Across the world, the sound of the Adhan never stops. With the passage of time, from one place to another, from one country to another, from Fajr to Isha, the Adhan continues to echo throughout the entire world.  

Due to geographical location and time differences, the sound of the Adhan never stops across the world. From Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, the Fajr Adhan begins and gradually moves from east to west. As it continues, the Fajr Adhan reaches the westernmost regions such as America and Mauritania. In this way, from one country to another, and from one continent to another, the Adhan continues through Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha, and then again returns to Fajr—without ever stopping. When the Fajr Adhan begins in America, it is already Dhuhr time in Indonesia. In this cyclic order, the Adhan echoes continuously around the world for 24 hours, day and night. It is like a domino effect or chain reaction of the Adhan. With the call of the morning Adhan, people around the world wake up one by one, and with the night Adhan, they gradually go to sleep.

Most mu’adhdhins have beautiful, melodious voices. The sound of the Adhan brings peace to our hearts. Many non-Muslims also love the Adhan; some have even embraced Islam after hearing it. In Islamic history, the first mu’adhdhin was Hazrat Bilal (RA). He was the one who first called the Adhan in Masjid an-Nabawi.

The words of the Adhan are known to everyone; how remarkable and unique they are! Five times every day, the greatness of Allah, the testimony of Tawheed and Prophethood, and the call to prayer and success are proclaimed to the entire world. This testimony and call will continue until the end of the world. 

The Qur’an says: “He causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night, and He has subjected the sun and the moon—each running for an appointed term…” (Surah Fatir, 35:13). In this system, the Adhan is also continuously circulating without interruption. 

 “Adhan” is an Arabic word meaning call or announcement. Its main purpose is to inform the time of prayer and to invite people to join the congregational prayer. 

In the early days of Islam, in the holy city of Makkah, prayer was performed without the Adhan. The practice of Adhan began in the 1st or 2nd year of Hijrah, after the migration (Hijrah) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Makkah to Madinah.

The words of the Adhan were received through a dream. After the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) migrated to Madinah and built the mosque, he consulted the companions about how to gather people for prayer. Some suggested raising a flag when it was time for prayer, some suggested blowing a horn, and others suggested ringing a bell. The Prophet (ﷺ) did not approve of these suggestions, and no final decision was made that day. The next morning, Hazrat Abdullah ibn Zayd came and… 

He recited the words of the Adhan to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said that he had been taught these words by someone in a dream the previous night. The Prophet (ﷺ) liked the words and said, “Your dream is true. Teach these words to Bilal. From today, Bilal will give the Adhan.” From then on, the Adhan for prayer began. Hazrat Umar (RA) also had a similar dream. 

“As-Salātu khayrun minan-nawm.”

The phrase “nawm” (sleep) — meaning “Prayer is better than sleep” — was later added in the Fajr Adhan.