Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
The very first thing that you hear in your ear as a baby
as you enter into this world
is Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
And I want you to fast forward
to the very last moments of your existence on this Earth
where your body is in front of the Imam
as the Imam is leading your Janazah.
And the Imam says: Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
Four Takbirat that you will hear
right before you're placed into the grave.
Just like it was one Takbir that you heard
as soon as you came out of your mother's womb.
SubhanAllah, our entire lives
are between Allahu Akbar and Allahu Akbar
and the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam's mission
was described as
"Wa Rabbaka fakabbir"
Proclaim the Greatness
of your Lord.
"Wa kabbiruhu takbirah"
And proclaim his limitless Greatness.
Your entire life is to declare the Greatness
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'Aala
and to make it apparent on this earth.
Now, what is encompassed in Allahu Akbar?
Allah is the greatest
and Allah is Akbar
Allah is greater than everything.
He's greater than what you know of Him.
He's greater than what you can say about Him.
He's greater than all others.
He's greater than all else.
He's greater than your praise.
He's greater than what you think of yourself.
He's greater than your happiness.
He's greater than your sadness.
He's greater than your pursuits.
Allahu Akbar, Allah is the greatest.
Allah is greater.
He is the King of all kings.
The most worthy of our attention,
the most worthy of our adoration,
the most worthy of our praise
and the only one who remains when everything else perishes.
And the only one who is worth it
even while other people and things still exist.
The messenger of Allah, SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said
No one ever utters La ilaha ila Allah
or Allahu Akbar
except that he has given glads tidings.
And they said, ya RasulAllah
What glad tidings?
The Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said
The glad tidings of al-Jannah.
Umar bin al-Khattab radiAllahu ta'ala Anhu said
That the servant's utterance of
Allahu Akbar
just saying Allahu Akbar
is better than the world
and everything that is contained within it.
Now let's think about how embedded it is
even in our acts of worship when it comes to Salah.
It's how the prayer is called.
It's how we enter into the prayer.
It's how we move from position to position.
And even at the end, Ibn 'Abbas radiAllahu ta'ala Anhu says
Kuntu 'arifu in kidhaa salat an-Nabi
SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
bit-Takbir.
I used to know the end of the prayer of the
Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam with Allahu Akbar.
And the scholars debated, does that mean that
Ibn 'Abbas radiAllahu Anhumma was saying that
the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
after Tasleem would immediately say
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
or did he mean that it is the end of the Dhikr?
And that's the more correct opinion
that even our adhkar after Salah
our remembrance after Salah,
the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam taught us to say
Alhamdulilah 33 times
SubhanAllah 33 times
Allahu Akbar 34 times.
And so a person is called
with Allahu Akbar,
A person starts with Allahu Akbar
a person goes through the salah with Allahu Akbar,
and then even the end of your dhikr
is Allahu Akbar 34 times.
And this is also narrated about the time of sleeping,
that a person says
SubhanAllah 33 times,
Alhamdulilah 33 times
Allahu Akbar 34 times.
And by the way there are different narrations
and all of them are authentic.
One of them where the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
said: say SubhanAllah, Alhamdulilah, Allahu Akbar
10 times after Salah, each.
One of them where the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
says: say each one of them 33 times
and then end off with
La ilaha ila Allah wahdahu la sharika la
until the end of the du'a.
And many of them where the
Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam says
say SubhanAllah 33 times
Alhamdulilah 33 times
Allahu Akbar 34 times.
So that's, Salah.
What about Hajj?
Every single one of the manasik of Hajj, every single
one of the rituals of Hajj, has Takbir embedded within it.
As a person is passing around in tawaf,
passing around the black stone, Allahu Akbar.
As a person goes
from each of the Jamarat, Allahu Akbar.
As a person moves on on the day of Eid,
Allahu Akbar.
So Takbir is embedded within our manasik of Hajj
Even the Sa'i, SubhanAllah.
As a person ascends as-Safa, al-Marwa, Allahu Akbar.
So we see it in Salah, we see it in Hajj.
And how does Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'Aala describe the end
of Ramadan?
Wa li tukmilul 'id-data wa li tukabiru-Allaha
'ala ma hadaa kum
That you finish the period of Ramadan
and then you declare the greatness of Allah
over that which He has guided you to.
So it's embedded in our pillars of Islam
and we see it in so many other aspects of our 'Ibadat.
When a person sees the hilal, it's the first part
of the du'a of seeing the hilal, Allahu Akbar.
When the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
saw the lunar eclipse, Allahu Akbar.
When 'Eid comes,
as Abu Hurairah radiAllahu ta'ala Anhu narrates:
zayyinu a'ayadukum bit-takbir
That beautify your Eid
with as much Takbir as possible
on the days of Eid.
And RasulAllah SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said:
When you sacrifice, idha samaytum fa kabbiru,
when you sacrifice an animal,
then say Bismillah wa kabbiru
and say Allahu Akbar.
So it's embedded within our 'Ibadaat.
But outside of that, how should we use this wonderful form
of dhikr?
And Imam Ibn Taymiyyah Rahimahullah said
Takbir is when we humble ourselves to Allah's power
or we seek to summon strength from His power
or we celebrate victory knowing
that it only comes from the power
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'Aala.
So you'll find that the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
would say Allahu Akbar
as he was ascending a hill.
You'll find that the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
would begin his travel
with Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
SubhanAllahdhi sakh-khara lana hadha
until the end of the du'a for travel.
So he starts off with Takbir
before encountering a difficult journey
or a difficult climb. You also find
that the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
would say Takbir
would say Allahu Akbar
at the time of victory or at the time of good news.
It's narrated in multiple occasions.
That RasulAllah SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
used Allahu Akbar at the time of al-Bisharah,
at the time of receiving glad tidings
or at the time of giving glad tidings.
And the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
he once heard a man say,
Allahu Akbaru kabeerah
wa al-hamdulilahi katheera
wa subhanAllahi bukratan wa aseela
Allah is the greatest, Allahu Akbaru kabeera
Allah is truly the greatest.
wa al-hamdulilahi katheera, And praise be to Allah
in abundance,
wa subhanAllahi bukratan wa aseela
and glory be to Allah in the morning and in the evening.
When the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam heard that
he turned around and the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam
said: who said that?
And they pointed to the man
and the Prophet SallAllahu 'Alaihi Wasallam said
'Ajibtu laha futihat laha abwabus-samaa
That I was amazed by that statement,
that one statement literally opened the gates
of the heavens.
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