Reflections on the Call to Prayer, Come to the Mousqe?
So, I'm sitting in my office listening to the Call to Prayer and sad that the sound of it is overshadowed by the on-going drilling, pounding and hammering on the 70 story (it seems like!) monstrosity going up across the street. In point of fact, it only has like 7. But, that's in a neighborhood where almost nothing is taller than 3 stories. And then the familiar tones of the AllahuAkhbar finish.
Well, what now? I'm treated to the tones of some recorded voice saying something I can't understand. Thankfully this one is short. The one that I find rather offensive is the 4 am one. Not the Call, that's great. But, the 30 minute serenade, if you will, that is played in advance. Yes, 30 minutes BEFORE the actual Call to Prayer, we are treated to music and a sermonette, I guess. As this has begun waking up the Beans, I can assure you it grates on every nerve I have. And, yes, I've heard it ALOT lately. I complained back when the neighborhood mosque introduced chanting or singing or whatever immediately after this self-same Call to Prayer, but apparently that wasn't enough. They needed to provide sleepless nights and neighborhood disharmony by disturbing the peace a full half hour before the Call. I'm sorry, but that's just rude.
Now, hearing the Call to Prayer issuing from the mosques is one of the unique and very beautiful things about living in a country like Jordan. When we first moved into our office the afternoon Call to Prayer was about my favorite time. On the hill outside the back (now overgrown with aforementioned horrible building), we'd get the Call in stereo from mosques all around the surrounding hillside. Now, the surround sound is blocked. But, I still love the haunting tones of the Call. It's a shame that some have decided that noise pollution is necessary turning this time of day from one of favorites to one of my least favorite... :(. Well, at least I still have a reasonable mosque near the office, so I can enjoy the strains of the Call without the noise pollution.
And now for one of my favorite snapshots of misspellings in English...
I invite you all to this Mousqe. It should be an interesting time :).
Happy Calling!
posted by MommaBean @ 2:40 AM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
It's really hard to find the goodness in anything that wakes up the kids!
Unfortunately that's my thought. And funny that the actual Call to Prayer never wakes them up, only this extemporaneous singing and sermonizing :(.
I know how you feel. I love the call to prayer as long as it is not a screeching noise from many loudspeakers. I live at a distance from the nearest mosque so just get the lovely sounds. Interesting to go to the mosque and ask the reasoning behind the noisy sermon before the prayer call. T
T, that WOULD be interesting...
You say " Yes, 30 minutes BEFORE the actual Call to Prayer, we are treated to music and a sermonette, I guess."
This is outrageous. Prayer call in Amman is unified through a centralised systems, prayers in all mosques are called exactly at the same time and by the same person. This is done through radio signal, transmitted from the Quran Radio station in Amman. I guess the mosque in question has negligent care taker. He obiously switches the receiver on half an hour prior to the actual prayer call and evidently the receiver is faulty to receive music signals.
The solution, send Papa Bean to have a word with the imam of the mosque , if that does not solve the problem, then report it to the Ministry of Endowments (Wazaret Al Awqaf) who is responsible for all mosques in the country.
I hope this helps, and sorry for the lengthy contribution.
Mansour, welcome and thanks for yor contribution. I may indeed have El 3atal try that :). At least it might help with the sleepless nights...
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