The taxi driver speaks Arabic, and the phrase “Allahu Akbar,” meaning “God is [the] greatest,” and is a common protective oath used in Islam—including at the beginning of the adhan (call for prayer).

The taxi driver gives his advice to Frank, telling him that no matter how big your problem is, God is [the] greatest and He is capable of anything. Most religions believe that humbling yourself before the power of the creator will bring perspective and wisdom to face life’s challenges. Perhaps he genuinely feels for Frank and doesn’t know any other way to help him.

He could also be repeating the common saying as a exasperated “curse” against the sad sack in his back seat (like a Catholic might sarcastically say “saints preserve us”).

Frank running into this Muslim cab driver is no coincidence. The taxi business is heavily powered by immigrants—censuses show that up to 90% of New York City’s taxi drivers are foreign-born, with around 10% of those people hailing from from predominantly Arabic-Muslim countries such as Egypt, Morocco, and Senegal. It is relatively easy for someone with only rudimentary English to acquire connections, leases, and the driver’s license necessary to become a cabbie. Furthermore, driving cabs is a relatively grueling service job with shifts usually lasting around 12 hours, so the career remains undesirable to more settled demographics. This has led to some outcry, as even highly-educated immigrants fall into the job because of lack of opportunity elsewhere, leading to underemployment of qualified emigres.