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]
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.
