---
title: "What Does Subhanallah Mean? | Islam Is Mercy"
description: "Subhanallah means \"glory be to God\". Muslims say it in wonder, in prayer and in daily remembrance, declaring God free of every flaw."
lang: en
url: https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/subhanallah/
---

1.  [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/)
2.  [Glossary](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/)
3.  What Does Subhanallah Mean?

# What Does Subhanallah Mean?

Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 1 min readAwaiting scholar review

## The short answer

Subhanallah means "glory be to God" or "God is far above any imperfection". Muslims say it in moments of wonder, in their daily prayers and as a simple act of remembrance that is light on the tongue but weighty before God.

## On this page

1.  Meaning
2.  How Muslims use it
3.  Example

**Subhanallah** (Arabic: سبحان الله) is pronounced *sub-HAA-nal-lah*.

## Meaning

The phrase comes from a root that carries the idea of being far removed and above. To say *subhanallah* is to declare that God is perfect and far above anything unworthy of Him — any weakness, need, partner or flaw. In English it is often rendered “glory be to God” or “exalted is God”.

## How Muslims use it

Muslims say *subhanallah* when they see something beautiful or astonishing — a sunset, a newborn baby, a sudden act of kindness — as a way of turning wonder into praise of the One who made it. It is also said quietly in the daily prayer (*salah*), where Muslims glorify God while bowing and prostrating, and it is repeated in moments of remembrance after prayer.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ encouraged this simple phrase in a well-known saying:

> Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) 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](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/80#:~:text=two%20expressions%20which%20are%20very)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari)

Because it is short, anyone can say it — a new Muslim on their first day just as much as a scholar.

## Example

*“Look at those mountains — subhanallah!”*

To learn more about the God Muslims glorify, read [Who Is Allah?](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/who-is-allah/), and see its companion phrase [Alhamdulillah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/alhamdulillah/).

## Key takeaways

-   Subhanallah means "glory be to God" — God is free of every flaw.
-   Muslims say it in wonder, in prayer and in daily remembrance.
-   It is a short phrase with great weight in the sight of God.

## Share this article

[WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=What%20Does%20Subhanallah%20Mean%3F%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fsubhanallah%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fsubhanallah%2F&text=What%20Does%20Subhanallah%20Mean%3F)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20Does%20Subhanallah%20Mean%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fsubhanallah%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fglossary%2Fsubhanallah%2F)

## Sources

-   [Sahih al-Bukhari 6406](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/80#:~:text=two%20expressions%20which%20are%20very)

## Talk to a Muslim

Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement.

[Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/)

## Keep reading

[Glossary

### What Does Alhamdulillah Mean?

Alhamdulillah means "all praise is for God". Muslims say it to express gratitude many times a day — in good times and in hard times.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/alhamdulillah/)[Glossary

### What Is Dhikr? Remembering God

Dhikr means remembrance of God — repeating short phrases of praise and keeping God in mind throughout the day. It brings the heart peace.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/dhikr/)[Start Here

### Who Is Allah?

Allah is the Arabic word for the one God, Creator of everything. Learn how the Qur'an describes Him, His beautiful names, and why Arab Christians say Allah too.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/who-is-allah/)