The Muslim religion has its own canons and norms, which sometimes look complicated to the uninitiated. For example, adhan is a completely common practice in Islam, although this ritual does not exist in Christianity. Therefore, people professing a different religion, finding themselves among Muslims, often do not understand the essence of this daily religious call to prayer.
Unfortunately, even some Muslims (especially young people), who were not raised from childhood in an atmosphere of Islam and the worship of Allah, sometimes wonder why the azan is necessary. It is worth understanding this issue in more detail.
What is the call to prayer for?
Every devout Muslim knows what adhan is. This is essentially a call to prayer, which is known to be performed five times a day. Accordingly, the call in Islam is proclaimed the same number of times - before each prayer. However, many Muslims, even hearing these beautiful words, do not think about them and therefore do not realize its spiritual importance.
Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the prayer to which it calls is obligatory, but the call itself is only desirable - if necessary, you can do without it. At the same time, Islam considers the call to prayer a very important part of the ritual. The muezzin must read the adhan in any locality where Muslims live.
This is not only a kind of notification that it is time for prayer, but also a desire to remind us why the prayer itself is needed. Translated from Arabic, the word “adhan” means “notification, announcement.” Muslims believe that the time for each prayer was set by Allah himself. However, a true believer may, for various reasons, miss the exact deadline, which is why the muezzin’s duties include reporting that it is time for prayer.
If the number and time of prayers were determined by the Almighty, then azans were introduced into his ritual by the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in the first third of the 7th century (1st century Hijri). There is a legend that tells about the creation of the call to prayer. According to him, the first Muslims living in Medina, where the prophet was at that time, did not know the exact time of prayer and told the Messenger of Allah about it. Various methods of notification were even proposed - some suggested using large pipes or a bell, others - posting special signs.
Finally, one of the Prophet’s followers, Abdullah ibn Zeid, saw in a dream a man carrying a zurna in his hand. Abdullah asked to sell the instrument, explaining that he wanted to notify people that it was time for prayer. However, the person said that there was a better way to do this and gave the full text of the adhan. Having woken up, he told the Prophet Muhammad (saw) about everything, and he approved both the text of the announcement and the method itself. Since then, prayer time alerts around the world have been read this way.
Some researchers believe that the man who appeared to Abdullah in a dream was none other than the angel Jibril.
Originally it was a single phrase translated as “congregational prayer.” However, in Arabia, even before the rise of Islam, there were pagan rituals somewhat similar to this beautiful call. Therefore, the modern text of the call to prayer was gradually formed, which was determined by both outdated pagan rules and the postulates of the new Islamic religion.
In order to read the adhan, the muezzin must turn towards the Kaaba and pronounce the words measuredly and melodiously. Immediately after the call is announced, a dua follows (that is, a special short prayer), where the Prophet himself, as well as his family and followers, are blessed. At the same time, the pre-prayer ritual is considered incomplete without pronouncing the iqama, which is read after notification of the time of prayer, a few minutes later.
Azan - call to prayer
Azan has a special role in our religion, and its price is great. The proclamation of adhan is a sign that Muslims live in a given area. The Almighty praises those who read the adhan: “Whose speech is more beautiful than the speech of the one who calls to Allah and acts righteously!..” (Sura “Fussilat”, verse 33).
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The muezzins (calling for prayer) on the Day of Judgment will be the highest . Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) told us about the greatness of this matter, and, of course, a Muslim is recommended to strive for this. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If people knew what reward awaited for calling and being in the front row during prayer, and there was no other choice but to draw lots, then they would draw lots for this.” (Imam Muslim, No. 437).
People should be imbued with the greatness and dignity of the adhan. Prophet Muhammad also said: “If someone reads the adhan, then whoever hears it, be it a man or a jinn, even a stone or clay hears it, they will testify to what they heard on the Day of Judgment.” Therefore, it is advisable for a person to read the adhan at home, even if there is no one at home. Even if you are in the desert, read the adhan in order to earn the reward for the adhan, to achieve what Allah praised the companions for. The most important ethical points that a muezzin must observe are fear of God, honesty, facing the Kaaba, and performing ablution during adhan. It is advisable for the muezzin to have a strong voice; The sunnah is to raise your voice when reading the adhan, to rise to a high place, because before there were no microphones; close your ears with your index fingers while reading the adhan and read it in the well-known common form: “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar...” - and so on until the end.
It is advisable to turn when reading the words “Hayya ala s-salah”, “Hayya ala-falyah” to the right and to the left. It is also advisable for the muezzin to make a “tarji”, that is, after reading the takbirs, read “Ashhadu alla ilaha illa Allah” twice and “Ashhadu anna Muhammad rasulullah” twice, then read the same thing in a loud voice, a total of four times. In the call to morning prayer, it is advisable to make “taswib”, that is, say: “Assalatu khairu mina navm” (“Namaz is better than sleep”). This is an important sunnah that is performed while reciting the adhan.
