righteousness and in the performance of his duties towards God and His creatures; the second is that not the least distinction of caste or rank or wealth is to be met with in a Muslim congregation: even the king stands shoulder to shoulder with the least of his subjects.
Note 3.—Every congregational service must be preceded by an aẕán and an iqámat, the former being a call to prayer said in a sufficiently loud voice, and the latter requiring those assembled for the congregational service to stand up in a line, or in several lines if necessary.
The aẕán, or call to prayer, consists of the following sentences, uttered in a loud voice by the crier, standing with his face to the qiblah, i.e. towards Mecca, which is the centre of the Muslim world, and in fact the spiritual centre of the whole world, with both hands raised to his ears:—
- ٱللّٰهُ أَكْبَر Alláh-u Akbar, i.e. Allah is the greatest (repeated four times).
- ٱشْهَدُ أَنْ لَّآ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ Ash-hadu al-la-iláha ill-Alláh, i.e. I bear witness that nothing deserves to be worshipped but Allah (repeated twice).
- ٱشْهَدُ انَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ Ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-rasúl ulláh, i.e. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah (repeated twice).
- حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَوٰةِ Ḥayya ʼalaṣ-ṣaláh, i.e. come to prayer (repeated twice, turning the face to the right).
- حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ Ḥayya ʼalal-faláḥ, i.e. come to success (repeated twice, turning the face to the left).
- ٱللّٰهُُ اَكْبَرُ Alláh-u Akbar, i.e. Allah is the greatest (repeated twice).
- لَآ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ La iláha ill-Alláh, i.e. there is no god but Allah.
The following sentence is added in the call of morning prayer after No. 5, i.e. before the two final sentences: ٱلصَّلَوٰةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ Aṣ-ṣalát-u khair-un min-an-naum, i.e. prayer is better than sleep (repeated twice).
The iqámat is said in the same words, every sentence being said only once, and with the addition of the following sentence repeated twice before the two final sentences: قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلوٰةُ Qad qámat-iṣ-ṣaláh, i.e. the prayer has indeed begun.
Both aẕán and iqámat are dispensed with in the case of ‘Íd prayers. Instead of these, Alláh-u Akbar is repeated seven times in the first rak’at and five times in the second after the takbir-i-taḥrimah. In the Friday service there are generally two calls, the second being given when the imam is about to deliver the sermon.
Note 4.—A mosque is a building dedicated to Divine service, but a service, whether alone or in congregation, may be held anywhere when necessary. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said that the whole of the earth had been made a mosque for him, indicating not only that no place stood in need of being consecrated, but also that the true servants of Allah would spread over the whole surface of the earth.
