’laa” in sujood.
The angels who carry the Arsh of Allah make Tasbeeh of Allah. “Those [angels] who carry the Throne and those around it exalt [ Allah] with praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask forgiveness for those who have believed” – Surah Ghafir 40:7. The entire Ayah can be found here: https://legacy.quran.com/40/7
Allah mentions in the Qur’an about mountains joining Dawood (علیہ السلام) in the act of tasbih in the evening and (after) sunrise. Please refer to Surah Sad 38:18.
Virtues of Saying SubhanAllah
By saying: Sub’hanAllah a hundred times, then one thousand good deeds will be recorded for a person or one thousand sins will be blotted out from his record. This shows how much Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala values the movement of our tongue in worshipping Him, and how valuable it is for Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala.
Abu Hurairah (radi’Allahu anhu) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The uttering of the words: “Subhan-Allah (Allah is free from imperfection), Al-hamdu lillah (all praise is due to Allah), La ilaha illallah (there is no true god except Allah) and Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)’ is dearer to me than anything over which the sun rises.” – Riyad as-Salihin 140
It is not a condition that one must sit down to make tasbih. There are people who say Sub’hanAllah whilst doing other things such as driving a car or cooking in the kitchen. However, it is recommended that tasbih comes from the heart and tongue.
Even when Fatima (radi’Allahu anha) complained of what she suffered from the hand mill and from grinding, our Prophet(ﷺ) advised to say: ‘Allahu Akbar (i.e. Allah is Greater)’ for 34 times, and ‘Al hamdu Li llah (i.e. all the praises are for Allah)’ for 33 times, and Subhan Allah (i.e. Glorified be Allah) for 33 times, when they go to their beds.
The entire Hadith can be found here: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3113
We were also informed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that ‘Subhan-Allah (how far is Allah from every imperfection) and ‘Al-hamdulillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fill that which is between heaven and earth.” This must make us want to do better at doing the tasbih of Allah.
The hadith can be found here: https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin/15
Related: Know the meaning of the words Alhamdulillah, Subhanallahi Wa Bihamdihi, and MashaAllah.
In our ruku’ and in our sujood, tasbih is a must. During the day and night, tasbih is recommended. In particular, make tasbih in the early morning and in the afternoon (bukhrattan wa aseela). In the Adhkar of Sabah and Masah, we were informed by our Prophet (ﷺ) to recite “Sub’hanAllahi wa bihamdi.”
Even the dua at the end of a gathering (majlis) also begins with glorifying Allah:
سُبْحـانَكَ اللّهُـمَّ وَبِحَمدِك، أَشْهَـدُ أَنْ لا إِلهَ إِلاّ أَنْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتوبُ إِلَـيْك
We can quote several examples wherein doing tasbih of Allah is given great importance and words may not be enough to describe this.
Thus, we know how important and valuable it is to do the tasbih of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala and of course how rewarding it will be, In Shaa Allah. Let this be a beginning of a new relationship with Allah Sub’hana Wa Ta’ala by continuing the dhikr of Allah.
Whatever error is in here is from me and shaitan and Allah and His messenger are free from it. Allahu A’lam.
