Takbir

Etymology

The Arabic word كَبِير (ar) means big from the Semitic root ar. A cognate word for this root exists in Hebrew as כביר (he). The Arabic word أَكْبَر (ar) is the elative form ("bigger, biggest") of the adjective ar ("big"). When used in the ar it is usually translated as "biggest", but some authors translate it as "bigger". The term ar itself is the stem II verbal noun of the root ar, meaning "big", from which akbar "bigger" is derived. The form ar is a nominative of Allah, meaning "God".

The ar 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.

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.

While there are many short prayers like it, the ar 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 of 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 ar. This is particularly the case on the Day of Arafah.

During the halal slaughter of animals

In the process of pronouncing the name of God while performing Dhabihah one must say ar.

Other social usage

The expression ar 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 ar was said on both occasions.

In times of joy and gratitude

The ar 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.

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

Brunei

On 1 January 1984, Begawan Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien led the masses of people who chanted the takbir to celebrate the restoration of independence.

In battle

Historically, the ar has been used as a cry of victory during battle. Ibn Ishaq's 8th century Life of Muhammed narrates two occasions when Muhammad proclaimed the ar during battle.

Iran

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

Bangladesh

In December 2025, a mob attacked the office of The Daily Star in Farmgate, Dhaka. Chanting slogans such as “Nara-e-Takbir” and “Allahu Akbar,” they smashed glass panels, dragged out chairs, tables, and papers, and set them on fire.

Usage by extremists and terrorists

The phrase has been used as a battle cry by Islamic extremists and terrorists. However, this usage has been denounced by other Muslims.

Professor Khaled A. Beydoun, author of The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims (2023), 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.

In politics

In India, Asaduddin Owaisi, president of the AIMIM and Abu Taher Khan, representing TMC, after being elected as members of the Indian Parliament, ended their oath with the slogan of "Allahu Akbar".

Usage by Christians

The phrase (Allah; meaning God in English) is recited by Arabic speaking Orthodox Christians as an expression of their faith. The Palestinian 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 by Theodosios Hanna, 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. After the 2021 Taliban offensive, the flag of the first emirate was readopted, and thus the takbīr removed from the flag.

Iran

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.

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 flag adopted in 2008 kept the phrase and removed the stars.

Other uses

A resistance movement that fought British rule in Waziristan, Pakistan, used a red flag bearing Allāhu akbar in white letters.

The flag used by the Houthis in Yemen also includes bearing Allāhu akbar in green letters.

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 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 Waziristan resistance (1930s).svg|Flag of 1930s Waziristan (Pakistan) resistance movement

References

Sources

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