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.
𝄇 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
𝄇 همـوا وضـمـوا الصـفـوف شيلوا الحياة ع الكفوف 𝄆 ياما العدو راح يـشـوف منكـم في نـار المـيـدان
𝄇 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.
𝄆 Hummū wu ḍummu ṣ-ṣufūf Shīlū l-ḥayāti l-kufūf 𝄇 Yāmā l-ʿaduww rāḥ yishūf Minkum fī nāri l-mīdān.
𝄆 It has been a long time for the soldiers, Advancing with thunderous roar, 𝄇 Swearing never to return, Except with epoch-making victory.