How To Do Takbir Raya Aidilfitri

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
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَللهِ الْحَمْدُ
Lā ilāha illallāhu wallāhu Akbar، Allāhu Akbar walillāhil-hamd

(To be recited 3 times)

________ 

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu Akbar، Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar
 اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيْرًا، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كَثِيْرًا،  وَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيْلاً
Allāhu Akbar kabirā, Walhamdulillāhi kathīrā، Wasubhānallāhi bukratan wa aṣīlā
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
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ، صَدَقَ وَعْدَهُ، وَنَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ
Lā ilāha illallāhu wahdah, ṣadaqa wa’dah، wanaṣara ‘abdah
 وَأَعَزَّ جُنْدَهُ، وَهَزَمَ الأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ
wa a’azza jundahu، wahazam-al ahzāba wahdah
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ
Lā ilāha illallāhu wallāhu Akbar
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَللهِ الْحَمْدُ
Allāhu Akbar walillāhil-hamd

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.