Algeria National Anthem: Kassaman (We Pledge)

Key Facts

1. Imprisoned by the French at Barberousse without paper, Zakaria wrote the lyrics on his cell wall using his own blood, according to the Algeria Press Service.
2. The third stanza names France directly and warns of a 'day of reckoning'; for years, only the first verse was sung publicly to soften the diplomatic tension.
3. In November 2008, Algeria amended Article 5 of its Constitution to declare the anthem 'immutable', binding all five stanzas to the country's revolutionary identity.
4. A 2023 presidential decree under Abdelmadjid Tebboune revived the anti-France verse, mandating that all five stanzas be performed at official ceremonies attended by the president.

Lyrics

قَسَمًا بِالنَّازِلَاتِ الْمَاحِقَاتْ وَالدِّمَاءِ الزَّاكِيَاتِ الطَّاهِرَاتْ وَالْبُنُودِ اللَّامِعَاتِ الْخَافِقَاتْ فِي الْجِبَالِ الشَّامِخَاتِ الشَّاهِقَاتْ نَحْنُ ثُرْنَا فَحَيَاةٌ أَوْ مَمَاتْ وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… نَحْنُ جُنْدٌ فِي سَبِيلِ الْحَقِّ ثُرْنَا وَإِلَى اسْتِقْلَالِنَا بِالْحَرْبِ قُمْنَا لَمْ يَكُنْ يُصْغَى لَنَا لَمَا نَطَقْنَا فَاتَّخَذْنَا رَنَّةَ الْبَارُودِ وَزْنَا وَعَزَفْنَا نَغْمَةَ الرَّشَّاشِ لَحْنَا وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… يَا فِرَنْسَا قَدْ مَضَى وَقْتُ الْعِتَابْ وَطَوَيْنَاهُ كَمَا يُطْوَى الْكِتَابْ يَا فِرَنْسَا اِنَّ ذَا يَوْمُ الْحِسَابْ فَاسْتَعِدِّي وَخُذِي مِنَّا الْجَوَابْ اِنَّ فِي ثَوْرَتِنَا فَصْلُ الْخِطَابْ وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… نَحْنُ مِنْ أَبْطَالِنَا نَدْفَعُ جُنْدًا وَعَلَى أَشْلَائِنَا نَصْنَعُ مَجْدًا وَعَلَى أَرْوَاحِنَا نَصْعَدُ خُلْدًا وَعَلَى هَامَاتِنَا نَرْفَعُ بَنْدًا جَبْهَةُ التَّحْرِيرِ أَعْطَيْنَاكِ عَهْدًا وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… صَرْخَةُ الْأَوْطَانِ مِنْ سَاحِ الْفِدَا اِسْمَعُوهَا وَاسْتَجِيبُوا لِلنِّدَا وَاكْتُبُوهَا بِدِمَاءِ الشُّهَدَا وَاقْرَأُوهَا لِبَنِي الْجِيلِ غَدَا قَدْ مَدَدْنَا لَكَ يَا مَجْدُ يَدَا وَعَقَدْنَا الْعَزْمَ أَنْ تَحْيَا الْجَزَائِرْ فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا… فَاشْهَدُوا…

Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals

Analysis

Editorial

Few national anthems begin in a prison cell, and fewer still are written in their author's own blood. The poet Moufdi Zakaria, a Mozabite Berber and veteran of the nationalist underground, was held at Algiers' Barberousse Prison in April 1955 when he composed Kassaman without paper or pen, scoring the verses onto his cell wall in blood. After the Egyptian composer Mohamed Fawzi set the words to a martial score (two earlier attempts had been rejected), the poem was officially adopted in 1962, the year Algeria broke from 132 years of French rule. The five stanzas address France by name, demand a day of reckoning, and pledge fealty to the FLN, the Liberation Front that won the war.

Learn More

National anthem on Wikipedia Official state symbols

Sources & References

Hymne National . Premier Ministère de la République Algérienne (gouvernement officiel)
L'Algérie rétablit un vieux couplet anti-France dans son hymne national . Le Point (2023)

Source & Review

Source status: Official source verified
Translation: Nationalia working translation
Rights status: Third-party rights may apply
Last reviewed: 2026-05-11
Reviewed by: ai-claude
Report a correction: rights@nationalia.org

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