Tasbih

Tasbih(Arabic:تَسْبِيح,romanized:tasbīḥ) is a form ofdhikrthat involves the glorification ofGodinIslamby saying: "Subhan Allah"(Arabic:سُبْحَانَ ٱللهِ,romanized:subḥāna llāhⁱ,lit. 'Glory be to Allah').

It is often repeated a certain number of times, using either the fingers of the right hand or amisbahato keep track of counting.^[1]

Etymology

The termtasbeehis based on in the Arabic root ofsīn-bāʾ-ḥāʾ(ح-ب-س). The meaning of the root word when written means to glorify. 'Tasbeeh' is an irregular derivation fromsubhan,which is the first word of the constitutive sentence of the first third of the canonical form (see below) of tasbeeh. The word literally means, as a verb, "to travel swiftly" and, as a noun, "duties" or "occupation". However, in the devotional context,tasbihrefers toSubhan Allah,which is often used in the Qur'an with the prepositionʿan(عَنْ), meaning "Allah is exalted [over what they (polytheists) attribute to Him] "(Al-Tawba: 31, Al-Zumar: 67 et al.). Without this preposition, it means something like" Glory be to Allah. "^{[citation needed]}

Interpretation

The phrase translates to "Glory be to God" but a more literal translation is, "God is above [all things]". The root of the word subḥān (سُبْحَان) is derived from the word sabaḥa (سَبَحَ,"to be above" ), giving the phrase a meaning that God is above any imperfection or false descriptions.^{[citation needed]}

The phrase often has the connotation of praising God for his total perfection, implying a rejection of anyanthropomorphicelements or associations with God, or any attribution of mistakes or faults to him. Thus, it serves as testimony to God's transcendence (تنزيه,tanzīh).^[2]

For example, theQuransayssubḥāna llāhi ʿammā yaṣifūn( "God is above that which they describe" )^[3]andsubḥāna llāhi ʿammā yušrikūn( "God is above that which they associate with him" ).^[4]

The phrase is mentioned in thehadithsofSahih Bukhari,VBN 5, 57, 50.^[5]

Variants

Various Islamic phrases include the Tasbih, most commonly:

Arabic Qurʾanic Spelling	Transliteration IPA	Phrase
سُبْحَانَ ٱللَّٰهِ سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّٰهِ	subḥāna -llāhⁱ /sub.ħaː.na‿ɫ.ɫaː.hi/	Glorified is God.
سُبْحَانَكَ ٱللَّٰهُمَّ سُبْحَٰنَكَ ٱللَّٰهُمَّ	subḥānaka -llāhumm^a /sub.ħaː.na.ka‿ɫ.ɫaː.hum.ma/	Glorified are you, O God.
سُبْحَانَ ٱللَّٰهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّٰهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ	subḥāna -llāhi wa-bi-ḥamdih^ī /sub.ħaː.na‿ɫ.ɫaː.hi wa.bi.ħam.di.hiː/	Glorified is God and by His praise.
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْعَظِيمِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْعَظِيمِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ	subḥāna rabbiya l-ʿaẓīmi wa-bi-ḥamdih^ī /sub.ħaː.na rab.bi.ja‿l.ʕa.ðˤiː.mi wa.bi.ħam.di.hiː/	Glorified is my Lord, the Great, and by His praise.
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَٰنَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ وَبِحَمْدِهِ	subḥāna rabbiya l-ʾaʿlā wa-bi-ḥamdih^ī /sub.ħaː.na rab.bi.ja‿l.ʔaʕ.laː wa.bi.ħam.di.hiː/	Glorified is my Lord, the Most High, and by His praise.
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّالِمِينَ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَٰنَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ	lā ʾilāha ʾillā ʾanta subḥānaka ʾinnī kuntu mina ẓ-ẓālimīn^a /laː ʔi.laː.ha ʔil.laː ʔan.ta sub.ħaː.na.ka ʔin.niː kun.tu mi.na‿ðˤ.ðˤaː.li.miː.na/	There is no god except You, glorified are you! I have indeed been among the wrongdoers.

Usage

It is also often cited during the Islamic prayer (salat), supplication (dua), during a sermon (khutba) in themosqueand commonly throughout the day. It is sometimes used to express shock or amazement.^{[citation needed]}

Muhammad taught Muslims that it is one of the four praises that God likes Muslims to say continuously.

Mohammed 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."^[6]

Fatimah bint Muhammad

In the early years of the marriage ofAliandFatimah,Ali earned very little money and was unable to afford a servant for Fatimah. Fatimah's hands were blistered from constant grinding; her neck had become sore from carrying water; her clothes had become dirty from sweeping the floor. One day Ali was aware that Prophet Muhammad had some servants, and advised Fatimah to ask him for one of his servants. Fatimah went, but she was unable to ask. Finally, Ali went with Fatimah to Muhammad's house. He did not accept their request, saying "there are many orphans (starved)," I will give you one thing better than helping of servant ". He taught them a special manner of Dhikr which is known as the" tasbih of Fatimah ".^{[citation needed]}

34 repetitions ofʾallāhu ʾakbar^u(ٱللَّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ), meaning "God is Greater [than everything]". This saying is known asTakbir(تَكْبِير).^{[citation needed]}
33 repetitions ofal-ḥamdu lillāhⁱ(ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ), meaning "All praise is due to God.". This saying is known asTahmid(تَحْمِيد).^{[citation needed]}
33 repetitions of subḥāna -llahⁱ(سُبْحَانَ ٱللَّٰهِ), meaning "Glorified is God". This saying is known asTasbih(تَسْبِيح).^{[citation needed]}

References

^"Is Using Prayer Beads An Innovation? - SeekersHub Answers".2009-09-11.Retrieved2016-09-28.
^al-Razi in his Mukhtar al-Sihah
^37:159,Quran Surah As-Saaffaat (Verse 159)
^52:43,Quran Surah At-Tur ( Verse 43 )
^Sahih Bukhari."Sahih Bukhari: Book of" The Companions "".sahih-bukhari.com.
^"SubhanAllah Meaning".Dawud Academy.

External links

[seeker-1] "Is Using Prayer Beads An Innovation? - SeekersHub Answers".2009-09-11.Retrieved2016-09-28.

[2] -Razi in his Mukhtar al-Sihah

[3] 37:159,Quran Surah As-Saaffaat (Verse 159)

[4] 52:43,Quran Surah At-Tur ( Verse 43 )

[5] Sahih Bukhari."Sahih Bukhari: Book of" The Companions "".sahih-bukhari.com.

[6] "SubhanAllah Meaning".Dawud Academy.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

Authority control databases
International	FAST
National	United States
Other	İslâm Ansiklopedisi 2