Chills down my spine

Society Religion & Philosophy
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i was listening to Enigma’s “Return to innocence” last night, while sleeping (trying to sleep is more accurate). i don’t intend any disrespect, but while i was listening to the song, i don’t know why - i thought of the Azaan. i am not implying that the song is similar to the Azaan, i am saying that i suddenly thought of muezzins while i was listening to that song. Anyone sending e-fatwas to me, please try to understand where i am coming from. Random images/smells/peoples/events/sounds can trigger a memory of something else, that’s what i guess i mean.

i desperately miss hearing the Azaan “live” - from a muezzin; even in large western cities where you can hear it from an actual masjid, it MAY not give you the same feeling as it does when you are in a Muslim country and you actually hear the muezzin’s voice live. i remember in Abu Dhabi, we had arrived from an almost 20 hour flight, it was 5am, i couldn’t sleep so i stood outside on the apartment balcony watching the traffic below. Fajr shroo honay wala tha, the muezzin started the Azaan. It literally sent chills down my spine… i don’t know what it is about the Azaan but if you really listen to the Arabic words (and their meaning) carefully, close your eyes, and don’t let any distractions disturb you, i don’t know why - it’s such a moving thing. There is no other sound like it. Or maybe it frightens you, because it makes you feel guilty if you don’t offer the respective salaat.

Another time, this was in a small Canadian province though…Rania, my Palestinian friend and i, were walking at the uni campus, normally chatting between friends…all of a sudden, we heard the Azaan coming from a direction north of us. We literally both just stopped. It felt so strange to hear that, so out of place in a university campus and city that is predominantly nonMuslim…one man’s voice as he recited the Azaan in one of the most strong, beautiful voices i have heard Masha’Allah. Most amazing part, or perhaps not, is that the man is one of the poorest men there, from a material perspective - at least amongst the community; he reverted to Islam fifteen years ago. He saw it was Maghrib time judging by the sun, and so - right there on the sidewalk where he used to sell snacks to hungry students from a vending stall even in minus fifteen weather, he started the Azaan and prayed on the ground. You could just look at him and know he is not doing it to impress anyone (not like nonMuslims would be impressed anyways), but he was doing it for his own reason. It was just him and Allah, no one else.

There is something inexpressibly melodious about the Azaan…there’s a “peace” behind the words that you can never ever replicate, not in any song, not through the help of any technological medium. Does anyone else feel the same way or am i incoherently babbling?

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Yo pass the doobie :smokin: (kiddin’)

Yeah, you’re right. We have azaan’s here on loud speakers within close proximity of the Islamic Foundation of Toronto. But its just different when you hear it all over the place and everyone marches towards the mosques. sigh

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mashallah what a beautiful post nadzz :-)

yes...the azaan is such a beautiful sound... we are so lucky to be Muslims subhanallah :-)

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aww Nadz :flower2:

i miss hearing the azaan too, we have it on our PC at home but its just not the same as standing on the chhat in pakistan and hearing all the azaans go off one by one, its sooo peaceful

p.s there’s a song in the movie Fiza *“piya haji ali” * which reminds me of the azaan. I dont know why but it takes me back to pakisan and my chhat

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I agree with you Nadz. When we are living or visiting countries (i.e. middle-east, pakistan etc.) where hearing the azaan is a "norm", we really take that for an advantage. Half the time we hear it but don't really pay much attention to its beauty.

Living here in the west, where we never get to hear the azaan, we tend to miss that feeling and that calling from Allah. A few years back, I went through the same feelings and I purchased the azaan clock. The batteries keeping dying in that thing and so I have been lazy and not used it in a while.

Recently, I had a real craving for the qiraat of the "quran", especially done by the Imams in the Holy Kabba, Mecca. I remember there is one particular Imam by the name of "Sudais" and I am totally in awe of his voice. He has been blessed with a beautiful voice. While hearing him recite the quran, one transends into a different world. A spiritual world. Your eyes start watering with tears and your love of Islam becomes so "visual". Its times like these, that not only do I feel like a muslim but I pray that I live and die a muslim, just to hear such beautiful words repeat themselves through my ears. Again and again and again..

Thank you for sharing such a personal story. The feelings are mutual. I am touched by your story.

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The first thing I liked about Pakistan was waking up to the azaan, its so peaceful. :flower1:

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CocoNut, Sorry but doobie kia hota hai? Like sheesha?

