Allahu Akbar (anthem)

Allahu Akbar

English: God is The Greatest
الله أكبر
Sheet music
Patriotic anthem of the  Arab World Former military anthem of the Egyptian Armed Forces Former national anthem of  Libya
Lyrics	Mahmoud El-Sherif, 1955
Music	Abdalla Shams El-Din, 1954
Adopted	1 September 1969
Readopted	2 March 1977
Relinquished	30 October 2011
Preceded by	"Walla Zaman Ya Selahy"
Succeeded by	"Libya, Libya, Libya"
Audio sample
Menu 0:00 "Allahu Akbar" (instrumental) file help

"Allahu Akbar" (Arabic: الله أكبر‎; lit. '"God is the greatest"') is an Pan-Arab patriotic song composed by Abdalla Shams El-Din in 1954 and written by Mahmoud El-Sherif in 1955. It was first used as an Egyptian military marching song during the Suez Crisis in 1956. From 2 March 1977 to 20 October 2011, the song was adopted as its official was the national anthem of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya under Muammar Gaddafi.

History[]

Egyptian origins[]

"Allahu Akbar" was originally an Egyptian military marching song which became popular in Egypt and Syria during the Suez Crisis. The lyrics were written by Mahmoud El-Sherif, and the music was composed by Abdalla Shams El-Din. The song continues to be popular among the Arab world.

Use in Libya[]

"Allahu Akbar" was adopted as the official national anthem of the Libyan Arab Republic on 1 September 1969, by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, showing his hopes of uniting the Arab world. "Allahu Akbar" replaced the previous national anthem "Libya, Libya, Libya", which had been used by the Kingdom of Libya since its independence in 1951.

When the Libyan Arab Republic became the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on 2 March 1977, "Allahu Akbar" remained the national anthem of Libya. However, when Libya and Egypt broke off diplomatic relations following the latter's peace treaty with the State of Israel in 1979, the Egyptian origins of the national anthem were no longer mentioned by official government sources.^[1]

When the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was dissolved on 20 October 2011, following the Libyan Civil War and the death of Muammar Gaddafi, "Libya, Libya, Libya" was once again adopted as the new national anthem of Libya, by the National Transitional Council. Gaddafi loyalists continued to use the anthem.

Lyrics[]