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![]() IslamView.org Islamic Center of Blacksburg A’Than: The Muslim Call to Prayer |
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A’Than, the
call to prayer, is recited five times daily at the prescribed prayer
times. Customarily,
the call is made by
a person who has a strong, and melodious voice (the Mu’a’then) to
summon
the Muslims for
their mandatory prayers. The Mu’a’then stands on an elevated ground
(e.g. the
minaret of the Mosque) and faces the direction of the Qibla (the Kaaba
in
Makkah) to make the call. The Mu’a’then turns to the right and the left
while
reciting parts of the call. A few minutes later, a similar call with
slightly
altered wording (Iqama) is made inside the Mosque, after which, people
assemble
in lines ready to commence their congregational prayer. People praying
outside
the mosque also recite both the A’Than and Iqama for each of their five
daily
prayers. Mosques today are equipped with loud speakers mounted on the
minarets
and the Mu’a’then makes the call from inside the Mosque. Also, with advances in IT
and computers,
watches, clocks, cell phones, and computers have A’Than recordings that
come on
at prayer scheduled times. History:
With
the conclusion of
the construction of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh)
consulted with his companions regarding summoning the Muslims to gather
for
prayers and important meetings in the Mosque.
Several options were discussed but none were found
appealing. A few
days later two of the prophet’s
companions (independently) related to the prophet their visions in
which the
wording of the A’Than was used to call people to the prayer. The prophet acknowledged
their visions as
inspirations from God and assigned Bilal to become the first Mu’a’then
in
Islam. Bilal, a
freed slave from Abyssinia and
one of the early Muslims, was chosen because he had the best vocals. Since then, A’Than
continues to be recited by
Mu’a’thens and all Muslims around the globe in the same words in Arabic
exactly
as it was recited 14 centuries ago. Significance: In addition to
alerting Muslims to prayer times, the A’Than creates
a spiritual primer to
the Muslims and sets the
stage for piety in their prayers. The words of the A’Than are but an
easily
intelligible summary of Islamic belief. It brings to the mind the
substance of
Islamic spiritual ideology as it reiterates the testimony of faith,
calls the
Muslim to success and emphasizes the greatness of the Creator. The A’Than is also the
very first thing a newborn
Muslim hears. The
Islamic tradition is
to recite (whisper) the A’Than into the newborn’s right ear and recite
the
Iqama in the left. It
is a blessing for
the newborn as well as an initiation for his/her spiritual attachments
to Allah. Words
& Meanings: Allah is Greater: The words “Allah
is Greater” has the powerful meaning to
the Muslim throughout his/her entire life. Allah is indeed greater than
all there
is, all we could imagine, and all that is there that we can-not
imagine. This
is what the Muslim truly believes in; that Allah is greater than the
challenges
we face, the tests we go through, and all our needs. Allah’s Mercy is
greater
than all our sins, His Wisdom is greater than all knowledge, and His
Power is
greater than all other might. Hence,
at
this very moment as Muslims hear the call to prayer, the invitation to
have
this special session with Him, the opportunity to be present in His
welcome, their
utmost priority and dedication should be - and without hesitation or
tardiness
–to engage piously in their prayer to Him. I bear witness that
there is no other deity but Allah - I
bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah The urging word in “Rush
to prayer” and “Rush to
success” in Arabic (Hayya) is in fact a derivative of the
word “life”. A more
accurate translation would have been “revive
your life” by rushing to the prayer; thus depicting the prayer as the
source of
life for the Muslim. The later part is an association of prayer with
success as
it truly sets the tone and attitude of the Muslim’s life as thus
becomes the
most critical ‘spine/column’ that supports the Muslim and guides
his/her
success. It is worthy to add
that in the early morning (Dawn) A’Than the
words of “الصلاة خير من النوم – Assalatu Khayrun
mina-nawm - Prayer
is better than sleep” are iterated twice
right after the
rush to success segment.
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