Islamic words for kids · Wow moments

What does SubhanAllah mean?

“SubhanAllah” means “glory be to Allah” — Allah is perfect. We say it when something in Allah's creation amazes us, like a sunset or a starry sky.

Ages 2–8AudioWord by wordSong

Teacher review under way.

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ

SubhanAllah

“Glory be to Allah”

Word by word

What each part of SubhanAllah means

سُبْحَانَsubhanaglory be to — perfect is
اللَّهِAllahAllah

Read the boxes from right to left, just like the Arabic.

For little ones

What it means

“Allah is perfect — wow!”

Did you know? SubhanAllah praises Allah for being perfect — so it's the word for “wow” at Allah's creation.

The moments

When we say it

Seeing a sunset, the stars or a rainbow
Watching a tiny ant or a big whale
After salah, in dhikr
Whenever something in Allah's creation amazes us

Du'as that use it: Du'a for travelling

Teach it

How to teach SubhanAllah in 3 steps

Step 1: Go on a “SubhanAllah walk” and say it at every amazing thing you find.
Step 2: Look at something tiny together with a magnifying glass — then say it.
Step 3: Count it on fingers or tasbih beads after salah, the way grown-ups do.

Sing itSalaam Song — Say Assalamu Alaikum!A NoorHop sing-along that practises these words — play it at the real moment.Watch the song →PlayWhat do we say?Hear a little story and choose what we say — is it SubhanAllah? A playful check after practising.Play free →More wordsAll Islamic wordsBismillah, InshaAllah, MashaAllah and more — with audio.See them all →

Questions parents ask

What's the difference between SubhanAllah and MashaAllah?

SubhanAllah praises Allah's perfection — “wow, Allah!” MashaAllah says a good thing happened because Allah willed it — often about something someone has or did.

How many times do we say it after salah?

A well-known hadith teaches SubhanAllah 33 times after each salah, with Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 33 times, then “La ilaha illallah…” to make 100 (Sahih Muslim 597). Another hadith gives Allahu Akbar 34 times (Sahih Muslim 596). Families follow different ways — ask your teacher.

Sources: Sahih Muslim 597 · Sahih Muslim 596

Qur'an references are checked on quran.com and hadith on sunnah.com; a teacher review is under way. Families and madhhabs differ on some details — ask your teacher.

Printable

Sun and Moon for Kids: Look What Allah Made

A “Look what Allah made!” science poster about the sun and the moon: part of Qur'an 36:40 on each one swimming in its own orbit, four simple facts, and a reminder to say SubhanAllah.

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Parent tool