Adhan
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| Arabic |
| أَذَان |
| Transliteration |
| aḏān, azaan, adhaan |
| Translation |
| call to prayer |
Adhan (Azaan) (أَذَان) is the Islamic call to prayer, recited by the muezzin. The root of the word is ʼḏn "to permit", and another derivative of this word is uḏun, meaning "ear."
Adhan is called out by the muezzin from a minaret of a mosque five times a day summoning Muslims for fard (mandatory) salah (prayers). There is a second call known as iqama that summons Muslims to line up for the beginning of the prayers.
Text (Sunni)
| Recital | Arabic | Transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x | الله اكبر | Allah u Akbar | God is The Greatest* |
| 2x | اشهد ان لا اله الا الله | Ash-hadu allā ilāha illallāh | I bear witness that there is no lord except God |
| 2x | اشهد ان محمدا رسول الله | Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasūlullāh | I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God |
| 2x | حي على الصلاة | Hayya 'alas-salāt | Make haste towards prayer |
| 2x | حي على الفلاح | Hayya 'alal-falāh | Make haste towards welfare |
| 2x | الصلاة خير من النوم | Aṣ-ṣalātu khayru min an-naūm | Prayer is better than sleep ** |
| 2x | الله اكبر | Allah u akbar | God is greater |
| 1x | لا اله الا الله | Lā ilāha illallāh | There is no lord except God |
* Followers of the Maliki madhab say this line twice instead of four times.
** The line "Prayer is better than sleep" is used only for the first prayers of the day at dawn (fajr salat).
Text (Shia)
| Recital | Arabic | Transliteration | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x | الله اكبر | Allah u Akbar | God is the Greatest |
| 2x | اشهد ان لا اله الا الله | Ash-hadu allā ilāha illallāh | I bear witness that there is no lord except God |
| 2x | اشهد ان محمدا رسول الله | Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasūlullāh | I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God |
| 2x | اشهد ان عليا ولي الله | Ash'hadu anna 'alīyā walī'ul-lāh | "I bear witness that Ali is the vicegerent of God" |
| 2x | حي على الصلاة | Hayya 'alas-salāt | Make haste towards prayer |
| 2x | حي على الفلاح | Hayya 'alal-falāh | Make haste towards welfare |
| 2x | حي علی خير العمل | Hayya- al Khair al amal | Make haste towards the best thing |
| 2x | الله اكبر | Allah u Akbar | God is the Greatest |
| 2x | لا اله الا الله | Lā ilāha illallāh | There is no Lord except God |
According to Shi'a scholars, "Ashhadu ana Alian waliullah" ("I testify that Ali is the associate of God") is not a part of Adhan and Iqamah but it is recommended (Mustahab) to say that.[1]
Sunni view
Sunnis state that the adhan was not written or said by Muhammad, but by one of his Sahabah (his companions), a freed Ethiopian slave by the name of Bilal ibn Ribah. However, Muhammad did choose adhan as the Islamic call to prayer in place of the bells, horns, et cetera used by other religions.
During the Friday prayer (Salat Al Jummah), there are two adhans; the first is to call the people to the mosque, the second is said before the Imam begins the khutbah (sermon). Just before the prayers start, someone recites the iqama as in all prayers.
Shia view
Shi'a sources state that it is Muhammad who, according to God's command, ordered the adhan as a means of calling Muslims to prayer. Shi'a Islam teaches that no one else contributed, or had any authority to contribute, towards the composition of the adhan.
Other Shi'a sources state that Bilal ibn Ribah was, in fact, the first person to recite the Athan, or the call to prayer for Muslims, publicly out loud in front of the Muslim congregation.
Shi'a Islam teaches that God appoints an Imam on Earth for every generation. It teaches that although Muhammad is God's final Prophet and Messenger, Ali was (either the first of God's twelve, Ithna'ashari Isalm) or the first of the Imam to succeed Muhammad in order to maintain the Muslim nation as it was perfected by the seal of the Prophets; Muhammed. Ismaili muslim today have an Imam to guide them. See also: Imamah (Shia doctrine)
Form of the Adhan
Each phrase is followed by a longer pause and is repeated one or more times according to fixed rules. During the first statement each phrase is limited in tonal range, less melismatic, and shorter. Upon repetition the phrase is longer, ornamented with melismas, and may possess a tonal range of over an octave. The adhan's musical form is characterized by contrast and contains twelve melodic passages which move from one to another tonal center of one maqam a fourth or fifth apart. The tempo is mostly slow; it may be faster and with fewer melismas for the sunset prayer. During festivals, it may be performed antiphonally as a duet (Touma, 1996; p. 157-158). Salafists, such as the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia, prefer to issue the adhan in a monotone, considering any verbal elaborations to be makrouh (permissible but discouraged)—or haraam (forbidden) if the meaning of the words is altered. [1]
Dua after Adhan
The following dua is optionally read by Muslims after the adhan is recited.
O God! Lord of this complete call and prayers of ours, by the blessing of it (Allahumma rabba hadhi-hid dawa-tit-tamma wa-salatil qae-ma) اللهم رب هذه الدعوة التامة والصلاة القائمة
Give to Muhammad his eternal rights of intercession (Ati muhammadanil wasilata wal fadeela) آت محمداً الوسيلة و الفضيلة
And raise him to the rank you have promised him (Wab ath-hu maqamam-mahmuda-nil ladhi wa at-ta) وابعثه مقاماً محموداً الذي وعدته
The Adhan in Turkey
During the 1920s and 1930s, the government of İsmet İnönü (2nd President of Republic of Turkey) imposed a Turkish language adhan in place of the traditional Arabic; as an attempt, and only -relatively- successful one, at promoting Turkish as a liturgical language; to the widespread dismay of the public. The prohibition of the Arabic adhan was repealed on June 6, 1950, after an opposition election victory.
See also
References
- Touma, Habib Hassan (1996) The Music of the Arabs, new expanded edition, translated by Laurie Schwartz, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, ISBN 0-931340-88-8
- http://www.iad.org/Pillars/athan.html
External links
- Adhan at Different Locations in Mp3 Format
- Phonetic search engine for World Prayer Times, includes Millions of Cities world wide
- Call for prayers according to the five school of thought: A Shi'ite Encyclopedia
- Audio files of famous Shia and Sunni Adhans
- Pray Times! A Firefox extension displaying prayer times in any location
- Prayer time for any location
- Adhan: The Call to Prayer (suficenter.org)
- Islam Way Online - Allah Muslims Spiritual Healing and al Quran
- Audio files of Shia Adhans (Arabic)
- Web page including audio files of Adhan
- Another Web page including audio files of Adhan
- Audio files of Adhans around the Islamic world together with a variety of other Islamic Multimedia
- Azan: a call to prayer: Film about a young Shia Muslim teenager growing up in East London made by Redcurrent Films
- Adhan with Arabic,rominization,and English subtitles.
- Adhan and Qibla
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