The Tasbīḥ (Glorification) of Allah the Exalted: Its Meaning and Applications

Abstract

This research article examines the concept of tasbīḥ (glorification) of Allah the Exalted as treated in works of Islamic creed (ʿaqīdah), particularly within the chapter on the oneness of the divine names and attributes. The discussion is situated against the background of doctrinal disputes among the Muʿaṭṭilah, the Mushabbihah, and the Muʾawwilah, whose reinterpretations of the divine names and attributes prompted the Ahl al-Sunnah to treat tasbīḥ as a distinct topic within works on the names and attributes. Drawing on lexical sources, Qurʾānic verses, and hadith, the article defines tasbīḥ both linguistically and technically, and identifies four applications of the term in the Qurʾān and Sunnah: exaltation, prayer, remembrance, and exception. It further distinguishes two categories of tasbīḥ—transcendence (tanzīh) and exaltation of Allah’s majesty—and addresses two related issues: the tasbīḥ performed by all of creation, illustrated through relevant Qurʾānic verses, and the occasions on which tasbīḥ is prescribed within and outside the prayer. Three benefits of tasbīḥ are outlined on the basis of hadith: the forgiveness of sins, immense reward, and a heavy weighing on the scale on the Day of Resurrection. The article concludes by contrasting the orthodox understanding of tasbīḥ with the deviant conceptions held by polytheists and grave-worshippers, the Mumaththilah, the Muʿaṭṭilah (including the Jahmiyyah, Muʿtazilah, Kullābiyyah, and Ashʿariyyah), and the Qadariyyah, each of whom is shown to have distorted the meaning of tasbīḥ to accommodate their respective theological positions.