You know when i was less than 10 years old, living in Abu Dhabi, we lived in this apartment. Building kai paas hi there was a small, chota mosque. i have tons of pictures somewhere, i might post them up in this thread. Khair, living room window sai - you could see the mosque. And when the Azaan used to come, i used to sit up on the sofa (cuz i was too short to see out the window without needing some additional height :~o i was like nine) and watch the men walking towards the masjid. Arabs, Bengalis, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Indians - most of them were construction workers working nearby; thakkay maanday atay thay in their work clothes, sweating profusely, beckoned by words so beautiful in meaning that every language’s words fail to describe the Azaan’s eloquence. All the years that i have lived and visited Abu Dhabi, Alhamdulillah we have always lived a stone’s throw away from a masjid. You know how they say there’s a Tim Horton’s in every corner in Canada, well there’s a masjid in every corner in Abu Dhabi (at least the sheikhs have done something right). i took it for granted all those years. You never appreciate the worth of something until it slips through your fingers right when your eyes are looking elsewhere. When i used to get scared of jinns waghera (hey i was like 9), i used to tell myself that whenever the Azaan comes on, the devil runs away - there’s a hadith on this (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 22, Number 313); and Masha’Allah we lived so close to the masjid that i didn’t have anything to worry about from jinns. For a 9 year old girl, that’s important :~o

Irem, It’s not a beautiful thread. Your perception is what makes it a beautiful thread. :flower1: (ps- i miss you!). We are lucky indeed…but yaar, that luck comes with a great deal of responsibility that i, for MY part, have yet to fulfil. Dunno why, just thinking of this lately and it’s been worrying me.

Sadzzz, Thanks yaar. How are you doing by the way? Haven’t talked with you in a while. i have seen the video for Piya Hajji Ali. Yes you are right.
When the Azaans go off one by one, you know what it reminds me of - like the most beautiful echo bouncing off of successive mountains.

Diva4U, Your words are so kind, and i appreciate that quite honestly. Thank you.

i find that the Azaan clock makes me feel even more depressed. It’s just not the ‘real’ thing. i switched mine off. yaar :~( i don’t know why…but i want the ‘real’ feeling. You are right, i took it completely for granted all those years. Ehsaas bahaut late hua in life.

Paki Maryam, It’s extremely peaceful.

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me too …

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do u think u shud ever move back to a muslim country....
i mean do u really miss things????
or is it just for 'discussion sake'....
r u really acting on it????
trying to get back what u miss????
cuz if u r not, then u aint really missing it....

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I think some sounds go well with some bodies.

Not all muazzans say the azaan the same way. For example, listen to azaan by shaikh basit (egypt), ismail (morroco) or for that matter khalil (saudi arabia) etc and our local village haafiz sahab.

It is not the wording in the azaan that makes it pleasant but the sound the way it is controlled by the crier of azaan.

Logically the wording of azaan leaves us with unanswered questions right from the very first word Allah. Allahu akber, who or what is Allah or how do we know he is great? I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, how can one be witness to Allah when Allah is not sensible? And so on and so forth.

A song is really good if it has nice wording, exellent music and lovely voice to it but then not all human beings have the same taste.

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yes it is beautiful to listen to :flower1:

i do miss listening to it, especially how everything seems to go so quiet right before it, or in Makka how everyone drops everything and start flocking to Haram.

sighs i really want to go to Umra now :frowning:

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Armughal, i want to keep this thread open specifically only to discuss the Azaan. i will open a separate thread to discuss your question.

[quote]
Logically the wording of azaan leaves us with unanswered questions right from the very first word Allah. Allahu akber, who or what is Allah or how do we know he is great? I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, how can one be witness to Allah when Allah is not sensible? And so on and so forth.
[/quote]

i am not certain what precisely you meant by the above, but i agree the voice of the muezzin makes a (albeit not exclusive) difference, which is why i mentioned in my original post that the vending man on the sidewalk had a very strong and beautiful voice Masha'Allah. Simultaneously, regardless of how beautiful a voice may be, over time it will lose its appeal if there is only hollowness behind the words, i.e., if it lacks substantial meaning. How can the words of the Azaan fail to instil fear: Come to prayer / come to success .... prayer is better than sleep. Doesn't that fill you with fear. Not only fear, there's something else too deeper within it - i can't explain it. i only know it when i hear it live, it just moves you from the inside.

[quote]
A song is really good if it has nice wording, exellent music and lovely voice to it but then not all human beings have the same taste.
[/quote]

True. But the Azaan is not a song.

Xara, Yes everything seems to go quiet right before it, interesting point.

