The Eid Takbeer is the declaration “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha illallah, wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lillahil hamd”, which Muslims recite to glorify Allah on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. It means “Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.” On Eid al-Fitr you recite it from the night before Eid until the Eid prayer begins. On Eid al-Adha you recite it through the first days of Dhul Hijjah and after every obligatory prayer from the Day of Arafah until the 13th of Dhul Hijjah.
The Takbeer is a Sunnah for men, women and children, at home, on the road and in the mosque. This guide gives you the words in Arabic with their meaning, the evidence from the Quran and Sunnah, and the exact times to recite it for both Eids in 2027.
The words of the Eid Takbeer are:
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha illallah, wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa lillahil hamd
“Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.”
This wording is reported from the Companion Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who used to recite it on the days of Tashreeq. It is recorded in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah, and al-Albani graded its chain Sahih in Irwa al-Ghalil.
Arabic phrase | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ | Allahu Akbar | Allah is the Greatest |
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ | La ilaha illallah | There is no god but Allah |
وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ | Wa lillahil hamd | And to Allah belongs all praise |
The Takbeer joins three forms of remembrance. Takbeer declares that Allah is greater than everything. Tahleel affirms that He alone is worthy of worship. Tahmeed gives Him all praise.
Both are correct. Many mosques begin with “Allahu Akbar” three times, and many begin with it twice. Both forms are reported from the Companions, so follow the wording your mosque uses.
The Prophet ﷺ did not fix one single wording for the Eid Takbeer, which is why the scholars accept more than one. The Hanafi and Hanbali schools favour two at the start. The Shafi’i and Maliki schools favour three.
Yes. Many people add these words after the main Takbeer, and Imam al-Shafi’i considered the addition good:
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كَثِيرًا، وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا
Allahu Akbaru kabira, walhamdu lillahi kathira, wa subhanallahi bukratan wa asila
“Allah is the Greatest, truly great. Abundant praise belongs to Allah. Glory be to Allah in the morning and the evening.”
Muslims recite the Eid Takbeer because Allah commands it in the Quran as the way to thank Him for His guidance. The Takbeer is how worship ends and celebration begins.
For Eid al-Fitr, the command comes at the close of the ayah of fasting. Allah says He wants you “to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that to which He has guided you, and perhaps you will be grateful” (Al-Baqarah 2:185). When the last fast is complete, the Takbeer is the thanks.
For Eid al-Adha, Allah says, “And remember Allah during the appointed days” (Al-Baqarah 2:203). Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) explained that these appointed days are the days of Tashreeq, the three days after Eid. Allah also speaks of people mentioning His name “on known days” (Al-Hajj 22:28), which Ibn Abbas explained as the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Al-Bukhari records both explanations in his Sahih.
The Prophet ﷺ said of those ten days, “There are no days on which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days” (Sahih al-Bukhari 969). The Takbeer is among the simplest of those deeds.
The Companions filled the streets with it. Al-Bukhari records that Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with them) would go out to the marketplace during the ten days saying the Takbeer, and the people would say it with them. He also records that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would say the Takbeer in his tent at Mina until the people in the mosque and the markets joined in and Mina echoed with it. Al-Bukhari cites these reports without a full chain in the chapter headings of his Book of the Two Eids.
You recite the Takbeer of Eid al-Fitr from the night before Eid until the imam begins the Eid prayer. It is said at any time in that window, and it is not tied to the five daily prayers.
The scholars give two starting points:
All agree that it ends when the Eid prayer starts. Reciting it from the evening before covers both views.
Eid al-Fitr 2027 is expected on Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 March 2027. The Takbeer would begin at Maghrib on Monday 8 or Tuesday 9 March, when your mosque announces the moon. Our Ramadan timetable for London gives the Maghrib time for each evening.
