prayer calling that spoils the day
I live in Qatar for quite few years now and I get along with the customs and respect them all, but there is something that drives me crazy in my own neighborhood...
There are like 3 mosques here and nothing bothers me in that. But one guy just keeps on getting on my nerves (and all my people who live in here share the opinion).
I have always thought that the calling for prayer a beautiful thing, until I moved here...
The way one of these guys signs is horrible! I have never heard anything like this, honestly. First of all you cannot even understand what are the words! It actually sounds like either he is in big pain, had a lot to drink or someone who allowed him to call for payer really hated people in this area!
I always thought that the person who calls for prayer should do it in a way to encourage people; it should be done with love and respect to God, especially while representing it to the whole area!
Do you have the same problem, or is it just my neighborhood?
Can there be something done about it? Can I go and say this to someone so that they could replace this guy?
get the mosque number ( should be posted on the mosque outside ), and report to awqaf that the man who recites teh call for prayer has a herrendous voice:)
i m sorry u experience this, its a real annoyance ...
The prophet made a point to choose the best voice amongst all his friends 2 call for prayer in his day, i wish we just follow his lead!:)
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"missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security build." Anwar Sadat
I'm glad that someone with good sense, finally gave us the real definition of what they are saying.
Thank You.
The Red Pope of Qatar Living
What a beautiful voice that muadhan has! I wish they all sounded so majestic and 'professional', but of course that wouldn't be possible :D
Thanks again also for the translation and full text of the adhan.
salaam
finally it is the God who had given the voice, and its the heart with which that man gives the athan.maybe that man is in real pain and is calling GOD with his full heart. afterall its the GOD only with whom u can ask for anything.
The call is not prohibited in the US. Many mosques are just scared to do it. We do it in my neighborhood Mosque. The neighbors wuld actually get mad if we didn't as it has become the Alarm clock for the neighborhood.
It also gives the former shower singers an opportunity to spread their wings and go in front of a live audience. :-)
In some places they add As salaatu khayru mina naum at the end of the Fajr. Is it considered a bid'a- innovation here in the Gulf?
Act your age not your shoe size
Dear Sister
I understandt what do you mean and I agree that the Mozen should do it in clear and understandable way . give me the name of the mosque and i will take a look
Listen To this ATHAN
Muslims use the human voice to announce the times of prayer to the community. The adhan is the call to prayer itself, and the person who calls it is called the muadhan.
The following is the Arabic transliteration and the English translation of what you hear:
Listen To this ATHAN
Allahu Akbar
Allah is Great
(said four times)
Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah
I bear witness that there is no god except the One God (Allah).
(said two times)
Ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah
I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
(said two times)
Hayya 'ala-s-Salah
Hurry to the prayer (Rise up for prayer)
(said two times)
Hayya 'ala-l-Falah
Hurry to success (Rise up for Salvation)
(said two times)
Allahu Akbar
Allah is Great
[said two times]
La ilaha illa Allah
There is no god except the One God (Allah)
For the pre-dawn (fajr) prayer, the following phrase is inserted after the fifth part above, towards the end:
As-salatu Khayrun Minan-nawm
Prayer is better than sleep
(said two times)
just goes to show how some people like to jump at the first mention of something negative against Islam and take it in a whole different direction. when i first read the topic i said to myself here goes another one of those topic where the author is gonna get it from all directions no matter how humble and understanding she tries to make it sound :)
I see no where in her post that she was insulting to anything or anyone
so people just chill make love not war...*passes the weed around*
Where there is Fire...There is Coke. Where there is Rum..There is Smoke - Sir Smoke-a-Lot
in anada if the guys praying call is loud enoguh for the guy next door to hear, the police will ome and arrst him LOL. here i like listening to the guys but usually they have good voices. But one day i was in Najma there was a guy who sounded like a cat being strangled. Swallow your comments and live with it.
Try another option...rather than replacing the one that calls to prayer..why dont u change the place to liv ?
