The takbīr (
Arabic: تَكْبِير, pronounced[tak.biːr],
lit.'magnification [of God]') is the name for the Arabic phrase Allāhu ʾakbar (
Arabic: ٱللَّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ, pronounced[ʔaɫ.ɫaː.huʔak.bar]ⓘ,
lit.'God is greater than everything').[1][2][3][4]
It is a common Arabic expression, used in various contexts by
Muslims and
Arabs around the world: in formal
Salah (prayer),[4] in the
Adhan (Islamic call to prayer),[5] in
Hajj, as an informal expression of faith, in times of distress or joy, or to express resolute determination or defiance. The phrase is the official motto of
Iran. It is also used by
Arab Christians.[6]
Etymology
The Arabic word كَبِير (kabīr) means big from the
Semitic rootk-
b-
r. A
cognate word for this root exists in
Hebrew as כביר (kabir). The Arabic word أَكْبَر (ʾakbar) is the
elative form (bigger) of the
adjectivekabīr. When used in the takbīr it is usually translated as biggest, but some authors translate it as bigger.[7][8][9] The term takbīr itself is the stem II
verbal noun of the root kbr, meaning "big", from which akbar "bigger" is derived. The form Allāhu is a
nominative of Allah, meaning '
God'.[10][11]
The takbīr is sometimes translated into English as "God is greater", which is short for "God is greater than all" (الله أَكْبَرُ من كلِّ شيء). It is an example of an Arabic idiom where an incomplete sentence, abbreviated because of its familiarity, is considered grammatically correct.[12]
Usage in Islamic rituals
This phrase is recited by
Muslims in many different situations.
In prayer
The phrase is said during each stage of both
salah (obligatory prayers, performed five times a day), and
nafl (supererogatory prayers, performed at will). The call to prayer by the muezzin to those outside the mosque (adhan) and the call to those inside to line up for the commencement of prayer (iqama) also contain the phrase.[5]
While there are many short prayers like it, the takbīr is used more frequently than any other.[13]
Following births and deaths
The phrase is used after the birth of a child as a means of praising God.[14] It is also part Islamic funeral and burial customs.[15]
During the Eid Festival and the Hajj
During the festival of
Eid al-Adha and the days preceding it, Muslims recite the takbīr. This is particularly the case on the
Day of Arafah.[16]
During the halal slaughter of animals
In the process of pronouncing the name of God while performing
Dhabihah one must say "Bismillah Allahu Akbar".[17]
Other social usage
The expression "Allāhu Akbar" can be used in a variety of situations, from celebrations to times of grief.
In a historical account by someone who was present both at the birth of the ruler
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (7th century) and at his funeral, the author observes that "Allahu Akbar" was said on both occasions.[18]
In times of joy and gratitude
The takbīr can be used to express joy or surprise. It is also used as applause in religious contexts, such as after a Quran recital, as other forms of applause are considered less appropriate.[19]
Historically, the takbīr has been used as a cry of victory during battle.[21]Ibn Ishaq's 8th century Life of Muhammed narrates two occasions when
Muhammad proclaimed the takbīr during battle.[22]
This usage has been denounced by other Muslims.[18][20]
Professor Khaled A. Beydoun, author of The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims,[27] writes that the association of the phrase "Allah Akbar" with terrorism has been exacerbated by mass media and television pundits. He adds that films and shows also utilize it as a
cinematic trope further cementing the association.[28]
Allāhu akbar is written in stylized form across the bottom of the green stripe and the top of the red stripe of the
flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, adopted in 1980.[33]
Iraq
The phrase Allāhu akbar is written on the center of the
flag of Iraq.
During the
Gulf War in January 1991,
Saddam Hussein held a meeting with top military commanders, where it was decided to add the words Allāhu akbar (described as the Islamic
battle cry)[34] to Iraq's flag to boost his secular regime's religious credentials, casting himself as the leader of an Islamic army.[35][36] Hussein described the flag as "the banner of jihad and monotheism".[37]
In 2004, the US-picked
Iraqi Governing Council approved a new flag for Iraq that abandoned symbols of Hussein's regime, such as the words Allāhu akbar.[35][38] In January 2008, however, Iraq's
parliament passed a law to change the flag by leaving in the phrase, but changing the
calligraphy of the words Allāhu akbar, which had been a copy of Hussein's handwriting, to a
Kufic script.[39][40] The Iraqi flag under Hussein had each of the two words of the phrase written in one of the spaces between the stars on the central band; the 2008 flag, while leaving the phrase in, removes the stars.
Other uses
A resistance movement that fought British rule in
Waziristan,
Pakistan, used a red flag bearing Allāhu akbar in white letters.[41]
^Wensinck, A.J., "Takbīr", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 09 September 2023 <
http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7330>
First published online: 2012
^E. W. Lane, Arabic English Lexicon, 1893, gives for kabir: "bigger, and biggest, in body, or corporeal substance, and in estimation or rank or dignity, and more, or most, advanced in age, older, and oldest"
(p. 2587)Archived October 7, 2016, at the
Wayback Machine.
^"The formula, as the briefest expression of the absolute superiority of the One God, is used in Muslim life in different circumstances, in which the idea of God, His greatness and goodness is suggested." Wensinck, A. J. The
Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition. Brill, 2000. Volume 10, T-U, p. 119, Takbir.
^Böwering, Gerhard, God and His Attributes, Encyclopaedia of the Qurʼān, Brill, 2007.
^[ McCarthy, Andrew C., "Cold Comfort on Islam and Apostasy; No one who's actually read the Afghan constitution should be surprised by the Abdul Rahman case", National Review, March 27, 2006, accessed February 11, 2010]
F. Steingass Ph.D., University of Munich (1870). Persian-English Dictionary, Including the Arabic words and phrases to be met with in literature. Beirut: Librairie Du Liban.