The Takbeer of Eid al-Adha lasts much longer. It runs for thirteen days, from the start of Dhul Hijjah to the end of the days of Tashreeq, and it has two forms.
| General Takbeer | Takbeer after the prayers |
|---|---|---|
Arabic name | Takbeer Mutlaq | Takbeer Muqayyad, or Takbeer al-Tashreeq |
When you say it | At any time of day or night | Straight after each obligatory prayer |
Starts | 1 Dhul Hijjah | Fajr on 9 Dhul Hijjah, the Day of Arafah |
Ends | Sunset on 13 Dhul Hijjah | Asr on 13 Dhul Hijjah |
Expected 2027 dates | Friday 7 May to Wednesday 19 May | Saturday 15 May to Wednesday 19 May |
These dates assume Eid al-Adha falls on Sunday 16 May 2027. If the moon is sighted a day later, every date moves forward by one day. Dhul Hijjah is one of the four sacred months in Islam, and its first ten days are the best days of the year.
Twenty three prayers. The count runs from Fajr on the Day of Arafah to Asr on the last day of Tashreeq.
Day | Expected 2027 date | Prayers followed by Takbeer | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
9 Dhul Hijjah, Day of Arafah | Saturday 15 May | Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha | 5 |
10 Dhul Hijjah, Eid al-Adha | Sunday 16 May | Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha | 5 |
11 Dhul Hijjah | Monday 17 May | Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha | 5 |
12 Dhul Hijjah | Tuesday 18 May | Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha | 5 |
13 Dhul Hijjah | Wednesday 19 May | Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr | 3 |
This is the position followed in the Hanafi and Hanbali schools, and it is reported from Ali and Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with them). In the Hanafi school, saying the Takbeer once after each of these prayers is wajib, which means required. The Maliki school counts fifteen prayers, from Dhuhr on Eid day to Fajr on the 13th. Pilgrims on Hajj begin after Dhuhr on Eid day.
Recite the Takbeer aloud, often and with presence of heart. There is no set number of times outside the prayers. These points cover the practical questions:
Yes. The stronger view in the Hanafi school, and the view of most scholars, is that the Takbeer after the prayers applies to everyone. That includes a person praying alone, a woman praying at home and a traveller.
The Eid prayer has extra takbeers that set it apart from other prayers, and the number depends on the school you follow. These are separate from the Eid Takbeer recited before the prayer. In each one you say “Allahu Akbar” and raise your hands.
School | First rak’ah | Second rak’ah | Extra takbeers |
|---|---|---|---|
Hanafi | 3, after the opening takbeer and before the recitation | 3, after the recitation and before ruku | 6 |
Maliki and Hanbali | 6, after the opening takbeer | 5, before the recitation | 11 |
Shafi’i | 7, after the opening takbeer | 5, before the recitation | 12 |
The larger numbers rest on the hadith of Amr ibn Shu’ayb, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The takbeer of al-Fitr is seven in the first rak’ah and five in the second, and the recitation comes after them in both” (Sunan Abi Dawud 1151, graded Hasan by al-Albani). The Hanafi position follows the practice of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him). All are valid. Pray as your imam prays, and if you miss or miscount a takbeer, your prayer still counts.
You pair the Takbeer with giving by making sure a family in need can celebrate on the same morning you do. Both Eids join the remembrance of Allah with an act of charity.
On Eid al-Fitr, that charity is Zakat al-Fitr. Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet ﷺ ordered it to be paid before people went out to the Eid prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 1503). The Takbeer fills the road to the prayer, and Zakat al-Fitr fills a table before it.
On Eid al-Adha, that charity is Qurbani. The same days that carry the Takbeer carry the sacrifice, and its meat reaches families who rarely eat it. Our guide to the dua for Qurbani and its Sunnah acts explains what to say at the time of sacrifice.
Human Concern UK is part of the Human Concern International family, which has served people in need since 1980 and works in 16 countries. We are a UK registered charity (Charity Commission No. 1206222), based in Manchester. You can give your Zakat al-Fitr, Qurbani or Sadaqah through our donation form, or feed a family through our Zero Hunger appeal.
When the prayer is over and the greetings begin, you will find words for everyone in our Eid Mubarak wishes and messages.
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