On the phrase, "Allahu Akbar" الله أكبر

written :Yasir Qadhi

 

On the phrase, "Allahu Akbar" الله أكبر

During these days, there is no question that of the greatest and most encouraged and most blessed deeds is the constant dhikr of Allah, and of these adhkār, the one that has been explicitly linked and encouraged in these days is the takbīr.

Saying 'Allah Akbar' is something that Muslims do constantly, yet few appreciate its profundity.

It was the first dhikr to be commanded by Allah in the Quran, in the second revelation, "And your Lord: magnify Him" وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ [Mudathir;3].

It is the dhikr that we have been commanded to begin each and every prayer with, and we use to move between every pillar within the prayers.

It is the dhikr that we begin and end our adhān with.

It is the dhikr that is the hallmark of our Eid celebrations and festivals.

It is the dhikr that is said at any happy occasion and at every manifest victory.

It is the dhikr that is most associated with our religion.

Saying it brings courage, verbalizing it grants us comfort, invoking it reinvigorates faith.

But what does it mean? The phrase intentionally has 'missing' parts to it from a grammatical standpoint. Typically, such a phrase in Arabic would be restricted with the entity that it is being compared with, and the aspect that is the subject of comparison. If it were done for any human being, for example, a similar grammatical sentence would read 'Ahmed is better than his classmates in maths.' Even if a specific aspect is not verbalized, it is impossible that a created entity is better than all other entities, and hence the restriction of both entity and concept would be understood by context.

When it comes to the takbīr, however, the entity that is being preferred over, and the aspect of how it is being preferred over, are both left blank, unconditionally. The 'missing' parts are intended, BECAUSE YOU CAN FILL IN THOSE PARTS WITH ANYTHING, and you would be correct. There is no restriction on any aspect of Allah, with respect to any of the creation.

So when you face an enemy, " الله أكبر: Allah is more powerful than any foe."
When you worship Allah, " الله أكبر: Allah is worthy of far more veneration than I can possible give him."
When you see a victory, " الله أكبر: this victory is a manifestation of Allah's might, and Allah's might is infinitely more mighty than this victory."
When you see an evil, " الله أكبر: Allah is negated from this evil; Allah is greater that this evil be done and He can get rid of this evil."
When you are in a difficult situation, " الله أكبر: Allah is the One who can easily deal with this situation, no difficulty is difficult for Allah to resolve."

And so forth. By saying the takbīr, Allah is glorified, unconditionally, in all aspects, against any other being.

الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر لا اله الا الله
الله أكبر الله أكبر ولله الحمد الله