The Fatiha (Opening) and the Call to Prayer

THE OPENING

“In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, Praise be to God, The Lord of the Worlds, The Merciful One, the Compassionate One, The Master of the Day of Doom. You alone we worship, to You alone we call for help. Guide us in the straight path, The Path of those You have blessed, Not of those with whom You are angry, Nor of those who go astray.” “The Fatiha, the opening sura of the Qur’an, the Sura of Praise, is recited every time Muslims begin their prayer and when any new thing is to be undertaken.” (from the beginning of John Alden Williams, The Word of Islam, U. of Texas Press)

The Call to Prayer


“At first the people gathered to him (Muhammad) for the ritual prayers without any summons. The Messenger thought of using a horn like that of the Jews who call to their prayers with it. Then he disliked the idea and ordered a wooden gong (like those of the Eastern Christians) to be beaten when the Muslims should pray.
    “Meanwhile, ‘Abdallah b. Zayd b. Tha’laba of Balharith Clan of Khazraj heard a voice in a dream, and came to the Messenger saying, “A phantom passed me in the night. A man passed me wearing two green garments with a wooden gong in his hand. I asked him to sell it to me to call people to prayer, and he offered to show me a better way; it was to say three times,

“Allahu akbar! [God is greater!] Allahu akbar!
I testify there is no god but God!
I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God!
Come to prayer! Come to prayer!
Come to salvation! Come to salvation!
Allahu akbar! Allahu Akbar!
No god there is, but God!”

     “When the Messenger heard this, he said, “Truly I trust in God that this was a real vision. Go to Bilal and acquaint him with it so that he can call to prayer in this way, for he has a more penetrating voice than you do.” When Bilal called to prayer with this, ‘Umar b. al-Khattab heard it in his house and came to the Messenger, dragging his cloak on the ground and saying, “Prophet of God, by Him who sent you, I saw the same vision!” The Messenger said, “God be praised for that!”
     Muhammad b. Ja’far b. Zubayr, from ‘Urwa b. Zubayr, from a woman of the Banu Najjar: My house was the highest house around the mosque, and Bilal would give the prayer-call from it every morning. He would come before daybreak and sit on the roof waiting for dawn. When he saw it, he would stretch out his arms and say, “O God, I praise You and ask Your help for the Quraysh, that they may accept Your religion!” Then he would give the prayer-call. I never knew him to omit those words for a single night.” (from The Word of Islam, John Alden Williams, Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, ‘94, p. 50)

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