More on EZAN

 

İmsak (3:34AM) is the pre-dawn ezan. Unlike the four pronouncements that will follow over the course of the day, this one has the added message of “al-Salāt khayrun min al-nawm” (prayer is better than sleep).


Öğle (1:09PM) is the noon or midday call that creates a reference point for the work day and meal times.


Ikindi (5:10PM) is heard in late afternoon, marking the half-way point between noon and evening.


Akşam (8:40PM) is the evening call to prayer, after the final meal of the day but before nightfall.


Yatsi (10:35PM) is the night call to prayer, heard long after the sun has set and work day has ended for most.

Courtyard of Sultanahmet Mosque

EZAN TODAY

Prior to the advent of electronic amplification, the geographic area throughout which a Muezzin’s voice could be heard when reciting the ezan would determine a neighbourhood’s boundaries. Today, urban centres in the Middle East are overcrowded and noisy, resulting in the need for electronic amplification in order for the ezan to be heard. In cities where the ezan is still performed by a Muezzin assigned to each neighbourhood mosque, it is common to stand in one location and hear as many  as three or more unique ezan performances from different nearby mosques. The sound of this “multi-ezan” is something that words do not have the power to describe.

                                                EZAN text


Allāhuakbar (4x)                                God is most great

As̲h̲hadu an lā ilāhailla 'llāh (2x)       I testify that there is no god besides Allāh.

As̲h̲hadu annaMuḥammad                I testify that Muḥammed is the apostle of Allāh.

        anrasūlAllāh (2x)

ayya ʿala 'l-ṣalāt (2x)                   Come to prayer!

ayya ʿala 'l-falāḥ (2x)                   Come to salvation!

al-Salāt khayrun min al-nawm           Prayer is better than sleep

                                                         [only included in pre-dawn ezan]

Allāhuakbar (2x)                               God is most great.

Lā ilāhailla 'llāh                                 There is no god besides Allāh.

The EZAN is heard five times each day throughout the Islamic world as a reminder for Muslims to take time for prayer. With a pervasive quality and regularity that permeates the daily life of every Muslim and non-Muslim alike, the ezan is undoubtedly the most palpable symbol of Islam.