What it means
اذان (azân) is the Islamic call to prayer that is recited aloud five times each day to announce the time for obligatory prayer (namâz). The word is a direct borrowing from Arabic, derived from the root adhana, meaning to announce or give notice. In Persian everyday speech the word is used as-is without modification. The person who performs the call is called موذن (moazzan, the muezzin). A related but distinct term is اقامه (eqâme), the shorter call recited just before the prayer itself begins inside the mosque.
How to use it
- صدای اذان از مسجد بلند شد. (sedâ-ye azân az masjed boland shod.) “The sound of the call to prayer rose from the mosque.”
- وقتی اذان میگویند، وقت نماز است. (vaghti azân migu-yand, vaght-e namâz ast.) “When the call to prayer is recited, it is time for prayer.”
- اذان صبح مرا از خواب بیدار کرد. (azân-e sobh marâ az khâb bidâr kard.) “The morning call to prayer woke me up.”
- گوش دادن به اذان برایم آرامش میآورد. (gush dâdan be azân barâyam ârâmesh miâvarad.) “Listening to the call to prayer brings me calm.”
Cultural note
In Iran the اذان is broadcast over loudspeakers from mosque minarets and also on national radio and television at each of the five daily prayer times: sobh (dawn), zohr (midday), asr (afternoon), maghreb (sunset), and eshâ (night). The Shia version of the اذان includes the phrase “Ashhadu anna Aliyan waliyyullah” (I testify that Ali is the guardian of God), which distinguishes it from the Sunni version. The melodic style of the azan varies by region and reciter, and a beautifully performed one is considered a form of sacred art.