The Beauty of the Call to Prayer

The Beauty of the Call to Prayer

The call to prayer is an Islamic practice that is both beautiful and spiritually moving.

We have been to several countries where Islam is the primary religion and the opportunity to hear the call to prayer is something that never fails to touch me deeply.  In Morocco, the Maldives, and Qatar we experienced the call to prayer five times each day.  Each time, I find spiritual stillness as the muezzin (the person chosen to recite the call)  echoes the prayer  through a series of speakers located in a forest of towers atop minarets sprinkled throughout the city.

What is the Call to Prayer

As someone who is not a practitioner of a single faith, I have spent years seeking comfort from all faiths for my own peace. Certainly, I’m no expert on the call the prayer, just someone who can appreciate what every faith has to offer. If this entry resonates with you there are many online options to seek your own understanding.

A centuries old practice, the adhan, or call to prayer, is a way to signal those of the Islamic faith toward the tenet of prayer.  A proclamation to turn to God. A stillness and presence unlimited by time zones and boundaries. Performed by millions in synchronicity.

Adherents come to prayer five times each day in communities across the globe and while many attend a mosque, that is not required.  People of the Islamic faith come together, whether gathered or in isolation to be reminded that God is great or the greatest; expressed as “Allāhu akbar.”  This belief in one God is common in all monotheistic religions.

What does it Mean?

The sequence and meaning of the prayer is as follows:

• Allāhu akbar, repeated four times = God is greatest
• Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh = I bear witness that there is no god but God
• Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu Allāh = I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God
• Ḥayya ʿalaṣ-ṣalāh = Come to prayer
• Ḥayya ʿala-l-falāḥ = Come to success
• Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar = God is greatest
• Lā ilāha illā Allāh =  There is no God but God

The morning prayer includes this:

• Aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun mina-n-nawm, repeated twice = Prayer is better than sleep.

How it Feels to Me

Despite the differences in the location, the muezzin, the quality of the speakers, and the volume; the meaning and spirit of the prayer is unchanged.

You can feel the pause in the air as people begin to settle into observance as they make their way through busy streets. Or not. People of faith can pray wherever conditions are appropriate.

Sometimes there is static, sometimes not.  There’s texture and an ancient rhythm to the sacred words. Intonation that rises and falls.  Melancholy.  Belonging.  An invitation extended. An interruption of the ordinary. A sense of wonder and reverence.

The call lasts for several minutes and the final notes have a resonance that lingers well beyond the last spoken word.

I never cease to find it profound.

Every time I hear it I wonder if it’s for the last time, this momentary connection to a centuries old practice.

My Own Deeper Understanding

Every time I’ve had the privilege to hear the prayer it has signified a personal summoning, an auditory reminder to come back to myself and to return to the spirit of the universe.  Whether on a crowded city street, the middle of a Medina, waterside, or on a rooftop terrace, the rhythm and cadence of the muezzin calls me back to what matters, what is critical, what I value.

Because the truth is I need the prompt.  I need the return to stillness, to turn away from my own self-inflicted self-importance that manifests through activity and distractions, and a reminder that I’m never alone or isolated. For me, the prayer reverberates with humility, the very words point to something bigger than me, bigger than all of us no matter our faith or the lack of.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned I am writing from my own experience, understanding, and feelings, not from a deep knowledge of Islam.  My views are informed by our travels, but more so from the people we have met while traveling.  The connections made, the relationships that have endured. The impact felt and the benefit of seeing the world through the eyes of others.

I’m invariably struck by the similarities between the world’s religions. How people of faith find their own way to connection. That, in my view,  the relationship between a person and what they believe in is not limited by human understanding but by the acceptance of the humanness and god-presence of others.

Have you experienced the call to prayer? Did it move you? Are you curious to learn more? If you haven’t heard it in person, have you heard a recording? What did you think? How did it make you feel?

Please let us know in the comments, we look forward to hearing from you.