It is advisable that the muezzin also read the Iqamat, stretch out his voice during the adhan, and when reading the Iqamat, read it a little faster. As for women, it is permissible for them to recite the iqamah in the company of women, where there are no men, and as for reciting the adhan to a woman, it is not sunnah for her under any circumstances. According to the testimony of Mrs. Aisha (radiyallahu anha), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he heard the adhan, his behavior changed: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) talked to us, joked, but if the time for prayer came, he became like this as if he didn’t know us, and we didn’t know him.” That is, he left everything and prepared for prayer.
When we hear the muezzin, we need to prepare for prayer and leave all our affairs, be it conversation, work and even reading the Koran - we should leave all activities, since this is the call of Allah himself, through the muezzin. Then it is advisable to repeat what the muezzin says. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told us : “Whoever repeats the words of the muezzin sincerely will enter Paradise . Another version of the hadith says: “...he will be worthy of my intercession . It is advisable, repeating after the muezzin while reading the words “Ashhadu anna to Muhammad rasulullah,” to say (meaning): “I also testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I am pleased with Allah as the Lord, Islam as a religion, and Muhammad as the Prophet.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told us that the prayer between azan and iqama cannot be rejected - this is an important time that a believer uses to appeal to Allah Almighty (Holy and Great is He). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said : “When the shaitan hears the adhan, he runs away, because the adhan strikes him, burns him and pushes him away .
Azan is a mercy to us from Allah. When a person hears the call to prayer, which sounds from Muslim minarets in different corners, he feels calm and many troubles go away from him. When you hear the adhan, try to feel how our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) behaved when he heard the adhan, how he addressed Allah, so that our entry into prayer would be like that of our Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So we will be perfect in following the worthy deeds of the best creation - the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and we will correspond to the meaning of the words of Allah : “Say (O Muhammad): “If you love Allah, then follow me, and then Allah will love you "" (Surah Al Imran), verse 3.
Number and time of announcement
The Muslim prayer cycle consists of five obligatory prayers. Every believer must read the prayer:
- in the morning;
- at noon;
- shortly before evening;
- In the evening;
- at night.
Accordingly, before each prayer a reminder must be said, so the adhan schedule coincides with the schedule of the prayer itself, although they are separated by a few minutes to prepare directly for the prayer. However, there are periods when prayer is prohibited. In particular, when the sun is at its zenith, the call and prayer are not read.
There is also a ban on reading the call at a time when the sun has already risen, but has not yet risen to the height of the spear. You should also not read prayer when the sun is setting. Particularly zealous Muslims may
Rules of conduct for believers
It should not be assumed that Muslims who come out to listen to the call should simply perceive it as a reminder to begin prayer. After all, the azan is a component of the prayer ritual, which means that a certain response and action is required on the part of the listeners.
The rules dictate that these words must be responded to immediately, putting aside all the things that a person is busy with at the time. Even if at that moment you are reading the Koran, at the sound of the call you need to interrupt what you are doing. And the point is not only that from this moment you begin to internally prepare for prayer, but that you need to repeat after the muezzin - and this requires a certain concentration.
By pronouncing the words, a person feels how the adhan calms the soul. All these phrases must be repeated exactly as the person calling them says. But there are two exceptions. When you hear the words “There is no other god but Allah,” you must answer, “Only Allah is strong and omnipotent.” And when the morning call time comes and the muezzin reminds: “Prayer is better than sleep,” believers must answer: “Truly these words are true.”
Thus, the announcement of prayer is read by both parties - both the one who announces the call to prayer and the one who listens to the announcement. All this allows a person to tune into a prayerful mood and perform namaz after adhan with inspiration and true humility. Moreover, if you are far away (for example, on a trip) and know that the time for prayer is coming, then you need to read the call yourself and only then start praying.
In Islam there are a number of rules that must be strictly followed. This applies to all aspects of the life of a devout Muslim, and the adhan is no exception. Since performing namaz is a component of the pillars of Islam, prayer and call are closely related, and therefore require compliance with established requirements.
- A woman cannot read the adhan; this is only allowed for a man. In this case, the announcer must be exclusively Muslim. If there is no man and only women have gathered for prayer, then instead of the azan they can read the iqamat.
- It cannot be said while sitting, and those who listen should not talk while these words are being read, much less laugh. The Iqamat is read, as a rule, by the same person who called for prayer, although this is not a mandatory requirement. But if you are in a mosque while reading the call, the call to prayer does not need to be repeated after the muezzin. However, reading the Iqama is mandatory in any case.
- When announcing the call, the muezzin must cover his ears with his index fingers (according to another version, he should hold his earlobes with his index finger and thumb). This is required in order to raise your voice. When saying “Hurry to prayer,” he must turn his head to the right, and when saying “Hurry to your salvation,” he must turn to the left.
The rules say nothing about how pure the person listening to the call must be. But at the same time, the one who announces the adhan must undergo purification in advance. After all, these words call for spiritual purity, so he is obliged to notify only after ablution.
