Guide to Islam, A Brief Guide to Understand Islam & Muslims

The Athan serves as a reminder

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The athan serves as a reminder for Muslims to carry out what God Almighty has decreed and to prevent getting caught up in the worldly affairs of the temporary world.The Muslims repeat the athan as it is being called, so that the deep meanings of the athan may become established in their self-conscious and share the athan’s virtue with its caller.

The athan (call to prayer)

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The athan (call to prayer) has a huge significance with Muslims. Its sound sends security, calmness and joy into the souls of those who hear it.

The Sound That Never Halts

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It is as if this call is the indicator of the wheel of life and the scale used to measure people’s livelihoods. Gérard de Nerval states in his book, Voyage to the Orient, “The very first time I heard the harmonic and flawless sound of the caller to prayer, I was totally overtaken by an indescribable feeling. I asked the translator: What is the caller saying? He replied: He is announcing that none is worthy of worship other than God. I then said: What is he saying next? The translator replied: He is calling the asleep to wake up by saying, ‘Thee who sleeps be dependent on He Who is Ever- Living and doesn’t sleep.’’’

How Did the Story of the Athan Start?

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Abdullah ibn Zaid had a dream, in which a man visited him and taught him the words of the athan. The companion rushed to the Prophet and told him about the dream, to which the Prophet said, “It is a true dream.” The Prophet then told him to teach the words of the athan to another companion, known as Bilal ibn Rabah, as Bilal had a deep, loud voice. From that moment the rite of the Muslim athan began and until this very moment its sound doesn’t halt around the globe. (Abu Dawoud # 498).