Al-Jamil, Tariq

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Takbīroxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t236/e0980By:Tariq al-JamilSource:The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic WorldBibliographyThe Arabic word takbīr (a gerund from the root k-b-r) means “praise, extolment,glorification, magnification, celebration.” In religious use, takbīr refers to the uttering of thephrase Allāhu akbar (God is the Greatest). The use of the verb in this sense appears in theQurʿān in the imperfect active form yukabbiru in “He wants you to glorify Him because Hehas guided you” (2:185), and “He has subjected them to you, that you may glorify God”(22:37). The verb is also used in the imperative form kabbir (glorify your Lord; 74:3), and inboth the imperative and gerund forms with God as the object in the Qurʿān in “glorify Himwith glorification” (17:111).In Muslim religious practice, takbīr is used in a wide range of contexts. The description ofGod as akbar (the greatest) is an expression of God's transcendence as a central Muslimepistemological principle. The word akbar is used in the takbīr in the superlative sense toconvey the absolute, omnipotent, and noncontingent essence of God in relation to humanbeings.Takbīr is used frequently in religious devotion and social practice. The Islamic call to prayer(adhān) and the call to commence prayer (iqāmah) both contain the pronouncement oftakbīr. Prayer according to both the Shīʿī and Sunnī schools begins with the obligatory,consecratory expression of takbīr, takbīrat al-iḥrām. It is also recommended to recite takbīrafter each of the postures assumed successively during prayer. According to the Imāmī Shīʿīschool, it is recommended to end prayer by reciting takbīr three times.A formula of takbīr is recited on the eve of the last night of fasting during the month ofRamadan with the confirmation that the moon of the month of Shawwāl has been sighted.It is recommended to continue the recitation of takbīr until the beginning of the prayer thefollowing morning marking ʿĪd al-Fiṭr (festival of the breaking of the fast). Moreover, theProphet Muhammad is reported to have encouraged the recitation of takbīr throughout ḥajjrites, and more generally at the conclusion of a journey. Though there is disagreement over1/2the prescribed number based on variant ḥadīth texts, the funeral prayer has come tocontain the recitation of takbīr four times in Sunnī contexts and five times in Shīʿī funeralrites.In daily religious life and cultural expression takbīr has a wide range of usage, spanning allMuslim culture, ranging from commencing the lawful slaughter of animals, to expressingadulation and exuberance during a sermon or cultural performance, and conversely, evento communicating a sense of shock or distress upon learning of the death of a loved one.Kassis, Hanna E.A Concordance of the Qurʿān. Berkeley, Calif., 1983.Lane, Edward W.An Arabic-English Lexicon. London and Edinburgh, 1863–1893.Padwick, Constance E.Muslim Devotions: A Study of Prayer-Manuals in Common Use.London, 1961.2/2

Takbīr

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Takbīr

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