سُبْحَانٌ
Root: سبح
Full Definition
سُبْحَانٌ
is the Verbal.Noun of سَبَحَ as syn. with سَبَّحَ [q. v.]; and is a subst. that [sometimes] stands in the place of the Verbal.Noun of the latter of these verbs, i. e. in the sense of تَسْبِيحٌ.
2 سُبْحَانَ is a proper name in the sense of التَّسْبِيح, and [for this reason, and also because it ends with ا and ن,] it is imperfectly decl., and is also invariable; being put in the accus. case in the manner of an Verbal.Noun You say سُبْحَانَ ٱللّٰهِ, meaning I declare [or celebrate or extol] the remoteness, or freedom, of God [from every imperfection or impurity, or from everything derogatory from his glory, i. e.] from the imputation of there being any equal to Him, or any companion, or anything like unto Him, or anything contrary to Him; or from everything that should not be imputed to Him: [I declare, or celebrate, or extol, his absolute perfection or glory or purity: or extolled be his absolute perfection &c.:] or I declare the remoteness of God, or his freedom (بَرَآءَة), from evil, or from every evil; and [especially] from the imputation of his having a female companion, and offspring: or I declare God's being very far removed from all the foul imputations of those who assert a plurality of gods: [it sometimes implies wonder, and may well be rendered how far is God from every imperfection! &c.:] in this case, سبحان is a determinate noun; i. e., a generic proper name, for التَّسْبِيح, like as بَرَّةُ is for البِرُّ. Zj says, it is put in the accus. case in the manner of an Verbal.Noun; i. e., as the absolute complement of a verb understood; the phrase with the verb supplied being أُسَبِّحُ ٱللّٰهَ سُبْحَانَهُ; meaning أُبَرِّئُ ٱللّٰهَ مِنَ السُّوْءِ بَرَآءَةً; سبحان thus supplying the place of the verb: accord. to Ibn-El-Hájib and others, when it is prefixed to another noun or pronoun, governing it in the gen. case, it is a quasi-Verbal.Noun; and when not so prefixed, it is a proper name, imperfectly decl.: but to this it is objected that a proper name may be thus prefixed for the purpose of distinction, as in the instances of حَاتِمُ طَيِّئٍ and زَيْدُ الفَوَارِسِ: some say that it is an Verbal.Noun of an obsolete verb; but this assertion is not to be regarded; for, as an Verbal.Noun, its verb is سَبَحَ, like شَكَرَ of which the Verbal.Noun is شُكْرَانٌ: others say that it may be an Verbal.Noun of سَبَّحَ, though far from being agreeable with analogy: and some derive it from السَّبْحُ as signifying “ the act of swimming, ” or “ the being quick, or swift, ” or “ the being, or becoming, remote, ” &c.: [hence F adds,] or the phrase above-mentioned denotes quickness in betaking oneself to God, and agility in serving, or obeying, Him; [and therefore may be rendered I betake myself quickly to the service of God, and am prompt in obeying Him;] so accord. to ISh, to whom a man presented himself in a dream, and indicated this explanation of the phrase, deriving it from سَبَحَ الفَرَسُ [“ the horse ran stretching forth his fore legs, as one does with his arms in swimming ”]. فَسُبْحَانَ ٱللّٰهِ حِينَ تُمْسُونَ وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُونُ, [in which سبحان is used in the place of the Verbal.Noun of سَبَّحَ, and سَبِّحُوا is understood before it,] in the Kur [xxx. 16], means Therefore perform ye prayer to God [or declare ye the remoteness of God from every imperfection &c.] when ye enter upon the time of evening and when ye enter upon the time of daybreak. And سُبْحَانَ ٱللّٰهِ عَمَّا يَصِفْونَ, in the Kur xxiii. 93, means Far [or how far] is God from that by which they describe Him! One says also, سُبْحَانَكَ ٱللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ, meaning سَبَّحْتُكَ بِجَمِيعِ آلَائِكَ وَبِحَمْدِكَ سَبَّحْتُكَ [i. e. I glorify Thee by enumerating all thy benefits, and by the praising of Thee I glorify Thee]. (Mgh. [See also the prep. بِ.])
3 سُبْحَانَ مِنْ كَذَا, or سُبْحَانَ ٱللّٰهِ مِنْ كَذَا, and سُبْحَانَ مِنْ فُلَانٍ, are phrases expressive of wonder at a thing and a person; originating from God's being glorified (أَنْ يُسَبَّحَ ٱللّٰهُ) at the sight of what is wonderful of his works, and afterwards, by reason of its being frequently said, employed in relation to anything at which one wonders; meaning [I wonder greatly at such a thing and such a person; as is shown by what follows; or] how extraordinary, or strange, is such a thing [and such a person!]. El-Aashà says, [I saying, when his boasting reached me, I wonder greatly at' Alkameh the boasting]; i. e. العَجَبُ مِنْهُ, or [rather] عَجَبًا لَهُ [for أَعْجَبُ عَحَبًا لَهُ], lit. I wonder with wondering at him; [or how extraordinary a person is 'Alkameh the boasting !:] سبحان being without tenween because it is regarded by them as a determinate noun, and having a resemblance to a fem. noun: [though in what quality it resembles a fem. noun, except in its being of one of the measures of broken pls., I do not know:] or it is imperfectly decl. because it is a determinate noun, being a proper name for البَرَآءَة and التَّنْزِيه, and because of the addition of the ا and ن: this is the true reason: but some hold that it is rendered determinate by its being prefixed to a noun understood, governing it in the gen. case; the complete phrase being سُبْحَانَ ٱللّٰهِ مِنْ عَلْقَمَةَ.
