Prayer Time
I was trying to get home, but got stuck in traffic, and my (Syrian) driver was very worried. ‘I work since Maghrib, and now in ten minutes is Isha. You know where is mosque?’
For those who are not familiar with Islam, and who have never lived in an Islamic country, the first azan, called Fajr, is broadcast from the mosque loudspeakers approximately 90 minutes before sunrise. Muslims must perform their first prayer between Fajr and sunrise.
The second azan, called Dhuhur, is broadcast a few minutes after noon. Muslims must perform their second prayer between Dhuhur and the third azan.
The third azan, called Asr, is broadcast in mid-afternoon. Muslims must perform their third prayer between Asr and the fourth azan.
The fourth azan, called Maghrib, is a few minutes after sunset. Some Muslims believe they must perform the fourth prayer as soon as the azan sounds, and, if they have a job, they stop work and perform the prayer. Other Muslims believe that, if one has duties to perform, the forth prayer may be performed anytime between Maghrib and the last azan. This was what my taxi driver believed.
The last azan, called Isha, is approximately 90 minutes after sunset. Muslims must perform their last prayer between Isha and the next morning’s Fajr.
(NB: Iranian Muslims have different prayer timings.)
I was as worried as my taxi driver, because this world certainly needs all the prayer it can get, and I would be disturbed if a devout Muslim missed his sunset prayer, so I directed him to a mosque, sent him in to pray, and walked the rest of the way home.
And my driver managed to perform his fourth, or Maghreb prayer, with less than five minutes to spare. Then he performed his Isha prayer, and returned to his duties as a taxi driver.
For those who are not familiar with Islam, and who have never lived in an Islamic country, the first azan, called Fajr, is broadcast from the mosque loudspeakers approximately 90 minutes before sunrise. Muslims must perform their first prayer between Fajr and sunrise.
The second azan, called Dhuhur, is broadcast a few minutes after noon. Muslims must perform their second prayer between Dhuhur and the third azan.
The third azan, called Asr, is broadcast in mid-afternoon. Muslims must perform their third prayer between Asr and the fourth azan.
The fourth azan, called Maghrib, is a few minutes after sunset. Some Muslims believe they must perform the fourth prayer as soon as the azan sounds, and, if they have a job, they stop work and perform the prayer. Other Muslims believe that, if one has duties to perform, the forth prayer may be performed anytime between Maghrib and the last azan. This was what my taxi driver believed.
The last azan, called Isha, is approximately 90 minutes after sunset. Muslims must perform their last prayer between Isha and the next morning’s Fajr.
(NB: Iranian Muslims have different prayer timings.)
I was as worried as my taxi driver, because this world certainly needs all the prayer it can get, and I would be disturbed if a devout Muslim missed his sunset prayer, so I directed him to a mosque, sent him in to pray, and walked the rest of the way home.
And my driver managed to perform his fourth, or Maghreb prayer, with less than five minutes to spare. Then he performed his Isha prayer, and returned to his duties as a taxi driver.
posted by Dubai@Random at 11:07 pm
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