Takbir

The Takbir ( ar, تَكْبِير, , "magnification f God) is the name for the Arabic phrase ' (, ), meaning "God is the greatest".

It is a common Arabic expression, used in various contexts by Muslims and Arabs around the world: in formal Salah (prayer), in the Adhan (Islamic call to prayer), in Hajj, as an informal expression of faith, in times of distress or joy, or to express resolute determination or defiance. The phrase is also used by Arab Christians.

Exegesis

The Arabic word () means ''great'' from the Semitic root '. The Arabic word () is the elative form (''greatest'') of the adjective ''kabīr''. When used in the it is usually translated as ''greatest'', but some authors translate it as ''greater''. The term ' itself is the stem II verbal noun of the triliteral root ', meaning "great", from which ''akbar'' "greater" is derived. The form ' is the nominative of ''Allah'', meaning 'God'.Böwering, Gerhard, ''God and His Attributes'', Encyclopaedia of the Qurʼān, Brill, 2007.

Usage in Islamic rituals

This phrase is recited by Muslims in many different situations. For example, when they are very happy, to express approval, to prevent a Muslim from becoming prideful by reminding them that Allah is their source of success, as a battle cry, or during times of extreme stress. The phrase is not found in the Quran, which does not describe God as ''akbar'', but uses the name ''al-Kabīr'' "The Great" or ''Kabīr'' "Great", commonly translated as "Most Great" (13:9, 31:30, 22:62, 34:23, 40:12, 4:34).

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.

While there are many short prayers like it, the takbir is used more frequently than any other.

Following births and deaths

The phrase is used after the birth of a child as a means of praising God. It is also part Islamic funeral and burial customs.

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.

During the halal slaughter of animals

The process of pronouncing the name of Allah while performing Dhabihah one must say "Bismillah Allahu Akbar".

Other social usage

The expression "Allah 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 Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr and at his funeral, the author observes that "Allahu Akbar" was said on both occasions.

In times of distress

The phrase is sometimes used during distress.

Just before Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crashed into the jungle near Medan, Indonesia, the pilot screamed "Aaaaaaah! ''Allāhu akbar''" into his radio. According to a radio communication transcript, the pilot's conversation with the air controller had been in English, but his last words as the plane crashed were the takbir.

In times of joy and gratitude

The takbir 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.

When Reshma Begum was discovered alive 17 days after the 2013 Savar building collapse in Bangladesh which killed 1129 people, crowds jubilantly cried "''Allāhu akbar''" to express their joy and gratitude that she had survived.

As a multi-purpose phrase, it is sometimes used by Arab football commentators as an expression of amazement, or even as a football chant.

In battle

Historically, the takbir has been used as a cry of victory. Ibn Ishaq's Life of Mohammed narrates at least two incidents in which it was so used.

"When the apostle raided a people he waited until the morning. If he heard a call to prayer he held back; if he did not hear it he attacked. We came to Khaybar by night, and the apostle passed the night there; and when morning came he did not hear the call to prayer, so he rode and we rode with him, and I rode behind Abu Talha with my foot touching the apostle's foot. We met the workers of Khaybar coming out in the morning with their spades and baskets. When they saw the apostle and the army they cried, 'Muhammad with his force,' and turned tail and fled. The apostle said, 'Allah akbar! Khaybar is destroyed. When we arrive in a people's square it is a bad morning for those who have been warned.'" (page 511) "So he got off his horse and came at him and 'Ali advanced with his shield. 'Amr aimed a blow which cut deeply into the shield so that the sword stuck in it and struck his head. But 'Ali gave him a blow on the vein at the base of the neck and he fell to the ground. The dust rose and the apostle heard the cry, 'Allah Akbar' and knew that 'Ali had killed him." (page 456)

In protest

During the Iranian Revolution of 1979, it was shouted from rooftops in Iran during the evenings as a form of protest. This practice returned in the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, which protested the election results.

Usage by extremists and terrorists

The phrase has sometimes been used as a battle cry by Muslim extremists. This usage has been denounced by other Muslims.

Professor Khaled A. Beydoun writes that the association of the phrase "Allah Akbar" with terrorism has been exacerbated by mass media and television pundits. He points out that fictional films and shows also utilize it as a cinematic trope further cementing the association.

Usage by Christians

The phrase is also used by Arabic-speaking Christians, "God" being translated "Allah" in Arabic. The phrase is used in liturgical contexts among Palestinian Orthodox Christians, and its use has been defended by Theodosios, the Palestinian Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia.

Use on flags

Afghanistan

The Afghan constitution that came into force on January 4, 2004, required that ''Allāhu akbar'' be inscribed on the Flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Afghanistan came under Taliban control following the 2021 offensive, and the Islamic Republic collapsed.

Iran

The phrase ''Allāhu akbar'' is written on the flag of Iran, as called for by Article 18 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The phrase appears 22 times on the flag, written on the borders of the central white stripe.

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) to Iraq's flag to boost his secular regime's religious credentials, casting himself as the leader of an Islamic army. Hussein described the flag as "the banner of jihad and monotheism".

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''. 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. 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.

Flags

File:Flag of Afghanistan (2013–2021).svg, Former flag of Afghanistan, with the phrase beneath the Shahada, used from 2004 to 2021
File:Flag of Iraq.svg, Flag of Iraq, with stylized Kufic script, introduced in 2008
File:Flag of Iran.svg, Flag of Iran, introduced in 1980

See also

*Dhikr
*Tasbih
* Tahmid
*Tahlil
* Tasmiyah
* Salawat
*Shahada
*Hallelujah
*Hallel
*Alláh-u-Abhá
*Deo optimo maximo

Notes

References

Books

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External links

Essay on the ''takbir''
at ''Slate''

{{Authority control

Arabic words and phrases
Battle cries
Islamic terminology
Superlatives in religion
Religious formulas