Libya, Libya, Libya

"Libya, Libya, Libya", also known as "O My Country", has been the national anthem of Libya since 2011; it was previously the national anthem of the Kingdom of Libya from 1955 to 1969. It was composed by Mohammed Abdel Wahab, in 1951, with the lyrics being written by.

History

Kingdom of Libya

"Libya, Libya, Libya" was composed by Mohammed Abdel Wahab in 1951 and was originally the national anthem of the Kingdom of Libya, from its independence in 1951 until 1969 when King Idris I was overthrown by a coup d'état led by Muammar Gaddafi. The lyrics were written by Al Bashir Al Arebi.

Libyan Arab Republic and the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

In 1969, Muammar Gaddafi adopted the Egyptian anthem "Wallāh Zamān, Yā Silāḥī" as the national anthem of the newly proclaimed Libyan Arab Republic. It was later changed to the Egyptian military marching song "Allahu Akbar", which remained the anthem of republic, and later, the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, until 2011.

Libyan civil war

In 2011, "Libya, Libya, Libya" was declared as the new national anthem of Libya by the National Transitional Council. "Libya, Libya, Libya" ultimately did become the national anthem of Libya once again, following the Libyan Civil War and the death of Muammar Gaddafi. The verse that glorifies King Idris has since been discontinued and rewritten to glorify Libyan national hero Omar al-Mukhtar, who spearheaded native Libyan resistance against Italian colonization during the Second Italo-Senussi War.

Lyrics

Current lyrics

The rewritten third verse is not always sung.

Arabic original	Transliteration	IPA transcription	English translation
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			Chorus: O my country, o my country, With my struggle and gladiatorial patience, Drive off all enemies plots and mishaps And be saved, be saved, be saved Be saved all the way We are your sacrifices Libya, Libya, Libya! I O my country, Thou art the heritage of my ancestors May Allah not bless any hand that tries to harm Thee Be saved, we are for ever Thy soldiers No matter the death toll if Thou art saved Take from us the most credential oaths We won't let Thee down, Libya We will never be enchained again We are free and have freed our homeland Libya, Libya, Libya! Chorus II Our grandfathers stripped a fine determination When the call for struggle was made They marched carrying a Qur'an in one hand, and their weapons in the other hand The universe is then full of faith and purity The world is then a place of goodness and godliness Eternity is for our grandfathers They have honoured this homeland Libya, Libya, Libya! Chorus III Hail al-Mukhtar, the prince of conquerors He is the symbol of struggle and jihad He raises our flag high And we follow him, freeing our homeland, He was praised with glory and conquest manifest And raises hope for Libya in heaven, A free flag Over a rich country, Libya, Libya, Libya. Chorus IV O son of Libya; O son of lions of the wild We're for honour and the honours are for us Since we began struggling, people all over praised May Allah bless our independence So seek height as a quality in mankind Our cubs, be prepared for the foreseen battles Our youths, to prevail Life is only a struggle for our homeland Libya, Libya, Libya!

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