الله أكبر
Allahu akbar
In Arabic, the phrase for "allah is the greatest" is الله أكبر (Allahu akbar).
الله أكبر is an Islamic expression of praise and faith used to proclaim the supremacy of God.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of Allah (God) and akbar (greater/greatest).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word أكبر functions as both a comparative (greater) and a superlative (greatest) depending on the context.
How do you pronounce it?
Allahu akbar
Did you know?
- The phrase الله أكبر is used not only in prayer but as a spontaneous expression of joy, amazement or shock in many Arabic-speaking cultures.
- The word الله is a cognate with the Hebrew word 'elohah' and the Syriac 'alāhā'. These words all share a common ancestor in the ancient Proto-Semitic word *ʔil-.
- The word أكبر is built from the same root as words used to describe the physical size of objects or the age of an older sibling.
Examples in context
- الله أكبر!Allah is the greatest.Tatoeba #1937635 by LanguageExpert, translation #3145288 by Theocracy
Example conversation
Ziyad and Layla are looking at a beautiful mountain view.
- زياد Ziadانظري إلى هذا المنظر، الله أكبر!Unzuri ila hadha al-manzar, Allahu akbar!Look at this view, Allah is the greatest!
- ليلى Laylaفعلاً، سبحان الخالق.Fi'lan, subhan al-khaliq.Indeed, glory to the Creator.
- زياد Ziadعظمة الله تظهر في كل مكان.Azamat Allah tazhar fi kull makan.The greatness of Allah appears everywhere.
- ليلى Laylaنعم، الله أكبر من كل شيء.Na'am, Allahu akbar min kull shay.Yes, Allah is the greatest above all things.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أكبر, الله, الله أكبر, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
