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AZAAN
AN AMAZING DISCOVERY
Azaan:
An incredible medium for the proclamation of Tawheed of the Almighty
Allah and Risaalat of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wassalam,
the sound of which constantly echoes around the globe.
Amazing though it sounds, but
fortunately for the Muslims of the world, it is an established fact.
Have a look at a map of the world and you will find Indonesia (an
Islaamic country) right on the eastern side of the earth’s central
land mass. Indonesia consists of numerous small islands, the
principle ones amongst them being Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Celebes,
all of which are well known. It is the largest Islaamic country in
the world, with 180 million inhabitants. The number of non-Muslims
here is negligible.
As soon as dawn breaks on the
eastern island of Celebes, at approximately 5:30 am local time, Fajr
Azaan begins. Thousands of Mu’azzins in eastern Indonesia commence
proclaiming the Tawheed (Oneness) of the Almighty, Omnipotent and
Omniscient Allah and Risaalat (Universal Apostleship) of the Prophet
Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
The process then continues and
advances towards the western islands of Indonesia. The time
difference between the eastern and western islands of Indonesia is
one and a half hours. Hence, one and a half hours after the Azaan
has been completed in Celebes, it echoes in Jakarta on Java island.
Sumatra then follows suit and before this auspicious process of
calling Azaan ends in Indonesia, it has already begun in Malaysia.
Burma is then next in line, and within an hour of its commencement
in Jakarta, it reaches Dacca, the capital city of Bangladesh. No
sooner the calling of Azaan ends in Bangladesh, it has already
prevailed in western India, from Calcutta to Srinagar. It then
advances towards Bombay and the environment of entire India resounds
with this august proclamation.
Srinagar and Sialkot (a city in
north Pakistan) have the same timing for Azaan. The time difference
between Sialkot, Kota, Karachi and Gowadar (a city in Baluchistan, a
province of Pakistan) is forty minutes, and within this time, Fajr
Azaan is heard throughout Pakistan. Before it ends there, however,
it has already begun in Afghanistan and Muscat. The time difference
between Muscat and Baghdad is one hour. Azaan resounds during this
one hour in the environments of Hijaaz-e-Muqaddas, Yemen, United
Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq.
The time difference between Baghdad
and Alexandria in Egypt is again one hour. Azaan continues to
resound in Syria, Egypt, Somalia and Sudan during this hour.
Alexandria and Istanbul (the principle city of Turkey) are situated
on the same geographical longitude. The time difference between
eastern and western Turkey is one and a half hours, and during this
time it is echoed with the call to prayer.
Alexandria and Tripoli (the capital
city of Libya) are located at an hour’s difference from one another.
The process of calling Azaan thus continues throughout the whole of
Africa. Therefore, the proclamation of the Oneness of Allah and the
Apostleship of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam that had
begun in the eastern islands of Indonesia reaches the eastern shore
of the Atlantic Ocean after nine and a half hours.
Prior to the Azaan reaching the
shores of the Atlantic, the process of Zuhr Azaan has already
commenced in eastern Indonesia, and before it reaches Dacca, Asr
Azaan has started. This has hardly reached Jakarta one and a half
hours later, then the time of Maghrib becomes due, and no sooner has
Maghrib time reached Sumatra, then the time for calling ‘Ishaa Azaan
has commenced in Celebes! When the Mu’azzins of Indonesia are
calling out Fajr Azaan, the Mu’azzins in Africa are calling out the
Azaan for Ishaa
If we were to ponder over this
phenomenon seriously and studiously, we would conclude the amazing
fact that there is not a single moment when thousands, if not
hundreds of thousands, of Mu’azzins around the world are not
proclaiming the Oneness of Almighty Allah and the Apostleship of the
noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam on the surface of
this earth!! Inshaa’allah, this universal and continuous calling of
the Azaan shall not cease until the Day of Judgment, and we should
all continue to make du‘aa for the same. Aameen.
Reproduced from the monthly journal
Riyaadul Jannah,
Translated by Haafiz Ghulaam Muhammad Bora
from Taameer-e-Hayaat (Urdu)
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