40 / The Meaning of Tasbīh (Glorifying Allah)

There can be no doubt that tasbīh is one of the important principles and firm foundations upon which belief concerning knowledge of the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and His names and attributes is built. Belief regarding the names and attributes rests upon two great principles and firm foundations: affirming the attributes without likening them to those of creation, and declaring Allah free of any resemblance to created beings without negating His attributes.

Tasbīh means declaring Allah free of all imperfection. The word derives from sabh, which denotes distance. Al-Azharī said in Tahdhīb al-Lugha: “To declare Allah free of evil means to regard it as far removed from Him; likewise, to glorify Him means to regard it as far removed from Him. This derives from the expression, ‘I traveled through the land,’ meaning that one went far into it. From the same root are the words of Allah, Glorious and Exalted: ‘Each floats along in an orbit’ 1, and His words: ‘And by those who glide along swiftly’ 2.” 3.

Thus, tasbīh means keeping all attributes of imperfection from being ascribed to Allah and declaring the Lord—glory be to Him—free of evil and everything unbefitting Him. “Among the Arabs, the fundamental meaning of glorifying Allah is to declare Him free of having anything ascribed to Him that is not among His attributes, and to absolve Him of it.”4.

This meaning is also given in the explanation of tasbīh in a hadith traced back to