English: God Is the Greatest | |
---|---|
الله أكبر | |
![]() Sheet music | |
Former military anthem of the ![]() Former national anthem of ![]() | |
Lyrics | Mahmoud El-Sherif, 1955 |
Music | Abdalla Shams El-Din, 1954 |
Adopted | 1 September 1969 |
Relinquished | 20 October 2011 |
Preceded by | "Walla Zaman Ya Selahy" (Egypt) |
Succeeded by | "Libya, Libya, Libya" (Libya) |
Audio sample | |
Allahu Akbar |
"Allahu Akbar" (Arabic: الله أكبر, lit. '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.
History
[edit]Egyptian origins
[edit]"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.
Use in Libya
[edit]"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.
Lyrics
[edit]Arabic | Transliteration | IPA transcription | English translation |
---|---|---|---|
الله أكبر الله اكبر |
Allāhu Akbar! Allāhu Akbar! |
ɑlˁ.lˁɑː.hʊ æk.bɑr ɑlˁ.lˁɑː.hʊ æk.bɑr |
God is the greatest! God is the greatest! |
الله أكبر الله اكبر |
Allāhu Akbar! Allāhu Akbar! |
ɑlˁ.lˁɑː.hʊ æk.bɑr ɑlˁ.lˁɑː.hʊ æk.bɑr |
God is the greatest! God is the greatest! |
الله أكبر الله أكبر |
Allāhu akbar! Allāhu akbar! |
ɑlˁ.lˁɑː.hʊ æk.bɑr ɑlˁ.lˁɑː.hʊ æk.bɑr |
God is the greatest! God is the greatest! |
الله أكبر |
Allāhu akbar! |
al.laːhu akbar |
God is the greatest! |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Allahu Akbar: The Call to Jihad, Religious War, and Acts of Terrorism". sutori.com. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "Libya 1969-2011". nationalanthems.info. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
External links
[edit]- Online Museum, Syrian History.com. "Songs through History". Archived from the original on 11 December 2005. Retrieved 15 April 2006.