WHAT IS THE ECHOING SOUND HEARD IN TURKEY?

 

One of the things that attracts the attention of first-time visitors to Turkey is the sound they hear five times a day, especially in the early hours of the morning. This sound, which rises from all mosques and covers the entire city, is called ‘adhan’. The adhan is the call to prayer and informs Muslims, who pray five times a day as a requirement of their religion, when it is time for prayer. After hearing this sound, Muslims can perform their prayers in their homes, workplaces or mosques, in short, wherever they find available until the next call. 

The call to prayer is recited from every mosque and is not a recorded sound. Each time, one person calls the adhan and the sound rises from the minarets (large towers) around the mosque. Although microphones are generally used today, it is known that in the past, one or more people used to go up to the minarets and call the adhan. The words recited in the adhan are in Arabic. Arabic has a special place among Muslims because it is the language of the Qur'an and is unifying for Muslims all over the world. Because wherever one goes in the world, the adhan is recited with the same words. Thus, a travelling Muslim can understand that the time for prayer has arrived in that country by listening to the adhan.

The words of the adhan are as follows:

Allahu akbar: God is the greatest (intoned four times)

With this sentence people are reminded of the greatness of Allah. Allah is all-powerful. Allah is greater than human troubles, sorrows, happiness and everything that seems to be unsolvable. For this reason, a person turns to Allah both when upset and distressed and when happy. Allah is the one who will relieve the troubles and give peace to one.

Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah: I bear witness that there is no God but Allah; (intoned twice.)      
Ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah: I bear witness that Mohammed is Allah’s Prophet; (intoned twice.)

These two sentences are also called shahada in Islamic literature. In order to be a Muslim, a person should say these sentences. However, because Islam is a direct relationship between people and Allah which doesn’t accept anyone in the middle, the first thing one’s should do is believing. The one who wants to become Muslim must believe in Allah; in all the prophets sent by Allah from Adam to Muhammad, including Prophet Abraham, Prophet Moses, Prophet Jesus and many other prophets; in the books sent to these prophets; in the angels; in the Last Day; and in destiny. In short, the first requirement of being a Muslim is belief. If a person believes in these, that person can consider himself/herself a Muslim. But of course, belief manifests itself through words and behaviors. The thing a person who wants to become a Muslim should say is the sentence, also told as the first two sentences of the adhan, ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His messenger’’. Also, Muslims often repeat this phrase in the adhan, in their prayers and in their daily lives.

Hayya alas salah: Come to prayer; (intoned twice.)   
Hayya alal falah: Come to salvation/ success; (intoned twice.)

Since the adhan is a call to prayer, it is normal for people to say ‘come to pray’, but the phrase ‘come to success’ may be interesting. Muslims who believe in Allah should know that true success is not in becoming very rich, or in having an academic career, or in anything else worldly. The real success is to be with Allah and thus to remember why one was sent to this world. Because man was sent to this world for a test and the person who remembers this will stay away from evil and turn towards good. The expression ‘come to success’ in the adhan reminds Muslims of this.

Allahu akbar: God is the greatest; intoned twice.       
La ilaha ill-Allah: There is no God but Allah; intoned once.

With these two sentences, people are reminded again of the greatness of Allah, that there is no god but Him, that He is the Creator of everything, that everything is dependent on Him but He is not dependent on anything, that Allah has no father or son, that He has no beginning and no end, and that nothing is like Him. 

Assalatu khayrum minan naum: (This line is added to the first prayer of the day): Prayer is better than sleep; (intoned twice.)

This sentence, added in the morning, encourages people to wake up and pray. This is because the first call to prayer is called very early in the morning and people are usually asleep at this time. However, prayer is better than sleep. For this reason, it is important to get up early in the morning to pray to gain Allah's pleasure. Morning prayer also has benefits for daily life. People who get up early can spend their day more efficiently and use their time better. In addition, starting the day with prayer will be a good spiritual start and will contribute to the peacefulness of the person throughout the day.