سبحان الله
Subḥāna Allāh
Glory be to God: a declaration that God is free of every fault, said in praise or wonder on any occasion.
What it means
Subḥāna Allāh literally declares God far above any imperfection or any likeness to creatures. Muslims say it in wonder at something beautiful, in surprise, and in worship. Faruqi notes that it may be said on all occasions. The Quran uses the phrase often, as in “Glory be to God, above what they associate with Him” (23:91). The phrase is part of daily remembrance (dhikr). Many Muslims repeat it thirty-three times after the ritual prayer, together with al-ḥamdu li-llāh and Allāhu akbar. English renderings such as “Glory to God” are acceptable only as a gloss, because the Arabic stresses God’s freedom from fault, which affirms His oneness and transcendence.
Often misunderstood as
English “praise God” or “wow” captures the wonder but loses the meaning that God is far above every defect.
What the sources say
The Quran says that all creatures glorify Him but that human beings do not understand their glorification (17:44). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said that to say subḥāna Allāh is to plant a tree in Paradise (Jami al-Tirmidhi).
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 56, listed as SUBḤANA ALLAH.. The definition is restated here.