Takbīr: A Law and a Symbol

Occasion: Transcription of a Fajr khatira delivered on June 4, 2025 Source: A transcription of a video khatira by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

Dr. Ahmed Abouseif opened the khatira with a supplication in which he asked Allah to set right for us our religion, which is the safeguard of our affairs, our worldly life, in which is our livelihood, and our Hereafter, to which is our return; to make life an increase for us in every good, and death a relief for us from every evil. He asked for gentleness toward the people of Palestine and every oppressed person on the earth; for lasting concealment of faults, complete well-being, and successive mercies; for a good end and a good conclusion; and that Allah overlook our slips, have mercy on our weakness, and grant us such provision of obedience as will earn His pleasure with us.

The Day of Tarwiyah

Then he said: This day, in the sacred lands of Allah, in the land of the Two Holy Mosques, is the Day of Tarwiyah, when people set out from their dwellings to the land of Minā. It was called the Day of Tarwiyah because on it they provision themselves with what will quench their thirst, by Allah's leave, during their standing at ʿArafāt. And the people's slogan on that day is: «لبيك اللهم لبيك» ("Here I am, O Allah, here I am").^[1]

The Benefit of Takbīr

I wanted to speak about the matter of takbīr, the magnification of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, «الله أكبر» ("Allah is the Greatest"), which the rest of the people of Islam have been asked to observe: while the pilgrims were called to the talbiyah for Allah, the rest of the people of Islam were called to remember the name of Allah and to magnify Him, glory be to Him. So takbīr, joined with general remembrance, became a fundamental aim for every Muslim at such times.

So what is the benefit of takbīr? And why do we magnify Allah, Blessed and Exalted? In short, takbīr is the planting of the value of magnifying the Lord of the worlds, Glorified and Exalted, in the human soul. And as we say this, we ask: do we need this? The basic answer is: yes. We need to make ourselves feel our worth as human beings, as mortals, among the creation of the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him.

Takbīr Meets Two Opposite Needs

Just as the human soul is visited by a sense of weakness, it is visited by a sense of pride; just as it is visited by a sense of need, it is visited by a sense of self-sufficiency; and just as it is visited by the sense of seeking help, it is visited here by the sense of arrogance, and we seek refuge in Allah. Hence takbīr came to meet both needs together. One who is in some state of need magnifies the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, in order to inspire his soul, make it feel, and plant in it the value that Allah is the One who meets these needs. And one who senses in himself some arrogance, pride, or self-sufficiency magnifies Allah, Blessed and Exalted, in order to wipe out of his soul this feeling of being independent of the Lord of Might; for Allah, Blessed and Exalted, is greater, mightier, and more majestic.

And the very simple question in the world of life is: what makes people feel need? Their need for well-being, for money, for the solving of problems, for overcoming the difficulties in their lives, and the One who helps with that is Allah, Blessed and Exalted. And what leads people to self-sufficiency and arrogance? Abundant wealth, the might of high positions and the grandeur of the chairs they sit upon, reliance on children, and so on.

The magnification of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, also gives the soul a strong sense that none gave these blessings and gifts except the Creator of the heavens and the earth, none but the Lord of Might, glory be to Him.

The Most Repeated Word in the Adhān

So the takbīr with which we were called came, and was made one of the signs of Islam for us; indeed it is the most repeated word in the adhān, which is among the greatest signs of Islam. The word of takbīr came to kindle in the soul this awe of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, this turning toward Allah, this fear of meeting Allah, and to kindle in the soul, at that very moment, this trepidation at meeting the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him. So between longing and dread, takbīr comes making all of that; and between turning toward and turning away, I do not mean turning away from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, but turning away from what angers Allah, Blessed and Exalted, takbīr came making the event in the soul and heart of that Muslim who affirms the oneness of the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him.

Some Rulings on Takbīr

And among the rulings of takbīr, and what we will meet tomorrow, by leave of the Lord of the worlds: we have two kinds of takbīr according to the terminology of the jurists. The unrestricted takbīr, which is prescribed from the beginning of the first ten days of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, and we mentioned this at their start. And the restricted takbīr, which is tied to specific times, namely after the prayers from the Fajr of the Day of ʿArafah, tomorrow by leave of the Lord of the worlds, until the fourth day of the ʿĪd, or the third of the days of Tashrīq. After every prayer we magnify Allah, Blessed and Exalted, with what has been reported from him ﷺ.

And as you know, may Allah preserve your noble knowledge, we have multiple narrations on the matter of takbīr. The basic principle is to limit oneself to what was reported from the Prophet ﷺ in his own wording. But what was reported from some of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ is also not forbidden where nothing was said. That did occur among the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, and they never intended anything contrary to the foundation of the law, nor to the foundation of belief, nor seeking intercession through a human being, nor any such words that take us out of the original purpose of magnifying the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, exalted on high.

A Counsel for This Night

And the counsel that I wish to give to myself and my brothers on this blessed day: when our Maghrib comes here, the pilgrims there will have boarded their journey to ʿArafāt. So why do we not seize this opportunity, and devote ourselves in our mosque, perform our worship, and draw near to Allah, Blessed and Exalted, between a talk, a lecture, a khatira, prayer, and remembrance, acts that are at the level of individual acts and acts that are at the level of communal acts? Why do we not spend a night in the cause of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, which is our night here and their day there?

And among what is mentioned about the merit of the people of ʿArafah, as you know, is that their Lord, glory be to Him, manifests Himself to them: whoever among them seeks forgiveness, Allah forgives him; whoever asks Allah, the Exalted, He gives him; whoever repents to Allah, He accepts his repentance; and whoever seeks refuge with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, He protects him.^[2] And He, the Mighty and Majestic, has promised all these gifts to the people of ʿArafah until it is said to them: Return, for I have forgiven you, or: Depart, for I have forgiven you, or what was reported from the Prophet ﷺ.

And we now do not have the same time, given the difference in time here and there. And I am not with the idea that Allah's bounty and manifestation are restricted to a specific time from which the rest of creation is deprived; for the people who are here, their day of ʿArafah differs in its timing, and Allah's giving is vast, His generosity, glory be to Him, is all-embracing, and His kindness to His servants is most complete, glory be to Allah. But the wise person should choose the very same times; so if it is morning there and evening here, what keeps us from obedience if we are able to do so? And we ask Allah to help us. O Allah, amen, O Lord of the worlds.

Let Us Not Deprive Ourselves of the Unrestricted Takbīr

In sum: let us not deprive ourselves of the unrestricted takbīr throughout the whole day, in imitation of the pilgrims and in seeking the blessings of Allah, the Exalted, that He promised them. And what stands between us and this? No sooner does the tongue hold back from speaking with creation than it begins a journey of speaking with the Creator, glory be to Him, the Exalted. And the phrase «الله أكبر» is not heavy on any tongue, nor taxing to memorize, nor hard to pronounce; rather the matter is easy, by leave of the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him. So magnify Allah in all your states, and ask Allah, Blessed and Exalted, for more help toward more obedience; and Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, alone makes easy the patterns and kinds of worship for His creation. O Allah, amen.

I ask Allah, Blessed and Exalted, to grant us and you sincerity in word and deed.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: This khatira is dated in its title June 4, 2025, and in it "today is the Day of Tarwiyah and tomorrow is the Day of ʿArafah"; the date recorded is the one in the video's title. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: The speaker did not name the ḥadīth or its source. What is established in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah, may Allah be pleased with her, is the merit of the Day of ʿArafah in freeing people from the Fire, His drawing near, and His boasting of the people of the standing before the angels; I did not find a wording that gathers everything mentioned here in full, so it was introduced in a hedged form.