❖ The Wordings of Takbīrāt During ʿĪd: A Sharʿī Analysis
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Duʿā’, p. 479
◈ The Question:
Is it permissible to recite the phrase “اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ كَثِيرًا، وَسُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا“ as part of the ʿĪd Takbīrāt?
① Ruling on the Phrase in Question
✔ According to available evidence, this phrase is not authentically established as part of the ʿĪd Takbīrāt.
✔ However, it is authentically proven as a dhikr (remembrance) within Ṣalāh, specifically between the opening takbīr and recitation.
② Hadith Proving the Phrase in Ṣalāh
Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه:
While we were praying with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a man said:
“اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ كَثِيرًا، وَسُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا.”
The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Who said those words?’
The man replied, ‘I did.’
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘I was amazed by those words; the gates of heaven were opened for them.’
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 601)
✅ This confirms the virtue of the phrase within prayer, but not in the context of ʿĪd Takbīrāt.
③ 3 Sunnah-Based Wordings of Takbīrāt for ʿĪd
These are the authentic and traceable phrases used by the Companions for ʿĪd Takbīr:
1. Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه:
“اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، وَأَجَلُّ، اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلّٰهِ الْحَمْدُ“
(Source: Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/168, Ḥadīth 5645; Al-Sunan al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī 3/316)
2. Salmān al-Fārsī رضي الله عنه:
“اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا“
(Source: Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/168; Al-Sunan al-Kubrā 3/316)
3. Sayings of the Tābiʿīn (e.g. Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī):
“اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ، وَاللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلّٰهِ الْحَمْدُ“
⚠ Note:
This narration appears in Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī (2/49, Ḥadīth 1721), but contains the narrator ʿAmr ibn Shimr, who is declared a liar and fabricator by critics like Imām al-Dhahabī, hence the narration is Mawḍūʿ (fabricated).
✅ However, the same phrase is found with authentic isnād from Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī, a reliable Tābiʿī.
(Source: Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/167, Ḥadīth 5649 — Ṣaḥīḥ isnād)
✔ Conclusion
➊ The phrase:
“اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ كَثِيرًا، وَسُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا“
is authentic for prayer, but not proven for ʿĪd Takbīrāt.
➋ For ʿĪd Takbīrāt, it is best to adhere to the wordings used by the Companions, as they are closer to the Sunnah.
➌ Avoid reciting phrases in ʿĪd Takbīrāt that lack prophetic or companion-based evidence, even if they sound meaningful.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
