Islamic call to prayer
21 Jan
The Azan (أَذَان) is the Islamic call to prayer, recited by the muezzin. The root of the word is ʼḏn, meaning “to permit”, and another derivative of this word is uḏun, meaning “ear.”
Azan is called out by the muezzin in the mosque, sometimes from a minaret, five times a day summoning Muslims for mandatory (fard) prayers (salah). There is a second call known as iqama (set up) that summons Muslims to line up for the beginning of the prayers. The main purpose behind the loud pronouncement of azan five times a day in every mosque is to make available to everyone an easily intelligible summary of Islamic belief. It is intended to bring to the mind of every believer and non-believer the substance of Islamic beliefs, or its spiritual ideology. Loudspeakers are sometimes installed on minarets for the purpose.
The azan sums up the teachings of Islam: there is no God but Allah; Muhammad is God’s Messenger; salvation is found through obedience to the Will of God, of which prayer is an important expression.
