One of the most expressive symbols of Islam, originating directly from the time of the prophet, is a melodious and at the same time exciting call to prayer, distributed from the balcony of the minaret and heard for many kilometers around. This is a muezzin. His sincere voice, like the light of a lighthouse, daily shows Muslims the path to prayer, preventing them from plunging into the world of everyday life.
The origins of tradition
Many parallels can be found in other religions. Each of them has its own analogue, its own traditional way of maintaining the fire of faith. These methods are different forms of expressing a person’s internal need for unity with their sources.
In Islam, the “muezzin” is literally “the one who reads the azan” (call to prayer).
The tradition of declaring an adhan originates from the prophet Muhammad. The text of the Qur'an describes the adhan as follows: “O those who believe! When they call on prayer on Friday, rush to remember Allah and leave the trade. It would be better for you if you only knew. ”(Quran, sura 62, ayah 9)
The importance of the muezzin in the life of the Islamic community is difficult to underestimate. Naturally, only a sincere person who has faith himself can possess a pure and deep voice that can arouse religious feelings. Often the muezzins were imams - the spiritual leaders of the communities, combining these two important roles.
The first muezzin in Islam
According to legend, the first muezzin was a slave named Bilal ibn Rabah, the son of an Arab and Ethiopian who was a slave. He was born in Mecca at the end of the 6th century and was among the first to convert to Islam. The owner tried to force Bilal to renounce the faith, exposing him to painful punishments. This became known to one of the associates of Muhammad, Abu Bakr, who bought Bilal from slavery and freed him.
At this time, the number of people who converted to Islam increased significantly. Joint prayers were held daily among the Islamic community, and it became quite difficult to coordinate the time of such prayers. There were several different suggestions on how to convene people in prayer. To one of Muhammad’s comrades-in-arms, Abdullah ibn Zayd, an angel appeared in a dream in a green robe with a bell in his hand. An angel gave him the words of the adhan so that the chosen person would sing in their voice, thus calling the faithful to prayer. Mohammed, waking up, admitted that he was right. And since it was Bilal who surrounded him with a voice that stood out among others, he instructed him to retell the words of the adhan so that he would learn them and begin to sing them as an appeal to prayer.
When Bilal fulfilled the will of Muhammad, Umar ibn Al-Khattab, another companion of the prophet, hearing the singing, also confirmed that he had the same dream with the same words. The Prophet Muhammad thus approved the azan completely, and Bilal ibn Rabah is the muezzin who first entered history.
Minarets
Bilal founded the tradition of chanting azan from the roofs of the tallest houses. However, as Islam spread, the idea arose of building a special tower for the muezzins - the minaret. The construction of the first minarets dates from around 670.
Over time, the number of minarets has become a hallmark of the mosque, which determines its value. The main mosque of Islam - Al-Masjid al-Haram (Reserved Mosque), located in Mecca, has nine minarets. The second most important is Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (the burial place of Muhammad) in Medina, ten.
The main qualities of the muezzin
According to the accepted tradition, the muezzin is a person “having the Sunnah”. That is, possessing qualities that can be described as internal and external purity. This is expressed in the fact that the muezzin must be pious, not commit sins, lead a decent lifestyle, be a believer. Secondly, he should have a pleasant and powerful enough voice, learn to melodic pronounce the azan. Actually, the very concept of “muezzin” is based on these two main qualities.
Among other requirements, there are also the following:
- to be of legal age;
- male;
- sober and sane;
- clean and in clean clothes;
- be able to climb steep stairs to the very top of the minaret.
Thus, the role of the muezzin for Muslims is significant. In those Islamic communities where traditions are preserved, in the internal representation of believers, the voice of the muezzin is the voice of an angel. It is with him that the transition from ordinary everyday activities to the more important one is associated - communication with the Almighty. Therefore, this man has always been and remains very respected.