The Meaning Of the Takbir (Saying Allāhu Akbar)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

The Meaning Of the Takbir (Saying Allāhu Akbar)

Explained by Dr Saleh as-Saleh رحمه الله 

Taken from his lessons Ṣalāh Described Lesson two, with the explanation of Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣāliḥ al-'Uthaymīn رحمه الله 

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Allāhu Akbar;

Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى is greater than anything in Himself, His names and Attributes, qualities and in every possible meaning comprise in this Takbir, Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى stated in Surat Az-Zumar 39:67

وَمَا قَدَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِۦ وَٱلْأَرْضُ جَمِيعًا قَبْضَتُهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ وَٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتُ مَطْوِيَّٰتٌۢ بِيَمِينِهِۦۚ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

“And They made not a just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified be He, and High be He above all that they associate as partners with Him!.”

And Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى the Most Mighty the Most Magnificent said in Surah al-Anbiya 21:104

يَوْمَ نَطْوِى ٱلسَّمَآءَ كَطَىِّ ٱلسِّجِلِّ لِلْكُتُبِۚ كَمَا بَدَأْنَآ أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُۥۚ وَعْدًا عَلَيْنَآۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا فَٰعِلِينَ

“And (remember) the Day when We shall roll up the heaven like a scroll rolled up for books. As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it.”

And the One Whose greatness is as such, then He is greater than everything. Allāh سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى states in Surah Al-Jathiyah 45:37;

وَلَهُ ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

“And His (Alone) is the Majesty in the heavens and the earth, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.”

Some of the scholars claim that the meaning of Allāh Akbar, is that it means Allāhu Kabīr, Allāh is great but this is a weak claim infact very weak because every person knows the different between Kabir and Akbar, between great and greater but they ran away from the issue of Al-Mufādala giving excellence over the creation, they run away from this, but this let them, such running away let to them to fall in that which is more evil from that which they run away from thinking that what they run away from is something not tricky why because it let them to bring a description of Allāh, Allāhu Kabīr, Allāh is Great, if we take by it on the apparent in this case, the created and the Creator would be the same. This is like their interpretation to the verse concerning the attributes of knowledge, Surah Al-Qalam 68:7

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ 

"Verily, your Lord is the Best Knower of him who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Knower of those who are guided".

They said we said we say Allāh is knower, they say we can say Allāh is knower, they want to run from this knows better or knows best. Because to them when you bring the format of preference and you say a'lamu, this indicates preference and a preferred upon and thus you will be comparing the Creator to the creation.

What's the hindering matter to say that Allāhu a'alam, Allāh knows better than anyone?

Allāhu Akbar is a noun of preference governing everything, Allāh is greater than everything.