A Dream of the Call to Prayer

ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd, one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), saw a dream at the time the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had finished constructing Masjid al-Nabawī, when thought was being given to ways of inviting people to prayer. Some suggestions were to use a bell, similar to what the Christians do; another suggestion was to blow a horn, as the Jews — at least in Madīnah — would do. So ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a dream: he saw a man carrying a bell. ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd told him, "O servant of Allah, how much would you sell that bell for?" The man said, "Why do you want it?" ʿAbdullāh said, to invite people to prayer. The man said, "How about if I suggest something better?" He said, "What is it?" He said:

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar; ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh, ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh; ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu Allāh, ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu Allāh; ḥayya ʿalā al-ṣalāh, ḥayya ʿalā al-ṣalāh; ḥayya ʿalā al-falāḥ, ḥayya ʿalā al-falāḥ. And then the man waited a while and came back to ʿAbdullāh and said: and when you want to make the iqāmah you say Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar; ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh; ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu Allāh; ḥayya ʿalā al-ṣalāh; ḥayya ʿalā al-falāḥ; qad qāmati al-ṣalāh, qad qāmati al-ṣalāh; Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar; lā ilāha illā Allāh.

ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd immediately went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and told him about the dream. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: it is a good dream, inshāʾAllāh — ruʾyā ḥaqq, this is a true dream — go with Bilāl and teach this to him, because his voice is better than yours. ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd is the one who gets the credit for the adhān, but the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not let him call it himself: he told him to have Bilāl do it, because Bilāl had a better voice. So the two of them went together, and ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd taught Bilāl the adhān as he had been taught it in his dream. When he finished, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb came running and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I saw that dream." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, al-ḥamdu lillāh — and this is an indication that it is a true dream: when more than one person sees the same dream, this is an indication that it is a true dream. This is the account of the adhān, and the adhān has become the most prominent symbol of Islam: a Muslim country or a Muslim town makes itself known by the adhān being heard there. It is the most outward, most public symbol of Islam.