Islamic phrase · meaning and usage
Allahu Akbar meaning
Also written Allahu Akbar, Allah Akbar, Allahuakbar, Allaho Akbar
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu akbar
“Allah is greater”
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Allahu akbar (اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ) means “Allah is greater”: greater than anything, and greater than anything we can describe. It is the takbīr, said to begin every prayer and at each movement within it.
What Allahu Akbar means
Akbar is the comparative form of kabīr (great). Arabic leaves the comparison open: Allah is greater than everything, so nothing can compete with Him. “Allah is great” is a common translation but loses this sense.
For Muslims it is a phrase of worship and calm, heard in every adhan and said hundreds of times a day in prayer.
Word by word
| Arabic | Say | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| اللَّهُ | Allāhu | Allah |
| أَكْبَرُ | akbar | greater / greatest |
When to say it
- To begin the prayer (takbīrat al-iḥrām) and at each change of position.
- In the adhan and iqamah.
- 33 or 34 times after prayer and before sleep.
- On the days of Eid, in the takbir of Eid.
- When going uphill or climbing stairs.
- In joy or amazement.
How to reply
No reply is needed. When the muezzin says Allāhu akbar in the adhan, the listener repeats it after him (Sahih Muslim 385).
Where it comes from
In the Qur’an
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًۭى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍۢ فَعِدَّةٌۭ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.
وَقُلِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًۭا وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ شَرِيكٌۭ فِى ٱلْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّۭ مِّنَ ٱلذُّلِّ ۖ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًۢا
And say, "Praise to Allah, who has not taken a son and has had no partner in [His] dominion and has no [need of a] protector out of weakness; and glorify Him with [great] glorification."
In the hadith
“The key to prayer is purification, its opening is the takbir, and its closing is the taslim.”
Sunan Abi Dawud 61; Jami at-Tirmidhi 3
“When we went up we said Allahu akbar, and when we went down we said subhanAllah.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 2993
Before sleep: subhanAllah 33 times, alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu akbar 34 times.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5361
One of the four words most beloved to Allah.
Sahih Muslim 2137
Common mistakes
- Stretching the opening a. A drawn-out Āllāhu or ākbar turns the statement into a question. Keep the first vowel of each word short.
- Saying “Allahu akbār”. Stretching the second a gives a different word (scholars note it can mean drums). Say akbar with both vowels short.
- Translating it only as “God is great”. The Arabic is a comparative: “greater”.
Use it today
Frequently asked questions
What does Allahu akbar mean?
Allahu akbar means “Allah is greater”: greater than everything. It is called the takbir.
When do Muslims say Allahu akbar?
To start the prayer and at each movement in it, in the adhan, after prayer, before sleep, in the Eid takbir, when climbing, and in joy.
Is it Allahu akbar or Allah akbar?
The correct Arabic is Allāhu akbar, with the “u” ending on Allah. “Allah akbar” is a common shortening in speech.
What is the Eid takbir?
A repeated takbir said from the night before Eid until the Eid prayer: Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar wa lillāhil-ḥamd. Wordings vary slightly between schools.
Why is it said so often in prayer?
Each takbir marks a move from one position to the next. It reminds the one praying that Allah is greater than anything that could distract them.
Related phrases
How this page works and sources
Qur’an text and its English meaning are taken from the same Uthmani text and translation the Niyat app uses, and each ayah links to its place in our Qur’an reader. Hadith are cited by collection and number (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa’i, Sunan Ibn Majah); where a narration has a weak chain we say so. Hadith wording is summarised in plain English. Where the schools of law differ, the page says so in one line. The sound button uses your browser’s own Arabic voice; nothing is sent anywhere.
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