Should we not say 'Allah Akbar' in our Salat
By A. Mohamed
The issue of Allah Akbar is quite old. A number of years ago some believers made the following claims:
Claim 1
The words Allah and Akbar do not appear in the Quran side by side.
Claim 2
The word 'Akbar' is not one of the names of God and thus it is unrighteous to call God 'Akbar' or use these words in our Salat. For that, it was suggested that we use the words Allah Al-Kabeer (Al-Kabeer is a name for God used in the Quran).
Claim 3
That it is wrong in principle to call God 'Akbar' (Greater/Greatest) because this promotes the false belief that there may be other gods who may also be great but the God is Greater than them.
Claim 4
It is wrong to use the word Akbar for God because this word is a comparative adjective and it is wrong to compare God with others because God is beyond comparison.
Let us then analyse each of these claims:
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Claim 1
The words Allah and Akbar are found in the Quran side by side in two verses, they are 9:72 and 29:45.
God promised the believing men and the believing women Gardens beneath which rivers flow. Therein, they shall permanently remain, as well as fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eden, and above all, (Ridwan min Allah Akbar) God's consent, which is even greater. That is the great triumph. 9:72
Some will say that Akbar in those verses does not speak of God. This may be the case in 9:72, but the matter is different in 29:45.
The rejectors of uttering 'Allah Akbar' claim that the word Akbar in 29:45 speaks of the purpose of the Salat and not of God. This claim is based solely on the tashkeel on top of the letter L in the word "L'zhikr". The Tashkeel are the little signs on top of Arabic letters which decide how the letters are pronounced. The letter L in the word "L'zhikr" has a fatha on top.
It must be noted that the original Quran revealed to Muhammad did not have the tashkeel. This was introduced after the death of the prophet by a man called Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali.
The tashkeel was introduced primarily to aid the reader of the Quran in how to pronounce the words and letters, but since it was a human effort and not part of the revelation given to the prophet, it would be indeed misleading to base the interpretation of the Quran solely on tashkeel.
When we read 29:45 without the input of the tashkeel, we would have 2 valid interpretations of the verse, they are:
a- The Salat prohibits evil and vice, and the commemoration of God is the greater (akbar) benefit of the Salat.
b- The Salat prohibits evil and vice and is also for the proclamation of Allah Akbar.
Both of the above meanings are valid without changing any of the letters in 29:45.God tells us that many verses in the Quran have multiple meanings (3:7). With regards to the words in 29:45, the rejectors of the utterance of 'Allah Akbar' have nothing to stand on except the tashkeel on top of the letter L in the word "L'zhikr".
With a fatha sign on top of the L, the meaning would be (a) above.
But with a kasra below the L, the meaning would be (b) above.
The original Quran given to Muhammad did not have a fatha or a kasra.
The Quran was revealed to Muhammad and not any other human. Thus, those who insist on upholding a certain meaning of a Quranic phrase and rejecting another meaning, and who have nothing to stand on except a human input from Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali are indirectly claiming that the revelation was given to both Muhammad and also to Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali.
In addition, those who claim that prophet Muhammad pronounced the letter L (in 29:45) with a fatha and not a kasra have no Quranic evidence for that.An unbiased reader of the Quran will accept both meanings as correct and valid, after all, both meanings promote the glorification of God.
Claim 2
The claim that Akbar is not one of the names given in the Quran for God is correct. The word Akbar is not one of the names of God in the Quran. However, we do not say Akbar because it is one of the names of God. We say Allah Akbar in compliance with the Quranic command to magnify God:
And say, "Praise be to God who has not taken a son, nor does He ever have a partner in the sovereignty, nor does He ever have an ally out of weakness," and magnify Him constantly. 17:111
To magnify anything, we make it greater. The word Akbar means greater. The word Kabeer, which is indeed a name for God, is not a word that magnifies, it is merely an adjective to mean Great.That is why we say Allah Akbar because Akbar (and not Kabeer) is in compliance with the command to magnify God (17:111).