Get out of qatar..and liv in some exotic, secluded islands..where nobody disturbs ur serenity!!
arifdalvi, you are being deviative... can't you read?! irrysa is complaining about the "the way a person was making the call for prayer" Can't you read what she said.. "I always thought that the person who calls for prayer should do it in a way to encourage people; it should be done with love and respect to God... I understand that you can praise the Lord in many ways [and all the prayers are beautiful], but when you do so in public and call for people to join in prayer, it should be at least done in a beautiful, presentable way..." Therefore, this is not about dis-respect for religion. Be subjective, read carefully and think first before you make such comments my friend.
The basic point is respect for all religions which i beleive was never taught to arrisa. I could never even imagine to insult other religions in any way. And you are using words like in pain, had a drink, horrible etc. When i fist read irrysa's post i felt as if i am readin the post of an illiterate person who was never taught to respect and be tolerable towards other religions.
Back in india we have hundreds of hindu festivites which are celebrated in such a way which involves firecrackers, thousands of chanting dieties, drums and what not. But we never show any kind of disrespect towards them.
How would you feel if i told you the priest of the church was drunk, in pain and chanting in a horrible manner. I am very sorry my christian friends for using such words, but all i am trying to do is make irrysa realize to respect other religions and think before making a public opinion making sure you don't hurt anybody. I am sure any religion including islam and christianity don't preach you to hurt other peoples sentiments or values.
Please learn to tolerate and respect other religions and values.
in dubai they got rid of some muezzin because his voice was too "attractive" for the ladies and replaced with some pakistani guy who clearly has a problem speaking arabic.
In the end it comes down to what is more haram?
Singing (well) or making the prophetic verses sound terrible?
You can't please all of the people all of the time!
Get a good muezzin, people will complain, get a bad muezzin people will complain.
I personally think that everyone's prayer in any religion is best kept silent and to yourself.
Frog, there is nothing between the lines...it is clear and understandable.
If you're looking for a problem, you're probably gonna find one.
Xena, I did , and please stop repeating the same thing again and again. DO you think you're the only one who has read her post :D However, I'm just a bit careful about such issues. There may be something between the lines. And.... don't expect "awkaf" to hire Soul Singers to do the prayer calls :) This would not happen and you'd better get headphones :D
Some are Wise ... Some are ...Otherwise
its purely the way its done.... didn't you read Irrysa's post... In anycase... this is a muslim country, why on earth would they pander to our requests to stop the prayer calls.... they don't pander to anything else we ask for....do they....?
irrysa,
well now that you have got answers to your question I hope you undesratand that this is a sensitive subject as long as this is a sorta sacred ritual. Sometimes Mosques have old prayer-callers and they just cannot fire to preserve the traditions and because Islam urge believers to be very respectful towards the elders. On the other hand , I hope ( I still insist) that your complaint is about the way the call is made and not the call itself. I hope you're not aiming at keeping our mosques silent at prayers time , because I saw so many examples of this in other countries. People start complaining about AL FAJR (early morning / first prayer) Prayer call , and after they succeed to cancel it( encouraged by their success) they move on to complain about the Call itself. I remember that a Hotel was able to do that with the mosque nearby. There 's no prayer call untill now in that holy place :( What a shame. The Hotel Night Club keep on disturbing the whole neighberhood with loud music all the night long.
Some are Wise ... Some are ...Otherwise
Well, all in all, it's good to know that I am not the only one who thinks in this way ;o)
And yes, it is a custom here, because in most of European countries (and from what I've heard also in US, Canada, etc.) you cannot do the loud call for prayer, like it is in here.
Whoever thought that I don't respect the calling for prayer...plz read my post first.
I understand that you can praise the Lord in many ways and all the prayers are beautiful, but I still stand by my opinion that when you do so in public and call for people to join in prayer, it should be at least done in a beautiful, presentable way.
