TASBÎH – تسبيح
From the root of س ب ح . This word expresses the dhikr of Subhânallah.
A declaring or remembrance of Allah, Who is Subhân, with the expressions that are worthy of His glory. The glorification of Allah, which is proclaiming He is purified and free from all faults in His essence, attributes and actions.
As for the sacred phrase, Subhânallah!; with its meaning of declaring Janâb-i Haqq free of sharik, fault, defect, dhulm, impotence, unkindness, need, and deception, and all faults opposed to His perfection (kamâl), beauty (jamâl), and glory (jalâl), it recalls eternal happiness and the realm of the âkhirah and Jannah within it, which are the means to glory and beauty and the perfection of His sovereignty’s majesty and; the phrase alludes to them and indicates them.
The Rays (254-255 )
The meaning of ‘ibâdah is this: At the Ilahî Court, the ‘abd performs sajda with amazement and love before the perfection of Rubûbiyah, the qoudrah of As-Samad and rahmah of Allah through seeing his own faults, impotence and poverty. That means, just as the sovereignty of Rubûbiyyah demands ‘ubûdiyyah and obedience, so too, the sacredness and purity of Rubûbiyyah demand that through seeing his own faults, with istighfâr, tasbîh and “Subhânallah”, the ‘abd may declare that his Rabb is pure and free of all deficiencies, and free of and exalted from the false (bâtil) ideas of the people of dhalâlah, and hallowed and exempt from all the faults of the universe.
The Ninth Word-2nd Subtle Point
One time, it occurred to me, why could wondrous individuals like Muhyiddin al-'Arabi not attain to the levels of the Sahâbah? Then, while saying, سُبْحَانَ رَبِّىَ اْلاَعْلٰى during the salâh, the meaning of the phrase was unfolded to me. Not in its complete meaning, but its haqiqah in part became apparent to me. I said in my heart: "If only I could perform one of the five salâh in the same way as this phrase, it would be better than a year's ‘ibâdah." After the salâh, I understood that that thought and state was guidance indicating that the Sahâbah’s degree in ‘ibâdah could not be reached. In that mighty social revolution brought about by the nûrs of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, while opposites were separated from one another, and sharr together with all their darkness, details and all who followed them, and khayr and perfections together with all their nûrs and results came face to face - at such an exciting time, all dhikr and tasbîh expressed all the levels of their meanings freshly and newly and in a young and unfaded fashion. So too, under the crashing of that mighty revolution, all the senses and ma’nawî subtle faculties of people were awakened, even senses like those of wahm, imagination and sirr, in an awakened and aware state, received the numerous meanings of those dhikr and tasbîh in accordance with their own perceptions and absorbed them.
Thus, due to this hikmah, when the Sahâbah, whose senses were awakened and subtle faculties, alert, uttered those blessed words comprising the nûrs of îmân and tasbîh, they did so in all their meaning and they partook of them with all their subtle faculties. However, after that revolution and upheaval, the subtle faculties have gradually sunk into sleep and the senses have fallen from that point of haqiqahs into ghaflah; like fruits, under the veil of familiarity, those blessed words have gradually lost their delicacy and freshness. Simply, as though drying up through the air of superficiality, only a little freshness remains, and this may be restored to its former state only through drastic surgery of a tafakkur kind. Thus, it is because of this that another can reach the fadhîlah and level the Sahâbah attained to in forty minutes, only in forty years.
The Words ( 506-507 )