Covid–19: A Flexible Change In Islamic Call To Prayer (Adhan (أَذَان‎)) -By Idris Jimoh

COVID-19 overview

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol-based rub frequently and not touching your face.

The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so it’s important that you also practice respiratory etiquette (for example, by coughing into a flexed elbow).

At this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments. WHO will continue to provide updated information as soon as clinical findings become available.

Prevention
To prevent infection and to slow transmission of COVID-19, do the following:
• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, or clean them with alcohol-based hand rub.
• Maintain at least 1-metre distance between you and people coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
• Stay home if you feel unwell.
• Refrain from smoking and other activities that weaken the lungs.
• Practice physical distancing by avoiding unnecessary travel and staying away from large groups of people.

Symptoms
The COVID-19 virus affects different people in different ways. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease and most infected people will develop mild to moderate symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment. People who have underlying medical conditions and those over 60 years old have a higher risk of developing severe disease and death.
Common symptoms include:
• fever
• tiredness
• dry cough.
Other symptoms include:
• shortness of breath
• aches and pains
• sore throat
and very few people will report diarrhoea, nausea or a runny nose.

People with mild symptoms who are otherwise healthy should self-isolate and contact their medical provider or a COVID-19 information line for advice on testing and referral.
People with fever, cough or difficulty breathing should call their doctor and seek medical attention.

ADHAN (أَذَان‎) overview
Some religious traditions have a unique method of calling people to prayer such as the use of a bell in Christianity. In slam, The Adhan (Arabic: أَذَان‎) also written as Adhaan. is the Islamic call to prayer, recited by the mu’azzin at prescribed times of the day. The root of the word is ʾadhina أَذِنَ meaning “to listen, to hear, be informed about”. Another derivative of this word is ʾudhun (أُذُن), meaning “ear”.

Adhan is called out by a mu’azzin from the mosque five times a day, traditionally from the minaret tower (if the mosque is large) or in a side door (if the mosque is small), summoning Muslims for obligatory (fard) prayer (salat). A second call, known as the Iqamah then summons Muslims to line up for the beginning of the prayers. The adhan is also used to call believers to Friday worship at the mosque.

The main purpose behind the multiple loud pronouncements of adhan in every mosque is to make available to everyone an easily intelligible summary of Islamic belief. In modern times, the muezzin’s voice usually is amplified by a loudspeaker mounted on the minaret. Some mosques play a recording of the adhan instead. Muezzins with exceptionally beautiful voices sometimes achieve minor celebrity status, with worshipers travelling great distances to their mosques in order to hear their renditions of the adhan.

How the Adhan for Salat (Prayer) was started
In Islamic tradition, Muslims are summoned to perform five congregational prayers a day – Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) after he returned from his night journey and ascension to heaven. In the early Muslim community in Medina, according to tradition, faithful Muslims used to gather around the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) without any summons, as the practice of adhan for prayers had not been introduced yet.

In Sahih Al Bukhari’s Book of Call to Prayer, as narrated by Ibn Omar: “When the Muslims arrived at Medina, they used to assemble for the prayer, and used to guess the time for it. During those days, the practice of adhan for the prayers had not been introduced yet. Once they discussed this problem regarding the call for prayer. Some people suggested the use of a bell-like the Christians, others proposed a trumpet-like the horn used by the Jews, but Omar was the first to suggest that a man should call (the people) for the prayer. so Allah’s Messenger ordered Bilal to get up and pronounce the Adhan for prayers.”
This hadith is collected Sahih al-Bukhari 604, Book 10, Hadith 2; Vol. 1, Book 11, Hadith 578.

One of the Prophet’s companions had a dream, however, in which a man taught him a better way to call people to prayer, saying:

The Words of the Adhan

Arabic transliteration of the adhan is as follows:
Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!
Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah. Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah.
Ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah. Ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah.
Hayya ‘ala-s-Salah. Hayya ‘ala-s-Salah.
Hayya ‘ala-l-Falah. Hayya ‘ala-l-Falah.
Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!
La ilaha illa Allah.

The English translation of the adhan is:
God is Great! God is Great! God is Great! God is Great!
I bear witness that there is no god except the One God.
I bear witness that there is no god except the One God.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Hurry to the prayer. Hurry to the prayer.
Hurry to salvation. Hurry to salvation.
God is Great! God is Great!
There is no god except the One God.

The Prophet agreed and appointed Bilal Ibn Rabah, known for his beautiful voice, to be the first muezzin in Islam. Since then and on, for 14 centuries, the adhan has called the faithful all over the world to perform their five daily prayers. The adhan is a regular reminder of the submission of all of life to Allah’s will.

For the pre-dawn (fajr) prayer, the following phrase is inserted prior to the final repetition of Allahu Akbar / God is Great: “As-salatu Khayrun Minan-nawm. As-salatu Khayrun Minan-nawm” meaning “Prayer is better than sleep. Prayer is better than sleep”.

Worries over the change in the Adhan
Following the suspension of mass prayers as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Many Muslims believe this is the first time ever that Islamic countries have suspended congregational prayers, and that muezzins had to replace the penultimate part of the adhan – “Hayya Alasalah” (come to the prayer), with “Al Salat Fi Beyootikum” (pray at home).

