The Call of the Muezzin – Friday Prayer Focus

Each day across the entire Islamic world, the ‘muezzin’ call the men to prayer five times per day over a loudspeaker located on a minaret (tower) attached to the mosque: at dawn (fajr), noon (dhuhr), in the afternoon (asr), at sunset (maghrib) and nightfall (isha’a). On Fridays (like today) all male Muslims are supposed to attend the noontime prayers which are usually accompanied by a sermon.

Sometimes recordings are used but most people prefer a live voice. In Western and non-Islamic countries muezzin often cannot make the call to prayer except on the radio or in the courtyards of local mosques because of laws restricting loud and intrusive sounds. Their own honour and prestige are temptations, as with any public figures like pastors and politicians.

Prayer Starters:

• Pray for the muezzin in your own country and around the world today to have a personal encounter with the living God, through Jesus Christ.
• Pray that in the midst of many ‘voices’ and messages, Muslims will hear the voice of God through the working of the Holy Spirit.
• Sometimes muezzin become very centred on their role in society. As with any public figures like pastors and politicians some muezzin are tempted to place their own honour and prestige very high on their list of priorities. Pray that all muezzin would be brought to humility before God and truly confounded by His majesty in order that they may truly say “God is great.”

PS. The picture above is the famous minaret in Switzerland which inspired a national referendum in 2009.