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 which means to proclaim the greatness of Allah s.w.t. Every day, we witness and proclaim the greatness of Allah in our 5 daily prayers. On Hari Raya Aidilfitri, it is part of the sunnah to recite the takbir in celebrating Aidilfitri and in expressing 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 recite it at our own homes with our family. Men and women can recite the takbir and enliven the celebration of Hari Raya by proclaiming the Greatness of Allah s.w.t.

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

Classical Fiqh books, such as Hasyiyah Al-Bajuri, also 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 by Maghrib on the eve of Aidilfitri and ends with the performing of the sunnah Aidilfitri prayer on the next day. Hence, 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 alone, or recite it together with members of the same household. In a post-covid world where we are also more familiar with online platforms, you may also wish to do a zoom takbir with your other family members, relatives and friends. 

May this brief article on how to proclaim the takbir raya be of some benefit. May Allah s.w.t. grant us true victory in welcoming Aidilfitri.

And Allah knows best.