February 12th, 2008

Filed under:
Morocco, The Long View, Travel
3 Comments »

What Does the Muezzin Say During the Call to Prayer?

Mosque ExteriorHere in Morocco, we hear the adhan or call to prayer five times a day. For me, they are to Morocco what the church bells were to Malta. That is, a clockwork reminder of religion, shared by an entire community.

You’ve probably heard the call to prayer on television or in a movie (wasn’t it in The English Patient?). You’ve certainly heard it if you’ve visited a Muslim country. You can listen to some samples of the adhan here. The local ones have a droning, haunting quality that sounds, well, really foreign to my Western ears.

What is the muezzin–the chosen person who leads the call to prayer–actually saying? We’ve got a book on Islam, and here are the phrases that comprise the adhan:

  • God is great.
  • I witness that there is no god but God.
  • I witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
  • Rise up for prayer.
  • Rise up for salvation.
  • God is great.
  • There is no god but God.

These are repeated a number of different times. There are also some differences between the Sunni and Shia versions, which you can read about on Wikipedia.

Tags: , , , ,

Comments: 3 Responses so far

Derek K. Miller
February 12th, 2008
10:44 am

Oddly, it had never occurred to me to wonder what the muezzin was saying, although I subconsciously must have thought it was something like this. Interesting how the Sunni-Shi’a split is so immediate after Muhammad, rather than the longer delay before schisms in Christianity.

[Reply]

filmgoerjuan
February 14th, 2008
12:40 pm

I loved hearing the call to prayer 5 times a day (yes, even the one that took place at 3 in the morning). My only complaint were with the tinny speaker systems that some of the smaller mosques use to broadcast it.

It was also interesting/unusual to be in Jerusalem where you’d hear the call to prayer and church bells ringing multiple times a day. I genuinely miss it.

[Reply]

Christine Van Rayn
February 25th, 2008
5:35 pm

I recently visited India and was enchanted by the call of the muezzin. I wondered about the translation. Thank you for the information. I am leaving for a visit to Morocco and this knowledge will enhance my visit and give it a deeper meaning. What a beautiful way to start the day!

[Reply]

Add a comment