Arabic vocabulary
تَسْبِيحglorify in Arabic
تَسْبِيح is how you say “glorify” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root س ب ح (s-b-ḥ)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar of Form II سَبَّحَ)Pronounced tasbīḥ
Meaning of glorify in Arabic
- declaring God far removed from every imperfection or impurity — the core theological sense (tanzīh) — freeing God from anything derogatory to His glory
- glorifying, magnifying, lauding, or praising God — done by reciting His names, especially the formula سُبْحَانَ اللّٰه (subḥāna llāh)
- (plural تَسْبِيحَاتٌ) set formulas or recitations of glorification — used of repeated ritual praise
تَسْبِيح is the verbal noun of Form II سَبَّحَ (سبّح اللّٰهَ / سبّح للّٰهِ), 'he declared God far removed from every imperfection.' It anchors the common devotional formula سُبْحَانَ اللّٰه and appears repeatedly in Qur'anic and classical religious usage for the act of glorifying and praising God.
Words from the same root
- سَبَحَhe swam; also, he ranged or travelled far, busied himself going to and fro
- سِبَاحَةٌswimming (coursing along on the surface of water)
- سَبَّاحٌa skilled or habitual swimmer
- سُبْحَانٌglory be to...! — exclamation declaring God free from imperfection
- مُسَبِّحٌone who glorifies God
- مَسْبَحٌa place of swimming
Common questions
- How do you say "glorify" in Arabic?
- تَسْبِيح (tasbīḥ) — the act of glorifying God by declaring Him utterly free from imperfection, most familiar in the phrase سُبْحَانَ اللّٰه (subḥāna llāh).
- Why does the same root سبح mean both "to swim" and "to glorify God"?
- The root's basic sense is swimming or moving/ranging freely (also used of travelling far and becoming remote); تسبيح extends this to 'removing' God far from any imperfection, i.e. declaring Him utterly transcendent.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
أول منَازِل الْقَوْم ذِكر الله كثيرًا وتسبيحه بُكرةً وأَصِيلًا،
The first stage of the journey is frequent remembrance of God and glorifying Him morning and evening.
وَتَسْبِيحُهُ — and glorifying Him. wa- = 'and'; tasbih means 'glorifying, praising'; the ending '-hu' adds 'Him' — 'and glorifying Him'.
From: Knowledge, Reverence, Obedience →وتسبيح الركوع والسجود كذلك أيضاً عند أحمد وغيره،
And the tasbih of bowing and prostration is likewise according to Ahmad and others.
وَتَسْبِيحُ — and the tasbih. 'and the glorifying (saying subhana rabbi) of' — 'wa' plus 'tasbih', fronted subject, nominative, head of an 'of' pairing with 'the bowing'; a form-II verbal noun.
From: Required Remembrance →وتسبيح الركوع
Related words
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