Walla Zaman Ya Selahy

Wallāh Zamān, Yā Silāḥī

English: "It's Been So Long, O My Weapon"
National anthem of the UAR Former national anthem of Egypt Former national anthem of Iraq Former national anthem of Libya
Lyrics	Salah Jahin
Music	Kamal Al Taweel
Adopted	20 May 1960 (by the United Arab Republic) 2 July 1965 (by Iraq) 1 September 1969 (by Libya) 11 September 1971 (by Egypt)
Relinquished	11 September 1971 (by the United Arab Republic) 26 March 1979 (by Egypt) 17 July 1981 (by Iraq) 2 March 1977 (by Libya)
Preceded by	Nashid al-Hurriya (Egypt; 1960) Humat ad Diyar (Syria; 1958) Mawtini (Iraq; 1965) Libya, Libya, Libya (Libya; 1969)
Succeeded by	Humat ad-Diyar (Syria; 1961) Allahu Akbar (Libya; 1977, as sole anthem) Bilady, Bilady, Bilady (Egypt; 1979) Ardulfurataini (Iraq; 1981)^[citation needed]

"Wallāh Zamān, Yā Silāḥī" (Arabic: والله زمان يا سلاحي) 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.

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 strongly nationalist 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" (سلام افندينا), composed by Giuseppe Pugioli, as well as "Nashīd al-Ḥuriyya" (نشيد الحرية), composed and sung by Mohammed Abdel Wahab;^[1][2] 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.^[3]

Lyrics

Arabic original	Romanization of Arabic	English translation
𝄇 والله زمــان يـا سـلاحـي ‎اشتـقـت لـك في كـفـاحي ‎انطق وقـول أنـا صاحـي ‎يــا حــرب والله زمــان 𝄆 𝄇 والله زمـان ع الجــنــود زاحفة بـتـرعـد رعـود 𝄆 حالـفة تـروح لم تـعـود إلا بـنـصــر الـزمــان 𝄇 همـوا وضـمـوا الصـفـوف شيلوا الحياة ع الكفوف 𝄆 ياما العدو راح يـشـوف منكـم في نـار المـيـدان والله زمــان يـا سـلاحـي اشتـقـت لـك في كـفـاحي انطق وقـول أنـا صاحـي يــا حــرب والله زمــان 𝄇 يـا مجـدنـا يـا مجـدنـا يا اللي اتبنـيت من عندنا 𝄆 𝄇 بـشـقــانـا وكــدنــا 𝄆 ‎عـمـرك مـا تبقى هـوان 𝄇 همـوا وضـمـوا الصـفـوف شيلوا الحياة ع الكفوف 𝄆 ياما العدو راح يـشـوف منكـم في نـار المـيـدان والله زمــان يـا سـلاحـي اشتـقـت لـك في كـفـاحي انطق وقـول أنـا صاحـي يــا حــرب والله زمــان 𝄇 مصر الحرة مين يحميهــــا ‎نحـميهـا بـسلاحـنـــا ‎أرض الثورة مين يفديهـا ‎نفـديها بأرواحـنــا 𝄆 𝄇 الشعب بيزحـف زى النور ‎الشعب جبال الشعـب بحور ‎بركان غضبان بركان بيفور ‎زلزال بيـشق لهم في قبور 𝄆 𝄇 والله زمــان يـا سـلاحـي ‎اشتـقـت لـك في كـفـاحي ‎انطق وقـول أنـا صاحـي ‎يــا حــرب والله زمــان 𝄆	𝄆 Wallāh zamān yā silāḥī Ishtaqti lak fī kifāḥī Intaq wa-qūl ʾanā ṣāḥī Yā ḥarb wallāh zamān. 𝄇 𝄆 Wallāh zamān ʿa l-junūd Zāḥfa bitirʿid riʿūd 𝄇 Ḥālfa tirūh lam tiʿūd Illā binaṣri z-zamān. 𝄆 Hummū wu ḍummu ṣ-ṣufūf Shīlū l-ḥayāti l-kufūf 𝄇 Yāmā l-ʿaduww rāḥ yishūf Minkum fī nāri l-mīdān. 𝄆 Wallāh zamān yā silāḥī Ishtaqti lak fī kifāḥī Intaq wa-qūl ʾanā ṣāḥī Yā ḥarb wallāh zamān. 𝄇 𝄆 Yā majdinā yā majdinā Yā-llī-tbanayt min ʿandanā 𝄇 𝄆 Bishaqānā wa-kaddinā 𝄇 ʿUmrak mā tibqā hawān. 𝄆 Hummū wu ḍummu ṣ-ṣufūf Shīlū l-ḥayāti l-kufūf 𝄇 Yāmā l-ʿaduww rāḥ yishūf Minkum fī nāri l-mīdān. 𝄆 Wallāh zamān yā silāḥī Ishtaqti lak fī kifāḥī Intaq wa-qūl ʾanā ṣāḥī Yā ḥarb wallāh zamān. 𝄇 𝄆 Maṣri l-ḥurra min yiḥmīhā Niḥmihā bislāḥnā ʾArḍi th-thawra min yifdīhā Nifdīha biʾarwāḥnā. 𝄇 𝄆 Ash-shaʿb biyizḥaf zayyi n-nūr Ash-shaʿb jibāl ash-shaʿb buḥūr Burkān gaḍbān burkān biyfūr Zilzāl biyshuqq luhum fī qubūr. 𝄇 𝄆 Wallāh zamān yā silāḥī Ishtaqti lak fī kifāḥī Intaq wa-qūl ʾanā ṣāḥī Yā ḥarb wallāh zamān. 𝄇	𝄆 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. 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. 𝄆 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. 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. 𝄆 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. 𝄇 𝄆 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. 𝄇

References

1. "An Evolution of Egypt's National Anthem". Egyptian Streets. May 27, 2022. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
2. "National Anthem". Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Archived from the original on 21 Dec 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
3. Virginia Danielson, "The Voice of Egypt": Umm Kulthum, Arabic Song, and Egyptian Society in the Twentieth Century (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology), p. 243

External links

• Information, Audio, Lyrics, and Sheet Music on Walla Zaman Ya Selahy