"" () was the national anthem of the United Arab Republic (UAR), a federation of Egypt and Syria, from 1960. Though the UAR disbanded in 1961, Egypt retained it as the official name of the state until 1971, and used its national anthem until 1979. It was also used as the national anthem of Iraq from 1963 to 1981. The lyrics are usually sung in Egyptian Arabic rather than Modern Standard Arabic.
History Prior to being adopted as the UAR's national anthem, it was used as a nationalist song performed by Umm Kulthum during the Suez Crisis in 1956, known in Egypt and the Arab world as the Tripartite Aggression, when Egypt was invaded by the United Kingdom, France, and Israel. Due to its lyrics evoking national resistance, the song was played frequently on Egyptian radio during the war, sometimes as often as every 10 minutes.
The popularity of the song led to it being adopted as the national anthem of the UAR two years after the establishment of the union. It replaced the former official royal anthem of Egypt "Salām ʾAfandīnā" (), composed by Giuseppe Pugioli, as well as "Nashīd al-Ḥuriyya" (), composed and sung by Mohammed Abdel Wahab; they were adopted following the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and the abolition of the monarchy, as well as the former national anthem of Syria.
The lyrics were written by Salah Jahin, with music by Kamal Al Taweel. It was also used, without words, by Iraq from 1965 to 1981.
It was eventually replaced in 1979 for the peace negotiations with Israel by President Anwar Sadat as Egypt's national anthem by the less militant "Bilady, Bilady, Bilady", which continues to be Egypt's national anthem today.Virginia Danielson, "The Voice of Egypt": Umm Kulthum, Arabic Song, and Egyptian Society in the Twentieth Century (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology), p. 243
Lyrics Arabic original Romanization of Arabic English translation١ 𝄇 وَالله زَمَان يَا سِلَاحِي اِشْتَقْتِ لَك فِي كِفَاحِي اِنْطَق وَقُول أَنَا صَاحِي يَا حَرْبِ وَالله زَمَان 𝄆
𝄇 وَالله زَمَان عَالْجُنُود زَاحْفَة بِتِرْعِد رِعُود 𝄆 حَالْفَة تِرُوحْ لَمْ تِعُود إِلَّا بِنَصْرِ الْزَّمَان
𝄇 هِمُّوا وَضُمُّوا الْصُّفُوف شِيلُوا الْحَيَاة عَالْكُفُوف 𝄆 يَامَا الْعَدُوّ رَاح يِشُوف مِنْكُمْ فِي نَارِ الْمِيدَان
٢ وَالله زَمَان يَا سِلَاحِي اِشْتَقْتِ لَك فِي كِفَاحِي اِنْطَق وَقُول أَنَا صَاحِي يَا حَرْبِ وَالله زَمَان
𝄇 يَا مَجْدِنَا يَا مَجْدِنَا يَا الْلِّي تْبَنَيْت مِنْ عَنْدِنَا 𝄆 𝄇 بِشَقَانَا وَكَدِّنَا 𝄆 عُمْرَكْ مَا تِبْقَى هَوَان
وَالله زَمَان يَا سِلَاحِي اِشْتَقْتِ لَك فِي كِفَاحِي اِنْطَق وَقُول أَنَا صَاحِي يَا حَرْبِ وَالله زَمَان
٣ 𝄇 مَصْرِ الْحُرَّة مِينْ يَحْمِيهَا نَحْمِيهَا بِسْلَاحْنَا أَرْضِ الْثَّوْرَة مِينْ يِفْدِيهَا نِفْدِيهَا بَأَرْوَاحْنَا 𝄆
𝄇 اَلْشَّعْب بِيَزْحَف زَىِّ الْنُّور اَلْشَّعْب جِبَال اَلْشَّعْب بُحُور بُرْكَان غَضْبَان بُرْكَان بِيَفُور زِلزَال بِيَشُقّ لُهُمْ فِي قُبُور 𝄆
𝄇 𝄆I 𝄆 Wallāh zamān, yā silāḥī Ištaqti lak fī kifāḥī Inṭaq wa-qūl ʾanā ṣāḥī Yā ḥarbi wallāh zamān. 𝄇
𝄆 Wallāh zamān ʿa-l-junūd Zāḥfa bi-tirʿid riʿūd 𝄇 Ḥālfa tirūḥ lam tiʿūd Illā bi-naṣri z-zamān.
𝄆 Himmū wa-ḍummu ṣ-ṣufūf Šīlū l-ḥayāh ʿa-l-kufūf 𝄇 Yāmā l-ʿaduww rāḥ yišūf Minkum fī nāri l-mīdān.
II 𝄆 Wallāh zamān, yā silāḥī Ištaqti lak fī kifāḥī Inṭaq wa-qūl ʾanā ṣāḥī Yā ḥarbi wallāh zamān. 𝄇
𝄆 Yā majdinā yā majdinā Yā l-li tbanayt min ʿandinā 𝄇 𝄆 Bi-šaqānā wa-kaddinā 𝄇 ʿUmrak mā tibqā hawān.
𝄆 Wallāh zamān, yā silāḥī Ištaqti lak fī kifāḥī Inṭaq wa-qūl ʾanā ṣāḥī Yā ḥarbi wallāh zamān. 𝄇
III 𝄆 Maṣri l-ḥurra mīn yaḥmīhā Naḥmīhā bi-slāḥnā ʾArḍi ṯ-ṯawra mīn yifdīhā Nifdīha bi-ʾarwāḥnā. 𝄇
𝄆 Aš-šaʿb bi-yazḥaf zayyi n-nūr Aš-šaʿb jibāl aš-šaʿb buḥūr Burkān ġaḍbān burkān bi-yafūr Zilzāl bi-yašuqq luhum fī qubūr. 𝄇
𝄆 𝄇 I 𝄆 It has been a long time, oh my weapon! I long for you in my struggle! Speak and say I am awake, Oh war it has been a long time. 𝄇
𝄆 It has been a long time for the soldiers, Advancing with thunderous roar, 𝄇 Swearing never to return, Except with epoch-making victory.
𝄆 Rise and close ranks, With lives ready for sacrifice. 𝄇 O! the horror that the enemy shall suffer, From you in the fire of the battlefield.
II It has been a long time, oh my weapon! I long for you in my struggle! Speak and say I am awake, Oh war it has been a long time.
𝄆 O! glory our glory, You who was built by us, 𝄇 𝄆 By toil and pain, 𝄇 Never to go to waste.
It has been a long time, oh my weapon! I long for you in my struggle! Speak and say I am awake, Oh war it has been a long time.
III 𝄆 Who shall protect Free Egypt? We shall protect her with our weapons. Land of the Revolution, who will sacrifice for her sake? We will, with our souls. 𝄇
𝄆 The people advance like the light, The people stand like mountains and seas, Volcanoes of anger, volcanoes erupting, Earthquakes digging the enemy into their graves. 𝄇
𝄆 𝄇
References
External links Information, Audio, Lyrics, and Sheet Music on Walla Zaman Ya Selahy