Muslim Australians - Religion Cultural Diversity Resource Manual

When prayer time comes, a ‘call to
prayer’ is usually made from the local
mosque (a Muslim place of worship)
and is heard in the neighbourhood
in Muslim countries. In Australia,
because of council regulations, the
call to prayer cannot be heard outside
the mosque.
The call to prayer
The following is a translation of
the words of the call to prayer. Any
person may make the call to prayer,
and the first person in Islam to do so
was an Ethiopian man called Bilal.
Each line is repeated twice. The last
line is said only once.
God is great. God is great
I bear witness that there is no god but
God
I bear witness that Muhammad is the
messenger of God
Come to prayer
Come to felicity
God is great
There is no god but God
Muslims can pray anywhere, not
just at the mosque. Any place that is
clean – such as an office, a classroom
or even a park – is suitable. Many
Muslims go to the local mosque to
pray, but in Australia, because of
work or the distance involved in
going to a mosque, many pray at
home or at work. Only on Friday
(at noon) do Muslims have to
pray in congregation in a mosque.
This prayer must be performed
in congregation, whereas other
daily prayers can be performed
individually.
Before prayer, a Muslim is expected to
wash his or her hands, face, arms and
feet. This prepares the person to meet
God in prayer in a clean and pure
state. Under certain circumstances, he
or she may have to take a shower or
bath before praying. Clothes must be
clean and cover the body. Men must
be covered from at least the navel to
knee, and women must be completely
covered except for the face and hands.
Muslims often use a prayer mat
to make sure the place where they
pray is clean. Some prayer mats are
beautifully decorated with pictures of
the Ka`ba and geometrical patterns,
while others are plain and simple
pieces of cloth.
Worshippers then face towards Mecca
(qiblah) and commence praying. If
there is more than one person, the
prayer leader (imam) stands in front
of the others who form rows behind
him. Men and women form separate
rows.
Praying consists of a number of
actions and activities: standing,
bowing, prostrating, sitting, recitation
of the Qur’an, and supplication.
Muslims all over the world generally
follow one common format for the
prayers.
Apart from the five daily prayers
and the Friday prayers, there are two
special prayers called Eid prayers that
occur during the year. One is straight
after the month of fasting (Ramadan)
and the other during the annual
pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims gather
together in large numbers and pray
the Eid prayers. Afterwards they share
food and sometimes give each other
presents. Eid is a very happy time for
Muslims, when they visit relatives and
friends, give charity and remember to
thank God for all His blessings.
22 Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS