| الله أكبر | |
| Transcription: | Allahu Akbar |
| English Title: | God Is the Greatest |
| Prefix: | Former military anthem of the  Egyptian Armed ForcesFormer national |
| Country: |  Libya |
| Author: | Mahmoud El-Sherif |
| Lyrics Date: | 1955 |
| Composer: | Abdalla Shams El-Din |
| Music Date: | 1954 |
| Until: | 20 October 2011 |
| Predecessor: | "Walla Zaman Ya Selahy" (Egypt) |
| Successor: | "Libya, Libya, Libya" (Libya) |
| Adopted: | 1 September 1969 |
| Sound: | Allahu Akbar - Anthem of Gaddafi's Libya.ogg |
| Sound Title: | Allahu Akbar |
"Allahu Akbar" (Arabic: الله أكبر|lit=[[Takbir|God Is the Greatest]]) is an Egyptian pro-military patriotic song composed by songwriter Abdalla Shams El-Din in 1954 and written by poet Mahmoud El-Sherif in 1955. It was first used by the Egyptian Armed Forces as a marching song during the Suez Crisis in 1956. The song was also used as the national anthem of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi from 1969 to 2011.
"Allahu Akbar" was originally an Egyptian military marching song which became popular in Egypt and Syria during the Suez Crisis.[1] The lyrics were written by Mahmoud El-Sherif, and the music was composed by Abdalla Shams El-Din. The song continues to be popular among the Arab world.
"Allahu Akbar" was adopted as the official national anthem of the Libyan Arab Republic on 1 September 1969, by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, showing his hopes of uniting the Arab world. "Allahu Akbar" replaced the previous national anthem "Libya, Libya, Libya", which had been used by the Kingdom of Libya since its independence in 1951.
When the Libyan Arab Republic became the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on 2 March 1977, "Allahu Akbar" remained the national anthem of Libya. However, when Libya and Egypt broke off diplomatic relations following the latter's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, the Egyptian origins of the national anthem were no longer mentioned by official government sources.[2]
In 2011, the National Transitional Council again adopted "Libya, Libya, Libya" as the national anthem of Libya, following the civil war and killing of Muammar Gaddafi. Gaddafi loyalists continued to use the anthem.
| Arabic | Transliteration | IPA transcription | English translation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allāhu Akbar fawqa kaydi l-muʿtadīAllāhu li-l-maẓlūmi xayru muʾaydi Anā bi-l-yaqīni wa-bi-s-silāḥi saʾaftadīBaladī wa-nūru l-ḥaqqi yasṭaʿu fī yadīQūlū maʿī Qūlū maʿīAllāhu Allāhu Allāhu Akbar!Allāhu fawqa l-muʿtadī | God is greatest above plots of the aggressors! God is the best helper of the oppressed | With faith and with weapons I shall defend my country, And the light of truth will shine in my hand. Say with me, say with me: God, God, God is the greatest! God is above any attacker | ||||||
| Yā hađihi d-dunyā aṭillī w-asmaʿīJayšu l-aʿādī jāʾ yabgī maṣraʿī Bi-l-ḥaqqi sawfa arduhu wa-bumadfaʿīWa-iđā finīt fusūf afnīhi maʿīQūlū maʿī Qūlū maʿīAllāhu Allāhu Allāhu Akbar!Allāhu fawqa l-muʿtadī | Oh this world, watch and listen:The enemy came coveting my demise, I shall fight with truth and defences,And if I die, I'll take her with me!Say with me, say with me:God, God, God is the greatest | God is above any attacker! | ||||||
| Qūlū maʿī l-waylu li-l-mustaʿmiriWa-llāhu fawqa l-gāṣibi l-mutakabbiri Allāhu akbaru yā bilādī kabbirīWa-xuđī bin-aṣīyâti l-mugīri wa-dammirīQūlū maʿī Qūlū maʿīAllāhu Allāhu Allāhu Akbar!Allāhu fawqa l-muʿtadī | Say with me, down to the colonialists!And God is over the invader egotist. God is the greatest, my country, say with me:And behold of enemies forelock and destroy it. Say with me, say with me:God, God, God is the Greatest | God is above any attacker! | ||||||
| Allāhu akbar!Allāhu akbar | God is the greatest!God is the greatest |