أَكْبَرُ

[Greater, and greatest, in body, or corporeal substance, and in estimation or rank or dignity: and] more, or most, advanced in age; older, and oldest: (Msb:) feminine كُبْرَى: (S, Msb:) plural masculine أَكَابِرُ (S, Msb) and أَكْبَرُونَ; but not كُبْرٌ, because this is of a form specially appropriated to an epithet such as أَسْوَدُ and أَحْمَرُ, and you do not use اكبر in the manner of such an epithet, for you do not say هٰذَا رَجُلٌ أَكْبَرُ, unless you conjoin it with a following word by مِنْ, or prefix to it the article ال: (S:) [but see the phrase دَعَا بِكُبْرِهِ, below:] the plural feminine is كُبَرٌ (S, Msb, K) and كُبْرَيَاتٌ. (Msb.)

أَكْبَرُ is also used in the sense of كَبِيرٌ: (Msb:) according to some, اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَر means God is great; (Az, Mgh, Msb;) like as هُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ [in the Qur'an, 30:26,] means هُوَ هَيِّنٌ عَلَيْهِ; (Az, TA;) but this explanation is of weak authority: (Mgh:) according to others, the phrase is elliptical, and means God is the greatest great [being]: (Az, TA:) or God is greater than every [other] great [being]: (Msb:) or greater than every [other] thing: (Mgh, TA:) or greater than such as that one knows the measure of His majesty: (TA:) [or it may be rendered God is most great, meaning, greater than any other being:] it is considered as elliptical because it is necessary that اكبر should have the article ال, or be followed by a noun in the gen. case [or by the preposition مِنْ]. (TA.) In the phrase اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيراً, the word كبيرا is put in the accusative case [as a corroborative] in the place of the verbal noun تَكْبِيراً, as though one said أُكَبِّرُ تَكْبِيرًا [I magnify Him greatly, after saying اللّٰه اكبر]. (TA.)

يَوْمُ الحَجِّ الأَكْبَرِ [The day of the greater pilgrimage,] means the day of the sacrifice: or, as some say, the day of 'Arafeh: and others say otherwise. (TA.)

In the following words, in a tradition of Mázin, بُعِثَ نَبِىٌّ مِنْ مُضَرَ بِدِينِ اللّٰهِ الكُبَرِ, there is an ellipsis, and the meaning is, بِشَرَيءِعِ دِينِ اللّٰهِ الكُبَرِ [A prophet of Mudar hath been sent with the greatest, or greater, or great, ordinances of God]. (TA.)

In a tradition respecting burial, وَيُجْعَلُ الْأَكْبَرُ مِمَّا يَلِى الْقِبْلَةَ means, And the most excellent shall be placed towards the Kibleh: or, if they be equal [in dignity], the oldest. (TA.) [Agreeably with the former rendering,] أَكْبَرُ, in the Qur'an, 29:44, is explained as signifying Better. (TA, article ذكر.) [And agreeably with the second rendering of the above tradition,] you say هٰذَا أَكْبَرُ مِنْ زَيْدٍ, meaning, This is older than Zeyd. (Msb.)

In a tradition of Ibn-Ez-Zubeyr, the phrase دَعَا بِكُبْرِهِ means He summoned his sheykhs, and elders, or great men: كُبْر being here [notwithstanding what has been said above,] plural of أَكْبَرُ, like as حُمْرٌ is plural of أَحْمَرُ. (TA.)

هٰذِهِ الجَارِيَةُ مِنْ كُبْرَى بَنَاتِ فُلَانٍ means, [This girl is of those advanced in age of the daughters of such a one,] مِنْ كِبَارِ بَنَاتِهِ. (Ibn-Buzurj.)

هُوَ أَكْبَرُ قَوْمِهِ: see كِبْرَةٌ.