Adhan
Adhan (Arabic: أَذَان aḏān; also: aazan, athan) is the Islamic call to prayer, recited by the muezzin. It is pronounced as aathan (the first vowel is prolonged, and th is pronounced as in the English word the.) The root of the word is A/tha/na which means "to permit", and another derivative of this word is O/thon (the first O is pronounced as in u in the German word Götterfunken) and means ear.
The adhan is called out five times in the day for the Fard (mandatory) prayers. Its purpose is to summon the people to the mosque, not to start the prayers. The equivalent call to start the prayers is called the iqama or iqame (pronounce the e.)
During the Friday prayer (Salat Al Jomaa), there are two adhans; the first is to call the people to the mosque, the second is said before the Imam (in Sunni islam) starts the khotbeh (kh as in "ch" in the Scots "Loch"), the religious lesson or speech before the Friday prayer. Just before the prayers start, someone will recite the iqame as in all prayers.
The literal translation of the Sunni adhan is:
| God is Greater, God is Greater,
| الله اكبر الله اكبر
| āllahu ākbar, āllahu ākbar
|
| God is Greater, God is Greater,
| الله اكبر الله اكبر
| āllahu ākbar, āllahu ākbar
|
| I assert that there is no god but God
| اشهد ان لا اله الا الله
| āsh'hadu ān lā ilaha illā-llah
|
| I assert that there is no god but God
| اشهد ان لا اله الا الله
| āsh'hadu ān lā ilaha illā-llah
|
| I assert that Mohammed is God's messenger
| اشهد ان محهدا رسول الله
| āsh'hadu ānna mūhammadār rasūlu-llah
|
| I assert that Mohammed is God's messenger
| اشهد ان محهدا رسول الله
| āsh'hadu ānna mūhammadār rasūlu-llah
|
| Come to the prayer
| حي على الصلوة
| hayyā `alā-s-salah
|
| Come to the prayer
| حي على الصلوة
| hayyā `alā-s-salah
|
| Come to success
| حي على الفلا ح
| hayyā `alā-l-falāh
|
| Come to success
| حي على الفلا ح
| hayyā `alā-l-falāh
|
| Prayer is better than sleep*
| الصلو ة خير من النوم
| ās-salatu khaīrum min ān-naūm
|
| Prayer is better than sleep*
| الصلو ة خير من النوم
| ās-salatu khaīrum min ān-naūm
|
| God is Greater, God is Greater
| الله اكبر الله اكبر
| āllahu ākbar, āllahu ākbar
|
| There is no god but God
| لا اله الا الله
| lā ilaha illā-llah
|
*When used to summon the faithful to the first prayers of the day at dawn (fajr salat), the line "Prayer is better than sleep" is inserted in the adhan.
Different denominations of Islam have different adhans; the aforementioned is the most common. After "I assert that Mohammed is God's messenger", Shia Muslims add "I assert that Ali is God's waliy", where "waliy" means either proponent or heir.
The adhan was not written or said by Muhammed but by one of his Sahabeh (the people who saw and believed in Muhammed); however, Muhammed did choose it to be the Muslims' call to prayer.
