It is a common Arabic expression, used in various contexts byMuslims around the world: in formalsalah (prayer),[4] in theadhan (Islamic call to prayer),[5] inHajj, 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 ofIran andIraq. It is also used by OrthodoxArab Christians as an expression of faith.[6]
takbīr innastaʿlīqThe Takbir written in Thuluth scriptTakbir in Naskh script
The Arabic wordكَبِير (kabīr) meansbig from theSemitic rootk-b-r. Acognate word for this root exists inHebrew asכביר (kabir). The Arabic wordأَكْبَر (ʾakbar) is theelative form ("bigger, biggest") of theadjectivekabīr ("big"). When used in thetakbīr it is usually translated as "biggest", but some authors translate it as "bigger".[7][8][9] The termtakbīr itself is the stem IIverbal noun of the rootk-b-r, meaning "big", from whichakbar "bigger" is derived. The formAllāhu is anominative ofAllah, meaning "God".[10][11]
Thetakbīr 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]
The phrase is said during each stage of bothsalah (obligatory prayers, performed five times a day), andnafl (supererogatory prayers, performed at will). The call to prayer by themuezzin 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, thetakbīr is used more frequently than any other.[13]
Allāhu akbar in a memorial,Desouk,EgyptAllāhu akbar in Arabic calligraphy seen onImam Ali Mosque architecture (center of the Iwan), 1994A sign withAllāhu akbar written on the side of a road in Iran
The expressionAllāhu ʾakbar 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 rulerAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (7th century) and at his funeral, the author observes thatAllāhu ʾakbar was said on both occasions.[18]
Thetakbīr 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]
It is used to celebrate an election win.[20][21]As a multi-purpose phrase, it is sometimes used by Arab football commentators as an expression of amazement, or even as afootball chant.[22]
Historically, thetakbīr has been used as a cry of victory during battle.[24]Ibn Ishaq's 8th centuryLife of Muhammed narrates two occasions whenMuhammad proclaimed thetakbīr during battle.[25]
ProfessorKhaled A. Beydoun, author ofThe New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims (2023),[31] 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 cinematictrope further cementing the association.[32]
The phrase (Allah; meaning God in English) is only used byArab Christians in third person view, and is rarely mentioned during prayers or church service.[citation needed] ThePalestinian Christians use Allah in their prayer to refer to the creator of the world, and the takbir as an expression of their faith. The use of takbir has been defended byTheodosios Hanna, the Palestinian OrthodoxArchbishop ofSebastia.[34]
Allāhu akbar is written in stylized form across the bottom of the green stripe and the top of the red stripe of theflag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, adopted in 1980.[37]
The phraseAllāhu akbar is written on the center of theflag of Iraq.
During theGulf War in January 1991,Saddam Hussein held a meeting with top military commanders, where it was decided to add the wordsAllāhu akbar (described as the Islamicbattle cry)[38] to Iraq's flag to boost his secular regime's religious credentials, casting himself as the leader of an Islamic army.[39][40] Hussein described the flag as "the banner of jihad and monotheism".[41]
In 2004, the US-pickedIraqi Governing Council approved a new flag for Iraq that abandoned symbols of Hussein's regime, such as the wordsAllāhu akbar.[39][42] In January 2008, however, Iraq'sparliament passed a law to change the flag by leaving in the phrase, but changing thecalligraphy of the wordsAllāhu akbar, which had been a copy of Hussein's handwriting, to aKufic script.[43][44] 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 flag adopted in 2008 decided to leave the phrase in, removes the stars.
^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 2023doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7330First published online: 2012
^E. W. Lane,Arabic English Lexicon, 1893, gives forkabir: "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 theWayback 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.TheEncyclopaedia 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.
^"'We Have Some Planes'".9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. 2004.Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. RetrievedMay 30, 2008.
^Beydoun, Khaled A. (21 March 2023).The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims. Univ of California Press.ISBN978-0520356306.
^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]
Rohi Baalbaki (1995).Al-Mawrid (7th ed.). Beirut: Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin.ISBN9953-9023-1-3.
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.
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