Athan

Reciter (calls each phrase, except last one, twice)                 Listener

God is Greater                                                                                  [repeats same words]

I bear witness there is no god but God                                         [repeats same words]

I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God         [repeats same words]

Hasten to prayer                             [there is no power, nor strength except with God]

Hasten to prosperity                       [there is no power, nor strength except with God]

God is Greater                                                                                  [repeats same words]

There is no god but God                                                                  [repeats same words]

Yasmina:

The call to prayer, or Athan, marks the beginning of each of the five mandatory, daily prayers for Muslims. While we may offers prayers and supplications any time, recitation of mandatory prayers coincides with the movement of the sun.  Athan serves as a public announcement that the appropriate time to perform mandatory prayers has arrived. During this time of mental and spiritual preparation, the listener is invited to shed his or her preoccupations and humbly reflect on the meaning of the words of the call and response.  The reciter, or mu’athin, leads the community in the praise of God and reaffirmation of the Supremacy of God.  By maintaining a high state of awareness every time I hear the Athan, I am able to subdue any worries or challenges I might be facing. The opening phrase of Allahu Akbar, God is greater, unravels the Majestic generosity and Power of the One Who can uplift our hearts and elevate our spirits.

Grace:

I love the Muslim call to prayer, Yasmina, especially the melodic intoning of the Athan and its universal reach to all who respond to this call five times each day.  As the ringing of church bells often calls Christians to worship, so a “call and response” prayer is familiar in most Christian traditions; however, the when and how of Christian daily prayer is more often a matter of private conscience than public mandate.  With the exception of The Lord’s Prayer, the recitation or repetition of Christian prayers is usually denominationally specific. The Rosary, for example, is a devout supplication for “us sinners,” which Catholics recite quietly and repetitively with prayer beads. Pentecostal and other charismatic Christians pray in spontaneous, melodic utterances, “tongues,” which are sometimes repetitive and are received by an individual as a spiritual gift. Different traditions, different forms, yet all attesting to the greatness and goodness of God.

Tziporah:

Jews also include a call to prayer in the morning and evening liturgy, known as Barkhu.  All assembled stand and the leader chants, “Blessed are You, Lord who is blessed.” The congregation responds, “Blessed is the Lord who is blessed forever and ever.” Then the leader repeats the congregational response. Each time the leader or worshiper recites the word “blessed,” he or she bows before God.  Like the Athan, Barkhu marks the official beginning of public prayer. This invitation to join in communal worship can only be recited if a quorum of ten Jews is present. The call and response of Barkhu also comprises the opening lines of the blessing recited during the public reading of the Torah.  This reminds me of the concluding lines of the Athan, as these two lines also serve as an affirmation that we are about to engage in a public act of honoring God.