Naturally, we can also say the words Allah al-Kabeer. In that case, we would be in compliance with the Quranic command to call God by His Beautiful Names:
To God belong the Beautiful Names, so call Him by them. 7:180
To clarify the difference between a command to magnify God and a command to specifically use one of God’s names, we look at the following Quranic commands:
So glorify the 'Ism' (name) of your Lord Al-Azeem (the Great). 56:74.
Also:
Glorify the 'Ism' (name) of your Lord Al-Aala (The Most High). 87:1.
In both of the above verses God commands us to glorify Him by using specific names, the word ISM which is given in these verses means NAME, and the word ISM is an integral part of the commands in 56:74 and 87:1. In these verses God is commanding us to use the specific names of Al-Aala (Most High) and Al-oAzeem (The Great) to glorify Him.
In contrast, the command in 17:111 is of a completely different nature; here God is not instructing us to use one of His names, but the command is for us to specifically magnify God.
And so, the conclusion regarding Akbar and Kabeer is that it is not a case of one or the other, but a case of both being correct and both being in compliance with Quranic commands.
Claim 3
As for the claim that it is wrong in principle to call Allah Akbar because this promotes the false belief that there are other gods who may also be great, this is a totally irrational claim. A believer who says Allah Akbar is not in any way saying or implying that there are other gods, he is simply saying that God is greater than anything that existed or will ever exist.
Claim 4
Finally, to claim that it is unrighteous to compare God with others because none can be compared to God, this too is totally false and it demonstrates a poor understanding of the Quran. God does compare Himself to others in many Quranic verses:
In 3:54 God says He is the Best Schemer (Khayr Al-Makereen).
In 3:150 God says He is the Best Supporter (Khayr Al-Nasereen).
In 7:87 God says He is the Best Judge (Khayr Al-Hakimeen).
All these verses include the word 'khayr' which means: the best among all others. This is a comparative word and it indicates that God indeed compares Himself to others.
The Quran is given to us so we can use the words which describe God whenever we speak about God and when we implore God, and so we too are able to use words which compare God to others.
The true meaning of 'Allah Akbar'
We have reviewed so far the arguments against the use of the phrase 'Allah Akbar' on the assumption that the word 'Akbar' has only one meaning, and that is 'Greater'.
The best definition of Quranic words is found in the Quran itself. God always gives us the most accurate meanings of words in the Quran itself.
When we review various Quranic verses where the word 'Akbar' is used, we find that this word has been used in 2 meanings:
1- The word 'Akbar' has been used to mean 'greater' such as in 2:219 and 10:61,
They ask you about intoxicants and gambling, say, "In them are gross sins and benefits for the people, and their sinfulness is 'akbar' (greater) than their benefits." 2:219
The word 'akbar' in 2:219 can only mean 'greater' because God is comparing 2 things (sinfulness and benefits) and stating that the former is 'greater' than the latter.
2- The same word 'Akbar' is also used in the Quran to mean the 'Greatest of all'. The following verse demonstrates this use:
Say, "What thing is the 'akbar shahada' (greatest testimony)?" Say, "God is Witness between me and you, and this Quran has been revealed to me to warn you with it and whomever it reaches. Do you bear witness that there are other gods besides God?" Say, "I do not bear witness." Say, "He is but One God and I am innocent of the shirk that you commit." 6:19
The words 'akbar shahada' in 6:19 cannot mean 'greater shahada' since there is no comparison in the verse with another shahada for one to be greater than the other.
The correct meaning of 'akbar' in 6:19 can only be the 'greatest' shahada, which would then mean the greatest of all shahadas, without having to name any other shahada. Besides 6:19 where the word 'akbar' is used to mean the 'greatest', we see the same use of the word in 21:103 and 88:24. It follows that when the word 'Akbar' is used after the word Allah, as in 'Allah Akbar' it can only denote that God is the Greatest of all.
Conclusion
To conclude, those who promote such restrictive claims are confused between two issues:
1- Using God's beautiful names, which is something we are invited to do and is a clear Quranic command.
2- The specific command in 17:111 to magnify God is totally independent from the instruction to use specific names of God such as the commands in 56:74 and 87:1.
3- The claim that the word 'akbar' can only mean 'greater', and thus is inappropriate to use when we praise God, is shown to be short of the Quranic evidence we have reviewed.