When you think of displaying in your home or gifting your friend with Islamic wall art, the expressions that generally occur to us are the ones that we most frequently recite such as Bismillah, Masha Allah, Subhan Allah and Allahu Akbar. In this write-up, we will be discussing Allahu Akbar art, wherein ‘Allahu Akbar’ is written or painted in a calligraphic font and then framed on your wall. You can also buy online Allahu Akbar art.
‘Allahu-Akbar’, in English, stands for ‘Allah is the Greatest’ or ‘Allah is Great’. This phrase is said many times during the day in the Muslim world. It is recited in the public call for prayer (azaan) five times every day. In each of the five mandatory prayers, Allahu Akbar is uttered a fixed number of times. It is also said in the voluntary prayers.
Muslims also say ‘Allahu-Akbar’ in times of hardship. This, in order to remind themselves that no crisis or difficult is too big for Allah to handle as He is the Greatest. It is also said in times of joy in order to remind ourselves of our own humility and smallness.
Mentioned here are prophetic narrations (hadith) which establish the virtues of reciting Allahu-Akbar:
Abu Sa`id (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Perform the enduring goods deeds more frequently.” They asked, “What are these enduring good deeds?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: Takbir [Allahu Akbar], Tahlil [la ilaha illallah], Tasbih [Subhan’Allah], Alhamdulillah, and La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah.”
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “For me to say SubhanAllah, walHamdulilah, wa La illaha ilAllahu, waAllahu Akbar (Glory be to Allah, All Praise is for Allah, There is No God but Allah, Allah is the Greatest) is dearer to me and all that the sun rises upon (ie the whole world).” [Muslim]
Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “During the Night Journey I met Ibrahim (AS) who said to me: ‘O Muhammad, convey my greetings to your Community, and tell them that the Paradise is of pure land, its water is sweet, and its expanse is vast, spacious and even. And its seedlings are SubhanAllah, walhamdulilah, wa la ilaha ilAllah, waAllahu Akbar.’” [Tirmidhi]
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “The uttering of the words: “Subhan-Allah (Allah is free from imperfection), Al-hamdu lillah (all praise is due to Allah), La ilaha illallah (there is no true god except Allah) and Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)’ is dearer to me than anything over which the sun rises.” (Muslim)
In another hadith, it is said: “Whoever glorifies Allaah (says Subhan Allah) 33 times immediately after each prayer, and praises Allah (says Al-hamdulillah) 33 times, and magnifies Allah (says Allahu Akbar) 33 times, this makes 99, then to complete 100 says Laa ilaaha illallah wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god except Allah Alone, with no partner, His is the power and His is the praise, and He is Able to do all things) – his sins will be forgiven even if they are like the foam of the sea.” (Muslim)
No surprises, thus, that in the world of Islamic art, Allahu Akbar art is much sought after and many people buy online Allahu Akbar art.
