Significance of the Adhan and its Being a Metaphor and Reminder of Life and Death – Shaykh Asim Yusuf


In this Friday khutba Dr. Asim Yusuf begins by giving a brief history how the adhan came about to be the call to prayer for the Muslims. The companions dreamt the words of the adhan. One should reflect on the significance of the adhan. Nothing in our religion came about randomly. Rather, our religion come from the Hakim (The Wise), and is never bereft of wisdom. Men should be giving the adhan and the iqama before praying. Adhan is a form of dhikr (remembrance) that should be done five times a day. Reflect on the symbolism of the adhan. The adhan is recommended outside of the performance of the prayer one of these times is when a baby is born. The adhan is a call to prayer, but to which prayer is the baby being called to? It’s a call to their own janaza prayer, which is a prayer performed without adhan. Adhan is a remembrance of death and what follows it. Instinctively we know that there is something after death. Every human has some belief about the afterlife. Even those who don’t believe in God. Remembering death frequently is not a negative thing. The adhan is a remembrance for the stages of the afterlife. The adhan is direct sequential reminder in the moments after death. Religion is here to remind us there is a dawn coming, and you need to prepare for the day after which there are no more days. Worship at its core is not an action. Action is how worship is expressed. Worship at its core is a realization and internal reorientation.