It only takes one call for prayer, or al-athaan in Arabic, to make one pause, even for a millisecond. And in that small millisecond, no matter how small or how minor it is in the large sea of hours in their day, one remembers to pray, remembers to recite a simple verse, and sometimes, even remembers a small glimpse of their connection with God. At times, the athaan is rarely heard. At other times, particularly during the hours of dawn when most people are still asleep, it is easier to pay more attention to the sound and the melody, and the emotion that the reciter puts into such a simple call for prayer. You feel the emotion, the emphasis of certain words or phrases to glorify God, and how, from its beginning to its end, the emotions of the words flow together like a wave, taking you from one moment of alertness to another moment of feeling humility and grace. From glorifying Allah, to then feeling reflective over the greatness of God. We live in such a fast-paced world that even pausing to hear the emotion behind the reciter,…