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:hug: miss u too yaara…i replied to ur mail today :flower1:

nadz…have u heard of that software that plays azaan…u have it on ur comp? u shud install it, its awesome

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Assalam o Alaikum

JAzakallah for a reminder to muslims living in muslim countries…We take too many naimatts ALLAh TAala has showered us with for granted…
BAjmaat namaz…azan…keeping beards…Observing purdah …

so many things..and we dont realise them .cursing our surroundings..not looking at the positive side…

MAshalah …may ALLAh give us atleast same level of eeman as this person..if u cant hear it..u can still give azzan and pray…

And this raises the question..split it if necessary

kia khawateen azan day saktee hain …? i think they can…:confused:

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Interesting question BB, I'd like to add a thought to Nadia's post.

Since cyber-mullah's will come rushing out saying that a woman's voice should be lowered, silent this that and so forth.

(being the devil's advocate)

Wouldn't it be better if women did give the adhaan, it would be the sound of the mythic Sirens alluring men to the path of Allah. Men would literally stop, drop to follow that Celine, Jessica or Shakira, Evanesence, Lata, Laila like voice eh? It would add more allure to the masjid and jamaat's would be bigger (women included) since they have a role in a setting of the mosque.

Why is it an uncommon practice for a woman to give adhaan (the call of prayer)?

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Nadia, you reminded me of something I posted years ago,

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted (12-11-2000)by Girl from Quraysh: *
Here’s a beautiful passage from one of my favourite books…Adhan Over Anatolia by Marian Kazi, Go on read it:

September 2: On this first morning in Istanbul, the adhan for the Fajr prayer-the first of the daily prayers which is observed between dawn and sunrise-came to us like a wonderful chorus of voices reaching out from every side, raised to call the Muslims to the remembrance of God Most High as the first act of the new day. This is the only time when all these voices are clearly audible here, for the noise of traffic during the day and evening makes hearing them at the other four times of prayer very difficult unless one is quite close to a mosque. There is no one instant when all the adhans begin, but a period of perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes when, as the sky grows light, a single thread of distant recitation begins the call, followed by another and another, so that presently there may be five or eight different strains at once, each unique and distinct yet all resembling each other, intertwining into a pure wave of melodious sound coming from the distance like an echo. No effort is or could be made to blend these distinct threads into a harmony, but the harmony is always there, its effect wonderfully solemn, deeply impressive, moving. Will I ever forget this first morning’s adhan in Istanbul? I wonder if the Holy Prophet peace be upon him, when he instituted the call anticipated what it would become when there were many mosques scattered throughout a vast city, and how it would stir the heart. I think he must have.

[/QUOTE]

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I really like listening to Azaan, I think the first Azaan I got to hear was our Dad's Azaan at home when he prayed and ...then a visit to Pakistan and you feel so peaceful when you hear the Azaan in the Pind I love the azaan at fajr. They say in olden days a man will walk around beating a drum or something shouting " utho musalmouN namaz da waqt ho gaya nay!!" and the person would move on to another gali and say the same thing.

Azaan is simply Amazing!

Bao I think women are not allowed to say the azaan.

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Irem, :flower1: yeah i have heard of that software. i haven’t installed it. i’ll try to remember to check it out. Thanks yaar :flower1:

Bao Bihari, umm hmmm interesting question. i don’t think they can. i don’t know much about this issue from a religious pov, so i won’t say much about it because i don’t want to say anything inaccurate or misleading.

CocoNut, If even a fraction of the reason that men are coming to the mosque is because they have been ‘allured’ there by a Shakira-soundalike, um that kinda defeats the purpose of visiting the mosque, a holy place of worship. At least in my opinion.

GfQ, That’s an extremely beautiful passage.

Little Human, i bet that happened in olden times… not anymore because society is changing :~/

It is amazing isn’t it.

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HMm ..may be i did not made my point clear....mera maqsad tha kay if some lady feels that she want to hear azan..or if some ladies want to pray in thier uni......can they give azan in thier flat ..campus etc ....and pray .....

PAta nahi kar saktay hain ya nahin......
yes..awaz ka purda to hay..but jahan purda nahin ho raha wahan kia harj hay ?.....

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[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Nadia_H: *
**CocoNut*, If even a fraction of the reason that men are coming to the mosque is because they have been 'allured' there by a Shakira-soundalike, um that kinda defeats the purpose of visiting the mosque, a holy place of worship. At least in my opinion.

[/QUOTE]

So lemme get this straight, women can't do it but men can with their deep melodious Pavaroti, Enrique like voices? Wah, double standard eh?

p.s. Before anyone else jumps on the defensive wagon, its just a discussion. Play along if you can.