The Human Cohesion Project — 15 Apr 2021
#TheHumanCohesionProject
My relationship with prayer has been constantly evolving. As a child, I was taught that prayer is a medium of asking from this mysterious entity called God (who, for some reason, seemed to like taking attendance). As a teenager and a young adult who struggled with the idea of religion — any religion — I did not pray for years. Over the years, as I reformed my relationship with myself, I began to connect to prayer as an act of becoming (what I wish for myself and the world). It now has little to do with religion or faith. I relate to my being as an act of prayer.
So the azaan has intrigued me. There is something wonderful about a community call to prayer. The word azaan seems to originate from the Arabic ʾadhina, meaning ‘to listen, to be informed about’. Sunni legend has it that Abdullah ibn Zayd, a companion of Prophet Mohammed, channelled the words of the azaan in a dream, and it was later endorsed by the prophet and instituted into the Islamic tradition.
I hear these words everyday that I am home, which is close to several mosques:
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar
Ash-hadu an’ la ilaha ill Allah,
Ash-hadu an’ la ilaha ill Allah,
Ash-hadu ana Muhammadan Rasoolallah,
Ash-hadu ana Muhammadan Rasoolallah,
Hayya ‘alas-Salah, Hayya ‘alas-Salah,
Hayya ‘alal Falah, Hayya ‘alal Falah,
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,
La illaha ill Allah
Here’s an abridged (I have skipped the repetition of phrases) translation of the words:
God is Great!
I bear witness that there is no god except the One God.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Hurry to the prayer.
Hurry to salvation.
God is Great!
There is no god except the One God.
I find it a rather beautiful example of conscious evolution of faith that during the Covid-19 pandemic, some countries including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Indonesia changed the words hayya ‘ala as-salah, meaning “come to prayer”, to as-salatu fi buyutikum meaning “pray in your homes” or ala sallu fi rihalikum meaning “pray where you are”.
I relate to the call to prayer as a call for collective pause, to notice that no matter who we are or what we are doing in a certain moment, beyond our identities and busyness, there is shared meaning to our existence: that we are all expressions of the One consciousness that expresses as life. It is a precious reminder of the unity that our identities steer us away from.
How do you relate to prayer?
Ramadan Kareem. May all our lives be an act of prayer.
#RukminiIyer #ExultSolutions #peacebuilding #interfaith #religion #Islam
