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The call to prayer
At last the Muslims had a house of worship all their own. They no longer had to congregate surreptitiously as they had in Makkah at Bait Al-Arqam. In Madinah, they began to perform all five prayers in congregation in the Prophet’s mosque. The only problem was that the people were unsure of when each prayer would begin. The Prophet asked his followers for suggestions on how to solve this problem. Some suggested a shell or conch should be blown. Umar, ever direct, proposed that someone should be appointed to call out loudly, “Prayer is about to begin!” The Prophet liked Umar’s idea and put it into practice.
Later, however, Abdullah bin Zayd bin Abdu Rabb Al-Ansari had a dream in which he heard a beautiful prayer call. He related his dream to the Prophet , who realised that the dream was meant to be fulfilled. He asked Abdullah to teach the words to Bilal bin Rabah, who had a strong and beautiful voice. Bilal learned the words and called out to the Muslims in Madinah:
Allah is Most Great! Allah is Most Great!
I testify that there is no deity except Allah!
I testify that there is no deity except Allah!
I testify that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah!
I testify that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah!
Come to the Prayer!
Come to the prayer!
Come to the Success!
Come to the Success!
Allah is Most Great!
Allah is Most Great!
There is no deity except Allah!
When Umar heard the new prayer call, he hurried to the mosque and said, “By Allah, I have heard this call in my dreams.” From that day onward, Muslims gathered at the mosque whenever they heard Bilal make the prayer call.
