Libya National Anthem

ليبيا ليبيا ليبيا

Libya, Libya, Libya

Written 1955

Adopted 2011

Lyrics Al Bashir al-Arebi

Music Mohammed Abdel Wahab

🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War ✝ God / Faith 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🤝 Unity | Defiant

Key Facts

1. Mohammed Abdel Wahab was known as 'the Composer of Generations' (Musiqar al-Ajyal). Some sources also credit him with the music of the anthems of Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, but both attributions are disputed.
2. 'Allahu Akbar', the anthem used under Gaddafi, began as a battle song of the Egyptian army during the 1956 Suez War. After Libya broke with Egypt over its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, the anthem was kept, but its Egyptian origin was no longer mentioned.
3. When the anthem was restored in 2011, the verse praising King Idris was dropped; a rewritten verse honours Omar al-Mukhtar, who led the resistance to Italian colonial rule, though it is not always sung.

Libya National Anthem Lyrics

كُورَال: يَا بِلَادِي يَا بِلَادِي بِجِهَادِي وَجِلَادِي اِدْفَعِي كَيْد اَلْأَعَادِي وَالْعَوَادِي وَاسْلَمِي اِسْلَمِي اِسْلَمِي اِسْلَمِي طُولَ الْمَدَى إِنَّنَا نَحْنُ الْفِدَاء لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا ١ يَا بِلَادِي أَنْتِ مِيرَاثُ الْجُدُودْ لَا رَعَى اللهُ يَدًا تَمْتَدُّ لَكْ فَاسْلَمِي إِنَّا عَلَى الدَّهْرِ جُنُودْ لَا نُبَالِي إِنْ سَلِمْتِ مَنْ هَلَكْ وَخُذِي مِنَّا وَثِيقَاتِ الْعُهُودْ إِنَّنَا يَا لِيبِيَا لَنْ نَخْذِلَكْ لَنْ نَعُودْ لِلْقُيُودْ قَدْ تَحَرَّرْنَا وَحَرَّرْنَا الْوَطَنْ لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا كُورَال ٢ جُرُّدَ الْأَجْدَادُ عَزْمًا مُرْهَفَا يَوْمَ نَادَاهُمْ مُنَادٍ لِلْكِفَاحْ ثُمَّ سَارُوا يَحْمِلُونَ الْمُصْحَفَا بِالْيَدِ الْأُولَىٰ وَبِالْأُخْرَى السِّلَاحْ فَإِذَا فِي الْكَوْنِ دِينٌ وَصَفَا وَإِذَا الْعَالَمُ خَيْرٌ وَصَلَاحْ فَالْخُلُودْ لِلْجُدُودْ إِنَّهُمْ قَدْ شَرَّفُواْ هٰذَا الْوَطَنْ لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا كُورَال ٣ حَيِّ الْمُخْتَارْ أَمِيرَ اَلْفَاتِحِينْ إِنَّهُ فِي لِيبِيَا رَمْزُ الْجِهَادْ حَمَلَ الْرَّايَةَ فِينَا بِالْيَمِينْ وَتَبَعْنَاهُ لِتَحْرِيرِ الْبِلَادْ فَانْثَنَىٰ بِالْمَجْدِ وَالْفَتْحِ الْمُبِينْ وَرَكَزْنَا فَوْقَ هَامَاتِ الْنِّجَادْ رَايَةً حُرَّةً ظَلَّلَتْ بِالْعَزِّ أَرْجَاءَ الْوَطَنْ لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا كُورَال ٤ يَا ابْنَ لِيبْيَا يَا ابْنَ آسَادَ الْشَّرَى إِنَّنَا لِلْمَجْدِ وَالْمَجْدُ لَنَا مُذْ سَرَوْنَا حَمِدَ الْقَوْمُ الْسُّرَى بَارَكَ اللهُ لَنَا اِسْتِقْلَالَنَا فَابْتَغُوا الْعَلْيَاءَ شَأْوًا فِي الْوَرَى وَاسْتَعِدُّواْ لِلْوَغَى أَشْبَالَنَا لِلْغِلَابْ يَا شَبَابْ إِنَّمَا الدُّنْيَا كِفَاحٌ لِلْوَطَنْ لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا لِيبِيَا

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

Analysis

Editorial

Originally the anthem of the Kingdom of Libya, in use from 1955 until Gaddafi's coup in 1969. During the 2011 civil war the rebels revived it as the national anthem in the areas they held, and after the revolution that overthrew Gaddafi the country restored it. The music was composed by the renowned Egyptian composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab, one of the most influential Arab musicians of the 20th century.