After reciting the اِسْتِعاذَة, the بَسمَلة, followed by the prescribed surahs from the Qur’an, we once again refocus by reminding ourselves that الله أكبرُ - Allah is Greater than any distractions that may have crept into our minds, and proceed to position ourselves into the ركوع, the bowing position.
While in this position, we recite سبحان ربي العظيم - usually translated as “Glory be to my Lord, the Most Supreme.”
We have already seen the meaning of سبحان when we looked at the opening supplication, that it implies the recognition of Allah’s absolute perfection and distancing Him from every deficiency and shortcoming. The word العظيم comes from the root ع ظ م which indicates greatness and strength, firmness, and solidity.
And so, it is profoundly appropriate that we recall Allah's strength and majesty precisely when we find ourselves in the most physically unbalanced and vulnerable stance during prayer.
So when we say سبحان ربي العظيم we are essentially saying, “In this humble and vulnerable posture, with my head and body lowered in submission before You, my Lord, I acknowledge Your absolute perfection. I remove from You any imperfection and fully recognise, in contrast, Your unwavering strength, solidity and firmness.”