4 سُبْحَانًا, thus with tenween, as an indeterminate noun, occurs in the phrase سُبْحَانَهُ ثُمَّ سُبْحَانًا, in a poem of Umeiyeh.
def.2 سُبْحَان is also used in the sense of نَفْس, in the saying أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا فِى سُبْحَانِكَ [Thou art possessed of more, or most, knowledge of that which is in thine own mind].
2 سُبْحَانَ is a proper name in the sense of التَّسْبِيح, and [for this reason, and also because it ends with ا and ن,] it is imperfectly decl., and is also invariable; being put in the accus. case in the manner of an Verbal.Noun You say سُبْحَانَ ٱللّٰهِ, meaning I declare [or celebrate or extol] the remoteness, or freedom, of God [from every imperfection or impurity, or from everything derogatory from his glory, i. e.] from the imputation of there being any equal to Him, or any companion, or anything like unto Him, or anything contrary to Him; or from everything that should not be imputed to Him: [I declare, or celebrate, or extol, his absolute perfection or glory or purity: or extolled be his absolute perfection &c.:] or I declare the remoteness of God, or his freedom (بَرَآءَة), from evil, or from every evil; and [especially] from the imputation of his having a female companion, and offspring: or I declare God's being very far removed from all the foul imputations of those who assert a plurality of gods: [it sometimes implies wonder, and may well be rendered how far is God from every imperfection! &c.:] in this case, سبحان is a determinate noun; i. e., a generic proper name, for التَّسْبِيح, like as بَرَّةُ is for البِرُّ. Zj says, it is put in the accus. case in the manner of an Verbal.Noun; i. e., as the absolute complement of a verb understood; the phrase with the verb supplied being أُسَبِّحُ ٱللّٰهَ سُبْحَانَهُ; meaning أُبَرِّئُ ٱللّٰهَ مِنَ السُّوْءِ بَرَآءَةً; سبحان thus supplying the place of the verb: accord. to Ibn-El-Hájib and others, when it is prefixed to another noun or pronoun, governing it in the gen. case, it is a quasi-Verbal.Noun; and when not so prefixed, it is a proper name, imperfectly decl.: but to this it is objected that a proper name may be thus prefixed for the purpose of distinction, as in the instances of حَاتِمُ طَيِّئٍ and زَيْدُ الفَوَارِسِ: some say that it is an Verbal.Noun of an obsolete verb; but this assertion is not to be regarded; for, as an Verbal.Noun, its verb is سَبَحَ, like شَكَرَ of which the Verbal.Noun is شُكْرَانٌ: others say that it may be an Verbal.Noun of سَبَّحَ, though far from being agreeable with analogy: and some derive it from السَّبْحُ as signifying “ the act of swimming, ” or “ the being quick, or swift, ” or “ the being, or becoming, remote, ” &c.: [hence F adds,] or the phrase above-mentioned denotes quickness in betaking oneself to God, and agility in serving, or obeying, Him; [and therefore may be rendered I betake myself quickly to the service of God, and am prompt in obeying Him;] so accord. to ISh, to whom a man presented himself in a dream, and indicated this explanation of the phrase, deriving it from سَبَحَ الفَرَسُ [“ the horse ran stretching forth his fore legs, as one does with his arms in swimming ”]. فَسُبْحَانَ ٱللّٰهِ حِينَ تُمْسُونَ وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُونُ, [in which سبحان is used in the place of the Verbal.Noun of سَبَّحَ, and سَبِّحُوا is understood before it,] in the Kur [xxx. 16], means Therefore perform ye prayer to God [or declare ye the remoteness of God from every imperfection &c.] when ye enter upon the time of evening and when ye enter upon the time of daybreak. And سُبْحَانَ ٱللّٰهِ عَمَّا يَصِفْونَ, in the Kur xxiii. 93, means Far [or how far] is God from that by which they describe Him! One says also, سُبْحَانَكَ ٱللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ, meaning سَبَّحْتُكَ بِجَمِيعِ آلَائِكَ وَبِحَمْدِكَ سَبَّحْتُكَ [i. e. I glorify Thee by
3 سُبْحَانَ مِنْ كَذَا, or سُبْحَانَ ٱللّٰهِ مِنْ كَذَا, and سُبْحَانَ مِنْ فُلَانٍ, are
أَقُولُ لَمَّا جَآءَنِى فَخْرُهُ سُبْحَانَ مِنْ عَلْقَمَةَ الفَاخِر
4 سُبْحَانًا, thus with tenween, as an indeterminate noun, occurs in the phrase سُبْحَانَهُ ثُمَّ سُبْحَانًا, in a poem of Umeiyeh.
def.2 سُبْحَان is also used in the sense of نَفْس, in the saying أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا فِى سُبْحَانِكَ [Thou art possessed of more, or most, knowledge of that which is in thine own mind].