People build the temples to meet for prayer in a special way, they want to make it look good and beautiful, right? So why is it so much different than a nice voice that calls for prayer?
If you're looking for a problem, you're probably gonna find one.
spread the love sisters and brothers....spread the love.
Beautiful. Your message above captured all my senses. Truth, faith and common sense are instincts.
I’m a Muslim, and embark into the same spiritual journey, you described above, when I, occasionally , attend the Sunday Mass.
Salam
Cmon for pete sake stop complaining I will help u
I really appreciate the call to prayer that is broadcasted on 97.5 FM done by a male voice and the one done by a female voice in City Center.
In fact I have already memorized the English prayer after it on the radio broadcast.
Although I am a Christian I am also moved to pray to my God everytime I hear them.
I use it to remind myself to also pray everyday together with our Muslim brothers.
I hope we all use the call in order to pray together as Fr. Patrick Peyton says: "A world at prayer is a world at peace."
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I've never experienced the "interesting" callers...only have heard the ones that sound lovely...There is something very peaceful in hearing that in the malls..when walking around the housing areas and I even like to listen to it on the radio when the noon call comes on...
DG...I can't imagine hearing an arguement broadcast over the loudspeakers...don't you know they got in trouble for that????!!!!
Earplugs...
You can't teach experience...
It is preferred that the Mu'adhin has a beautiful voice.
According to tradition, it was Bilal El-Habashi, or “Bilal the Ethiopian,” one of the first non-Arab Muslims and a close companion of the prophet, who suggested using the human voice and did so by his strong and beautiful tone. He climbed up the first mosque in the first Muslim city, Medina, and recited the Muslim call for prayer.
Since Bilal, the first muezzin, these sentences have been read aloud by muezzins from many nations five times a day every single day. For most Muslims, hearing the ezan is a blessing for the heart.
Even if they don't rush to the mosque, they listen to it respectfully. Some people even stop talking until the end of the call. They might sit up straight if they are lying or leaning. And they will murmur, “God is powerful.”
And since the ezan is so important, Muslim tradition has developed special styles for reciting it in order to make it more musical and impressive. Virtually all Muslim cultures have developed their own style, but, arguably, it is the Ottoman Turks who made ezan reciting an art in itself.
In the Ottoman tradition, the five ezans of the day are recited in five different styles, which actually come from Turkish classical music. For the morning prayer, there is the “Saba” style, for example, and for the evening there is “Segah.” The toning, speed and emphasis are all different. A good muezzin should know about all these details, and, of course, should have a beautiful voice.
Read more here
http://www.thewhitepath.com/archives/2007/09/and_the_winner_is_muezzin_isa_aydin.php
YOU are a breath of fresh air :D
lol, PM...once I heard a full blown argument just before the call to prayer...they'd obviously forgotten they'd switched the mike on...
I was on the floor in stitches...
_______________________________________________________
Love is the answer...
I would prefer that if BEFORE turning on the mike, the clearing of the throat is done.
BTW, my opinion is that music is not haram. Some of the lyrics I cover my ears to, though :)_______________________________________________________
Love is the answer...
some time back there was a proposal to link all the mosque this would have made it possible for the prayer to start all at the same time ... I like the prayer that comes on FM 97.5
I would rather have one rose and a kind word from a friend while I'm here
Than a whole truck load when I'm gone
have control on ur fingers plz :D
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your singing voice sucks, that's why i guess you don't call for prayer, and not an opera singer either, right? you do your job according to your talant and abilities, right?
...but again the question is : are they real guys or is it a record? i am really curious now..
is two dudes who do the call to prayer where i work! one has the most amazing voice and one just pure sucks bless him!
It would be nice if they all had beautiful voices when doing the call but then not everyone has got a good voice! i mean my singing voice sucks but thats life!
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love life!
are there different calls, cause I hear the sames ones all the time coming from the mosques in our area, but other areas they sound different....
