How to do takbir

The takbir of Hari Raya is very close to the heart of our Muslim community with its sentimental melody as recited by our Malay community. It manages to capture the heartfelt and sweet moment of victory after a month of fasting and striving to be the best version of ourselves.

Takbir is essentially an Arabic word that means to proclaim the greatness of Allah s.w.t. Every day, we witness and proclaim the greatness of Allah in our five daily prayers. On Hari Raya Aidilfitri, it is part of the sunnah to recite the takbir to celebrate Aidilfitri and express our gratitude to Allah s.w.t. after blessing us with the holy month of Ramadan.

Allah s.w.t. says in the Quran, in the very same verse regarding the month of Ramadan:

وَلِتُكمِلُوا العِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلىٰ ما هَداكُم وَلَعَلَّكُم تَشكُرونَ

“So that you may complete the prescribed period (of fasting in the month of Ramadan) and proclaim the greatness of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you will be grateful.”

(Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:185)

Let's enliven the eve and morning of Hari Raya Aidilfitri by increasing the recitation of Takbir Raya together with our loved ones and fellow brothers and sisters of faith. Both men and women can both recite the takbir.

In this article, we have prepared for you a guide to reciting the takbir:

 اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu Akbar، Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar
Allah is the Greatest x 3
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَللهِ الْحَمْدُ
Lā ilāha illallāhu wallāhu Akbar، Allāhu Akbar walillāhil-hamd
There is no god but Allah and Allah is The Greatest, Allah is The Greatest and all praises be to Allah

(To be recited 3 times)

________ 

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu Akbar، Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar
Allah is the Greatest x 3
 اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيْرًا، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كَثِيْرًا،  وَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيْلاً
Allāhu Akbar kabirā, Walhamdulillāhi kathīrā، Wasubhānallāhi bukratan wa aṣīlā
Surely Allah is The Greatest, and all praises be to Allah in abundance, and glory be to Allah in the morning and evening
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ، وَلاَ نَعْبُدُ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ، مُخْلِصِيْنَ لَهُ الدِّيْنَ، وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُوْنَ
Lā ilāha illallāhu، walā na’budu illā iyyāhu mukhliṣīna lahuddīn, Walau karihal kāfirūn
There is no God but Allah, and we worship none except Him completely with sincere devotion, even to the dismay of the disbelievers
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ، صَدَقَ وَعْدَهُ، وَنَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ
Lā ilāha illallāhu wahdah, ṣadaqa wa’dah، wanaṣara ‘abdah
There is no god but Allah alone, He fulfilled His promise, and gave victory to His servant
 وَأَعَزَّ جُنْدَهُ، وَهَزَمَ الأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ
wa a’azza jundahu، wahazam-al ahzāba wahdah
He gave honour to His command, and defeated the factions by Himself
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ
Lā ilāha illallāhu wallāhu Akbar
There is no god but Allah and Allah is The Greatest
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَللهِ الْحَمْدُ
Allāhu Akbar walillāhil-hamd
Allah is The Greatest, and all praise be to Allah

In the classical Fiqh book (mazhab Syafi'i), Hasyiyah Al-Bajuri, it is mentioned that it is sunnah (encouraged) to recite the selawat after the takbir:

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّد وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّد وَعَلَى أَصحَابِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّد وَعَلَى أَزْوَاجِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّد وَعَلَى ذُرِّيَّةِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّد وَسلِّمْ تَسلِيمًا كَثِيرًا 

Allāhumma ṣolli ‘ala sayyidinā Muhammad, wa ‘ala āly sayyidinā Muhammad, wa ‘ala ashabi sayyidinā Muhammad, wa ‘ala azwāji sayyidinā Muhammad, wa ‘ala zurriyati sayyidinā Muhammad, wa sallim tasliman kathira

The timing to recite the takbir begins at Maghrib on the eve of Aidilfitri and ends with the sunnah Aidilfitri prayer on the following day. You may recite the takbir at any point of time within the mentioned period, even after the Isyak prayers, as viewed by Imam An-Nawawi in his book Al-Azkar.

Read: How to perform the sunnah Aidilfitri prayer

You may recite the takbir by yourself or with your family or the congregants at the mosque. In a post-covid world where we become more familiar with online platforms, you may also wish to do an online takbir with your family members, relatives and friends. 

May this brief article on proclaiming the takbir raya be of some benefit. May Allah s.w.t. grant us true victory in welcoming Aidilfitri.

And Allah knows best.