Words of Takbir and Authentic Narrations
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
Takbirāt (pronouncements of Allāhu Akbar) during Dhul-Ḥijjah and the Days of Tashrīq are a Sunnah established by the practice of the Sahābah (رضي الله عنهم). Though the wordings vary, all are acceptable and authentically reported.
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا
Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar Kabīrā
— [Al-Bayhaqī in As-Sunan al-Kubrā: 3/316 | Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/621]
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَأَجَلّ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْد
Allāhu Akbar Kabīrā, Allāhu Akbar Kabīrā, Allāhu Akbar wa Ajall, Allāhu Akbar wa Lillāhil-Ḥamd
— [Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/489 | Al-Kunā by Ad-Dūlābī: 1/124]
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْد
Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Lā ilāha illallāh, Wallāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, wa Lillāhil-Ḥamd
— [Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/488 | Ṭabarānī: 9/355 | Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 3/125 | Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/421 | Tamām al-Minnah: p.356]
Many prominent scholars and Imams — such as Aḥmad, Isḥāq, and the compilers of major Fiqh works — preferred the wording reported from Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه). This version was also favored in:
✔ Multiple authentic variations of Takbīrāt are established from the Sahābah, and all are permissible to recite.
✔ The most practiced and widely accepted version is the one narrated from Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه).
✔ It is recommended to recite them aloud, especially in the first ten days of Dhul-Ḥijjah and throughout the Days of Tashrīq (11th to 13th Dhul-Ḥijjah).
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
✦ Variants of Takbir as Reported from the Companions
Takbirāt (pronouncements of Allāhu Akbar) during Dhul-Ḥijjah and the Days of Tashrīq are a Sunnah established by the practice of the Sahābah (رضي الله عنهم). Though the wordings vary, all are acceptable and authentically reported.
➊ Takbir of Salman al-Farsi (رضي الله عنه)
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا
Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar Kabīrā
— [Al-Bayhaqī in As-Sunan al-Kubrā: 3/316 | Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/621]
➋ Takbir of Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما)
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَأَجَلّ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْد
Allāhu Akbar Kabīrā, Allāhu Akbar Kabīrā, Allāhu Akbar wa Ajall, Allāhu Akbar wa Lillāhil-Ḥamd
— [Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/489 | Al-Kunā by Ad-Dūlābī: 1/124]
➌ Takbir of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنهم)
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْد
Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Lā ilāha illallāh, Wallāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, wa Lillāhil-Ḥamd
— [Ibn Abī Shaybah: 1/488 | Ṭabarānī: 9/355 | Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 3/125 | Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/421 | Tamām al-Minnah: p.356]
✦ Scholarly Preference
Many prominent scholars and Imams — such as Aḥmad, Isḥāq, and the compilers of major Fiqh works — preferred the wording reported from Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه). This version was also favored in:
- Al-Umm by Imām ash-Shāfiʿī: 1/401
- Al-Majmūʿ by Imām an-Nawawī: 5/47
- Al-Mabsūṭ: 2/43
- Al-Hidāyah: 1/87
- Al-Mughnī: 3/290
- Bidāyat al-Mujtahid: 1/174
Summary
✔ Multiple authentic variations of Takbīrāt are established from the Sahābah, and all are permissible to recite.
✔ The most practiced and widely accepted version is the one narrated from Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه).
✔ It is recommended to recite them aloud, especially in the first ten days of Dhul-Ḥijjah and throughout the Days of Tashrīq (11th to 13th Dhul-Ḥijjah).
