Hearing the call to prayer
Islamic Studies · Early Years · The School
A call, not just a sound
The ADHAN is the call to prayer. It is not a beep. It is not a bell. It is real Arabic words, said out loud, by a real person. It tells Muslims that it is time to pray, right there and then, wherever they happen to be.
What the words say
"Allahu Akbar" is part of it. It means Allah is great. It calls people to prayer. It calls people to success. The main words are the same all around the world, in much the same order. A few small things differ. Sunni Muslims add "Prayer is better than sleep" to the dawn call. Shia Muslims add some other words.
When you hear it
Hearing the adhan is a signal. It means a prayer time has come. Many Muslims pause what they are doing for a moment when they hear it. Even if they cannot pray right away, they know it is close, and they start to get ready in their mind.
Picture one evening. Yusuf sits at the table, with rice on his plate. He picks up his fork. Then he hears the adhan outside. This is the fourth call of the day, because the sun is going down. He does not jump up. He finishes the food in his mouth first. Then he puts his fork down. His mum gives out the rest of the food. Then she goes to wash for prayer. Yusuf washes too. They pray Maghrib together, in the front room. When they come back, the rice is still warm. Dinner carries on. Five calls happen that day. This one, in the middle of tea, was the fourth.