I heard the prayer calling first time in my life on my first visit to Qatar. It woke me up at 5am, and I got absolutely captivated by this chant, captured by its beauty... Later I came to Qatar for work, and always enjoyed listening to this magic sound... until one day i moved to another area of Doha, and .... the voice of the guy was so ugly, exactly as irissa describes in her post.. like he is neurotic, or in pain, or really hates what he is doing...
by the way, I have heard that calling for prayer is recorded, not a live chanting..is that correct?
was if they could get someone else to chant, NOT to stop the call to pray.....
I really am getting irritated with people that don't read threads correctly.
I have often, since I was a little girl, suffered from some callers with a bad or awful voice, chanting completely out of tune. Let alone if it is too loud.
Back in Cairo, the moazen (person calling to prayer), of the nearest mosque has one of the prettiest voices! kinda makes you wait for the call to prayer instead of wanting to plug your ears. The government or the neighborhood, designate a resident in each area, and assigns them to call for prayer. Some others like to do it voluntarily.
Now I'm blessed in Doha too, I am working on the client's side. I wait daily for the noon call for prayer because of the spiritual voice of the moazen.
For the record, Prophet Mohammed, Pease be upon him, had his fellow companion Belal chant Azan every time, because it is not repelling, on the contrary, as he described, it was "enchanting".
Also note that the tone and tune vary from one country to the other. It is not like the national anthem, if you know what I mean.
Sorry for the bad experience.
Salam
even though the way person recites is preffered to be attractive what is important is the meaning .
I dont think you should complain about call of prayer because I am already angry with Qatar for compromising on recitation of the Quran during prayer ( have seen many mosques that doesnt recite the quran outside).
Blessed are the geeks, for they shall Internet the earth!
I second you. They never had proper training how to give a call for prayers. they will just rush and try to settle their voice make it kinda heavy and horrible and starts. some r like if they are in too rush some are like as if they just woke up and are sleepy some are like as if they are damn dead tired. They really need training for that.
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Have some respect for others if that is the traditional way just accept it.
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You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.
Albert Camus
If you pray with faith, it should be provided.
The Red Pope of Qatar Living
Egomania goes with the territory of decoding your own genome.
I pray for Frog to get NOC
irrysa salam,
I'm a Muslim, and I see no harm in your request. Oryx is right you might have used other terms than "singing", but we all know language is not a priority here. Communication is more important. I can understand your complaint, because I know how some prayer-callers are. It's just a matter of voice. Some have nice voice, some no. I just hope it's not against the call itself. I don't really know how would Qataris respond to such a request, but I think it could be quite disturbing to hear someone calling for prayers with an awfull voice. However, I would say again, some people would get very sensitive when talking about their religion and some guys from the old generation may not understand your reasons.
Once again Prayer Call is not a "custom" :)
Some are Wise ... Some are ...Otherwise
i don't mind the custom...but it is the way he does that. there are 2 more that do it and i'm cool with that. but this man...
shouldn't it be more presentable if u do it for the whole area to hear?
If you're looking for a problem, you're probably gonna find one.
Use it as your Alarm Clock. I do :)
I would be happy if some people would stop singing and prasing the lord... thats for sure thats why I like living in a Muslim country :)
ok i revised my statement, is not a song is a chant/recitation.
then u should not complained. put up with it. period. will you be happy if other people ask you to stop singing in church while you praise the lord? NO. so respect and try to ignore it.
Mila many will be offended by yours my dear
it is NOT a song and it is NOT singing!!!
Music is haram
it is a chant or recitation or merely a call...
u see my dear, even my Muslim friends are complaining about it.
If you're looking for a problem, you're probably gonna find one.
be careful with this tread lady. many moslem with offended with your statement. for them is beautiful song to calls for pray no matter how awful in your ear may sound. just swallow your iritation and live with it. beside you are in arab country. put up with it. i am christian but i respect the other religion practise their believe.