But on March 13th a muezzin in Kuwait, his voice plainly cracking with emotion, made a small tweak. Instead of the usual “hayya alas-salah” meaning “Come to prayer”. He said “al-salatu fi buyutikum” or “pray in your homes”. Mosques have amended the wording of the adhan (call to prayer) by replacing the phrase “come to prayer”, with “pray where you are”, or “pray at home”. The adhan is a summons for Muslims to enter the prayer space and turn one’s body, mind and spirit toward God only.

Many Muslim find this very strange and some are calling for evidence from Hadiths that proves that changing Adhan (Azaan) can be true.

Hadith references
Changing Adhan in Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith, the book of the call to prayer.
The hadiths has shown that the adhan can be changed due to various reasons, when the weather is bad, such as extreme cold or Storm or any natural disaster or because of any Pandemic or epidemic such as the COVID-19 Coronavirus.

1. Narrated: Abdullah ibn Haarith
“Once on a rainy muddy day, Ibn `Abbas delivered a sermon in our presence and when the Mu’adhdhin pronounced the Adhan and said, “Haiyi `ala-s-sala(t) (come for the prayer)” Ibn `Abbas ordered him to say ‘Pray at your homes.’ The people began to look at each other (surprisingly). Ibn `Abbas said. “It was done by one who was much better than I (i.e. the Prophet or his Mu’adh-dhin), and it is a license”.
This hadith is collected by Sahih al-Bukhari 616, Book 10, Hadith 14; Vol. 1, Book 11, Hadith 590.

2. Narrated Nafi
“Once in a cold night, Ibn `Umar pronounced the Adhan for the prayer at Dajnan (the name of a mountain) and then said, “Pray at your homes”, and informed us that Allah’s Messenger used to tell the Mu’adh-dhin to pronounce Adhan and say, “Pray at your homes” at the end of the Adhan on a rainy or a very cold night during the journey”.
This hadith is collected by Sahih al-Bukhari 632, Book 10, Hadith 29; Vol. 1, Book 11, Hadith 605.

Conclusion
According to a Prophetic Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), said: “Do not cause harm or reciprocate harm. Whoever harms others, Allah will harm him. Whoever is harsh with others, Allah will be harsh with him.”.

Based on the Islamic ruling, There should be neither harm nor malice. The suspension of group prayers is allowed by Islam to prevent harm and protect people from any form of damage resulting from bad weather, epidemics, Pandemic (COVID – 19) or wars.

Regarding the change in the adhan, The adhan either remains the same, with the addition of the phrase “pray at home”, or replacing the usual phrase “come to prayer” with “pray at home” Both forms are correct.

The new phrase can also be interpreted as “In times of disasters and crises amidst people’s fear for their lives, Muslims are excused from praying at mosques and are allowed to pray at home”.

Despite the ban on congregational prayers, muezzins would continue to make the call to prayer, even if they have to announce the call to prayers from home when necessary. The adhan has never been suspended throughout Islamic history. Although Friday prayer is held in the congregation at mosques every week and the five daily prayers are also preferred to be performed at mosques, Muslims are exempted from attending prayers at mosques due to growing COVID-19 concerns.

Recommendation
The scholars have concluded a few points from these hadiths about Changing Adhan:
• Scholars agree that these Hadiths allows us to change the Adhan to give people ease of praying during bad weather, natural disaster or an epidemic.
• These wordings are allowed while changing an Adhan;
a. Saloo fee buyootikum: Pray in your houses
b. Alaa Saloo fir Rihaal: Will you not pray in your abodes
c. Saloo fir Rihaal: Pray in the houses
d. Saloo fee rihaalikum: Pray in your abodes
e. Wa man Qa’ada falaa haraja alaihi: and whoever remains (at home) then there is no harm upon him
f. Wa man Qa’ada Falaa Haraj: and whoever remains (at home) then there is no harm
g. As Salaatu Fir Rihaal: The prayer (will be established) in the abodes

• The addition of words can be done after ‘Hayaa ‘alal falaah’ in the Adhan.
• The ease is given to the believers as per hadith to continue praying.

About the author:
Idris Jimoh was born and raised in a Muslim family. He has a well-grounded experience in Islamic knowledge and practises gained through the Holy Quran, Hadith and study of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). He is passionate about writing to inform, educate and update the public with Sufficient and reliable information onthe  history and recent trend across the globe. His work is open for criticism and improvements.

Contact:
Email: Idrisademola92@gmail.com
Phone: +2348175925335

Reference:
1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhan
2. https://www.learnreligions.com/what-do-the-words-of-the-adhan-mean-in-english-2003812
3. https://www.google.com/amp/s/theislamicinformation.com/changing-adhan-azaan-hadiths-weather-epidemic/amp/
4. https://gulfnews.com/uae/health/coronavirus-and-the-adhan-when-the-muezzin-said-pray-from-home-1.1584526142163
5. https://sunnah.com/bukhari/10
6. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1