Writen by: Tekalign Nega Angore (PhD)₁

My two children and I have a habit of going for a walk in our neighborhood in the evenings. One day, not far from our neighborhood, we heard the Adhan being recited in Arabic over a loudspeaker from a nearby mosque. My youngest child, who is only four years old, asked me, “What are they saying?” I replied that it was a call to prayer from the mosque for Muslims to pray. Her curiosity delighted me, and I wished this curiosity for all of us.

How many of us strive to understand this call to prayer that we hear every day? Especially we Christians, who do not know Arabic, find it difficult to understand what is being said. There are not a few of us who view it with a negative eye due to our lack of understanding of the prayer’s content. I believe that if we properly understood the content of the prayer and the spirit in which it is conducted, we would better understand our Muslim brothers and sisters. Therefore, my writing today aims to explain the call to prayer that Muslims make.

In the Islamic faith, followers are commanded to pray five times a day, and prayer is believed to be the second pillar of the faith. The time of prayer is a moment of complete submission where the body, heart, mind, and tongue focus entirely on God, and worship is offered to God with devotion. This is why we see Muslims bowing down and raising their hands upwards in prayer. Prayer is performed with fear of God and profound humility. If a Muslim does not perform prayer, the chance of being seen as a Muslim within the Muslim community is very low. And the prayer is performed in Arabic.

The person we hear on the loudspeaker is known as a “Muezzin” in Islam. His main responsibility is to announce the arrival of the prayer time. The Muezzin announces the arrival of prayer time by saying “Allahu Akbar,” which means “God is the greatest.” This phrase indicates the supremacy and greatness of God. Indeed, proclaiming the greatness of God is a matter of great importance in all religions.

There is a significant reason why the Muezzin’s call begins with the greatness of Allah. It indicates that it is time for Muslims to leave whatever they are holding and remember their great God. This is why in the Islamic faith, any activity is stopped during prayer time, and all attention is focused on contemplating the greatness of God. Anyone who has Muslim friends knows that Muslims use this phrase not only for prayer but also for other occasions. For example, when they want to express their joy, when they go downhill or uphill, and sometimes when they face a frustrating situation, they say “Allahu Akbar.” This indeed shows their deep respect for God, mixed with love and fear.

The Muezzin, who calls to prayer saying God is great, then testifies that there is no god but Allah. He repeats this phrase twice. After testifying that there is no god but Allah, he also testifies that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. He repeats this phrase twice as well. These two phrases are known as the Muslim declaration of faith. Their main message is to proclaim the oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad.

For every Muslim, proclaiming that there is no god but Allah and testifying that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah is the first and foremost prerequisite for accepting the Islamic faith. Anyone who does not accept these two fundamental beliefs is not considered a Muslim. This is the first word a child born into a Muslim family hears; it is a phrase said before the Holy Quran is recited; and we find it written in all mosques. A non-Muslim only needs to proclaim this declaration of faith in front of two witnesses to become a Muslim. If a person can say this declaration of faith facing Mecca before their last breath, many Muslims consider them fortunate and an heir to Paradise.

Following the declaration of faith, the Muezzin says, “Come to prayer” (twice) and “Come to success” (twice). “Come to prayer” does not mean rush to the mosque hastily. In Islam, prayer is not a hurried act but is performed with calmness and respect. In prayer, the body, heart, and mind focus calmly and unitedly on contemplating God. Even if one arrives late for prayer at the mosque, it is not permissible to rush to perform the missed prostrations quickly; rather, one should calmly join from where they arrive and complete the missed part after the other worshippers finish their prayer. The urgency here is a matter of the heart; it means longing for God and preparing to submit to Him.

What does “Come to success” mean? The word “success” can also be translated as “prosperity” or “salvation.” However, the success being talked about here does not only refer to earthly or material success. Rather, it also includes spiritual success; its manifestations are drawing closer to God and finding inner peace. Therefore, the meaning of success is related to following God’s guidance. “Success” is being called to obey God’s command of prayer. The meaning of “salvation” is also preferred because prayer is the way we attain Paradise and eternal reward; moreover, prayer shows prioritizing the eternal over the transient.

If it is the first prayer of the day, the dawn prayer, it is followed by the phrase, “Prayer is better than sleep.” We all know the challenge of dawn sleep well, and this call is a wonderful reminder to break away from the comfort of our warm blankets. With this message, the Muezzin reminds us that praying is far superior to sleeping. To help them overcome this temptation of sweet sleep, Muslims prepare their waking hours in advance; some even make appointments with loved ones to wake them up.

The call to prayer concludes with “God is the greatest” (twice) and “There is no god but Allah” (once). I hope that understanding the Muslim call to prayer (Adhan) has given us an opportunity to have a better and more positive understanding of Muslims. I believe we have gleaned valuable principles from this call to prayer.

[1]  Given that the article was originally written in Amharic and then translated into English using AI, it’s important to be mindful of potential nuances that might have been lost in translation.