What is the adhan? Why is the adhan important to Muslims?
When the prophet Muhammad was leading a religion that imposed a revolutionary system of life amongst the Arabs, he needed a way to notify everyone to join in the communal prayers. The Christians had their huge church bells and the Jews had horns, but this new religion of Islam wanted to be different.
According to hadiths related in Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ibn Khuzaimah and at-Tirmidhi, one of the companions of the prophet Muhammad named Abdullah ibn (Zaid ibn) Abd Rabbih, experienced a dream in which he was guided to the method and manner of reciting the adhan. When he awoke he relayed this dream to the prophet who replied that it was a true dream. He was instructed to tell Bilal, who was known for the sweetness of his voice, so that he could immediately begin the call to prayer.
Since then many scholars have written on the significance of the Adhan and the beauty of its wordings. Al- Qurtubi explains how the Adhan covers the important details of Islamic faith. It begins with "Allah hu Akbar (4 times)". This proclaims the greatness of the Creator. This is followed by the the Muslim shahada or the proclamation of faith- "Ashadu Allah ilaha illahlah (2 times) Ashadu anna Muhammadar Rasullah (2 times). The shahada is an affirmation that Allah is One and Unique as the Creator, and also an affirmation of belief in the prophet Muhammad as his chosen messenger. The shahada is followed by "Hayya assalah (2 times), Haya alal falah (2 times) meaning of which is "hurry to prayer; hurry to prosperity". Finally it ends with a repetition of the greatness and unity of god - "Allah hu akbar, Allah hu akbar, La illa ha illal-la."
Currently amongst muslims there are three different ways of reciting the adhan, all of which are acceptable and all of which have the basic statements mentioned above. One difference that stands out is the call to the early morning prayer in which the statement "as salalatu khairun min anaum" is added. This means "prayer is better than sleep" and is used to encourage the Muslim to leave the comfort of sleep for something more rewardable.
The adhan has now been establised all over the Muslim word and the call to prayer resonates through loudspeakers and minarets of countless mosques. It still serves its original purpose to remind the worshipper of his duties to his Creator, to call the believing Muslim to join in prayer, to congregate with the rest of the community five times a day.