The Call to Prayer –
After the construction of the Mosque of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, the people needed to be alerted to when the congregational prayers at the Mosque were about to begin. Some suggestions were made, such as using a horn or a bell, but these were rejected by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as he did not desire to imitate the people of the book. Someone suggested that a person should call out when the congregational prayer was about to commence. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, favored this option. Abdullah Bin Zaid, may Allah be pleased with him, saw a dream where a person dictated to him what the call of prayer should consist of. Umar Ibn Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, also experienced a similar dream. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded Bilal Bin Rabah, may Allah be pleased with him, to make the call for the congregational prayer. This has been discussed in Imam Muhammad As Sallaabee’s, The Noble Life of the Prophet (PBUH), Volume 1, Pages 731-733.
The first thing to note is that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, chose a Ethiopian former slave to give the call to prayer. Someone who was often looked down by the wider society of Arabia because of his ethnicity and social status. This indicates the importance of equality in Islam.
Islam judges the status of people according to a single factor, namely, piety. Meaning, the more one uses the blessings they have been granted correctly, according to the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, the higher their status is. Chapter 49 Al Hujurat, verse 13:
“…Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you…”
But it is important to note that as a person’s intention is hidden, they should not judge themselves or others as superior based on their outward actions. Chapter 53 An Najm, verse 32:
“…So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.”
Failing to behave in the correct manner only leads to discrimination of people, such as racism. Therefore, a muslim must ignore all other worldly standards, such as gender, ethnicity or social status, and instead strive to achieve superiority through piety and encourage others to do the same.
In addition, the main event under discussion also indicates the importance of offering the obligatory prayers at the Mosque with the congregation. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 43:
“…and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience].”
In fact, due to this verse and Hadiths of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, some reliable scholars have declared this obligatory on muslim men. For example, one Hadith found in Sunan Abu Dawud, number 550, clearly warns that the muslims who would not offer their obligatory prayers with congregation at the Mosque were considered hypocrites by the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. In fact, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, even threatened to burn the houses of the men who failed to perform their obligatory prayers at the Mosque with congregation without a valid excuse. This is confirmed in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 1482. Those muslims who are in a position to perform this important deed should do so. They should not fool themselves into claiming they are performing other righteous deeds, such as helping their family with house chores. Even though, this is a tradition of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, according to a Hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, number 676, but it is important not to rearrange the importance of his traditions according to one’s desires. Whoever does this is not following his traditions, they are only following their own desires, even if they are performing a righteous deed. In fact, this same Hadith concludes by advising that when it was time for the obligatory prayer, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, would leave for the Mosque.
Finally, the main event under discussion also indicates the importance of connecting with other muslims within the community through the congregational prayers so that they can aid each other. Most people in need do not advertise nor beg for aid from others. Therefore, muslims are encouraged to get to know members of their community so that they are comfortable to inform each other of the difficulties they are facing thereby indicating they require assistance. This is one of the reasons why offering the obligatory prayers with the congregation at a Mosque is emphasized in Islamic teachings. This allows muslims to connect to others and through these connections to aid others who do not make their need obvious. In addition, these connections also allows one to direct the needy person to another who well be in a better position to aid them. For example, someone looking for a job can be linked to a member of the community who is looking for an employee.
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