SWT in Islam
SWT stands for an honorific phrase for the Muslim God Allah سبحانه وتعالى. SWT, or subhanahu wa ta’ala, is a phrase that follows the name of God, Allah سبحانه وتعالى. It means “Glory to Him, the exalted,” or “Glorified and exalted is he.” Muslims use this phrase to honor their creator and help remember that Allah سبحانه وتعالى is above all else and all understanding. While Allah سبحانه وتعالى is often referred to by the male pronoun “he,” Allah سبحانه وتعالى is not male, and should not be thought of as a man (or any kind of person). The word “Allah” encompasses everything—it cannot have a gender, nor can it be plural. As is said in Qu’ran 42:11, “There is nothing alike unto Him, and He is the hearing, and the seeing.” Many descriptions of God (across religions) get assigned the male pronoun in English translation since that has historically been the preferred “general” pronoun.
Some Muslims believe using SWT isn’t respectful. When you read or write “SWT,” it should only act as a reminder to invoke the full phrase. Some people fear that using SWT instead of writing سبحانه وتعالى or subhanahu wa ta’ala makes it so people forget to actually glorify Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
SAW, PBUH, RA, & AS
SAW When saying the name of the prophet Muhammed (peace be unto him), the Qu’ran tells us to ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to bless him. In Arabic, you say Sallallahu alayhi wa salaam صلى الله عليه وسلم, or Allah bless him and grant him peace, after his name. Once again, it is more respectful to write out the entire phrase than the acronym.
PBUH PBUH also follows the name of Muhammed (peace be unto him). It stands for an English translation of Sallallahu alayhi wa salaam صلى الله عليه وسلم—peace be unto him.
RA RA or radhi Allahu ‘anhu, follows the names of sahaba, or friends and companions of the prophet Muhammed, peace be unto him, and awliya, true followers of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. It means “May Allah be pleased with him.” For female sahaba and awliya, it stands for radhi Allahu ‘anha, which is feminine.
AS AS, alaihis salaam, عَلَیهِالسَّلام, literally translates to “Peace be upon him,” and is used after the names of the archangels and all prophets other than Muhammed, peace be upon him.
SWT, GGG, & ENM in Dating
SWT means sex without trouble. If you see SWT in a dating app profile, it means something similar to “No strings attached—” whoever you’re looking at doesn’t want to get wrapped up in another person’s life; they just want to hook up.
GGG means “Good, giving, game.” GGG, an acronym coined by Dan Savage, means that 1) you’re good in bed, 2) you give to your partner as much as you receive, and 3) you're game for trying new things, within reason. If you see GGG on a dating profile, that likely means that they’re looking for sex.
ENM means ethical non-monogamy. You may also see CNM, or consensual non-monogamy. This means that the person is open to having multiple partners, may already have a partner, and openly communicates and has a polyamorous practice (with boundaries and rules included) in place. ENM doesn’t necessarily mean that the person wants to get into a committed relationship with you, however. Some ENM relationships are just “open,” which can mean that either partner can have sex and casual relationships with other people, but not full partnerships.
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