In Islam, the azan is often seen not only as a call and reminder of prayer, but also as a kind of amulet against many misfortunes. Therefore, the call replaces both a conspiracy against troubles and a good parting word that can attract good luck. In particular, it can be read in the back of a person leaving you, as well as during a battle or fire. These words calm an aggressive person or animal and treat nervous diseases.
Many Muslim parents believe that reading the call to prayer can protect their child. Therefore, in Muslim families you can often see how the iqamat is read into the left ear of a newborn, and the azan into the right ear. Islamic hadiths record that this is exactly what the daughter of Muhammad (s.a.w.) Fatima did for the first time. When her son Hasan was born, she read him the azan.
How did the azan, the call to prayer, appear in Islam?
People who come to Muslim countries constantly, or rather five times a day, can observe such a picture as a call coming in Arabic from the minarets of mosques. The muezzin reads a beautiful call in a sing-song voice. It is he who is entrusted with informing people about the main thing in Islam - the beginning of the next prayer. The expressiveness of the call and its motive are so different that in Mecca it is pronounced in a special way, and, for example, in Istanbul with notes of a Turkish accent. In Marrakech it is also unique, but the words are the same all around and the main postulate of Islam is hidden in them - monotheism. The azan has a charming effect on a Western person and does not allow him to forget that he is in the East!
So how did Azan come about? Who had the vision to speak exactly those words in the adhan that we hear with you every day?
The history of the appearance of adhan in Islam is described to us in their books on hadith by Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah, and Imam at-Tirmidhi believed that this story is reliable.
Companion Abdullah ibn Zayd al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, said that he saw in a dream a man dressed in green clothes carrying a bell, and said to him: “O servant of Allah, are you selling the bell?” .
He said, “What are you going to do with it?”
I answered him: “I will use it to call for prayer .
The man said: “Shall I point you to something better than this (that is, calling with a bell)?”
I said, "What is this?"
He said: “You say, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, ashhadu alla ilaha illallah, ashhadu alla ilaha illallah, ashhadu anna Muhammadar - rasulallah, ashhadu anna Muhammadar - rasulallah, haya 'alas-solaya, haya 'alas -solya, haya 'alal fallah, haya 'alal fallah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha illallah .
And the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of the Almighty be upon him, was very worried (about the call to prayer) by blowing the horn and ringing the bell. Abdullah ibn Zeid al-Ansari came out to the prophet and told him what he saw in a dream, and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I saw in a dream a man dressed in green clothes carrying a bell ,” and told him everything. The Messenger of Allah then said:
“Truly your comrade saw a dream,”
and said:
“Go with Bilal to the mosque and tell him everything so that Bilal will call you to prayer. Because, truly, Bilyal’s voice is louder than yours.”
I went to the mosque with Bilal and told him everything, and thus he called for prayer. When Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, heard the call, came out and said: “O Messenger of Allah! I swear to Allah I saw something like this in a dream!” .
This is how the azan, the call to prayer, appeared in Islam. This story is supported by many other hadiths.
For example, it is reported from Abdurrahman ibn Abi Layla said: “The companions of Muhammad reported that Abdullah ibn Zeid al Ansari came to the prophet and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I saw in a dream as if a man in green clothes stood on the wall and read azan and kamat twice..." .
The fact remains that the pronunciation of the adhan was seen together by the companion Abdullah ibn Zeid al-Ansari and the second righteous caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. Minarets at mosques appeared later, and precisely so that the muezzin, having climbed onto them, could call as many people as possible to prayer.
And one more fact, why is there one more line of words in the morning azan?
It is reported that Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
“Bilal came to the Prophet and read the adhan for fajr - morning prayer, finding that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was sleeping and said: “Assalatu khairun minan-naum” - “Prayer is better than sleep,” and after that this phrase began to be added to the morning prayer (narrated by Imam at-Tabarani).
Timur Sharafiev
Based on materials from: https://www.info-islam.ru/
Azan in modern culture
World culture is extremely diverse, with completely different directions intersecting in a bizarre way. It is not uncommon for some religious motifs to be found in modern music. However, spiritual chants always stand apart, and the best adhans belong precisely to this category.
Muslims are proud that they were able to enrich the treasury of cultural heritage, but they do not allow their chants to be distorted in any way or used inappropriately. It is no coincidence that in April 2022, a British DJ was sentenced to a year in prison for launching a remix of the Muslim adhan in a Tunisian club.
Nowadays, the calls to prayer announced by the recognized reciter of the Qur'an, Mishari Rashid al-Afasi, are highly valued. Recordings of his calls can be found on the Internet; these are truly spiritual chants performed at a professional level. He himself preaches in one of the mosques in Kuwait and performs the duties of an imam there.
Today, calls, even being deeply woven into Islamic rituals of prayer, can be considered a separate cultural trend. If you want to understand the beauty of these chants, you can watch the adhan video. It is worth not only listening to the muezzin’s voice, but also looking at the expression on his face while pronouncing the call to prayer in order to understand the meaning of any call and how much it can influence the soul of any person.
