Person appointed at a mosque to lead and recite the call to prayer
For the 2009 Turkish film, seeMüezzin. For the ice hockey player, seeJake Muzzin.
Islamic miniature depictingJibril providing instructions on how to perform the call to prayer to Muhammad (golden flame) as well asBilal ibn Rabah the first muezzin calling the Muslims to prayer from atop the Kaaba.
The professional muezzin is chosen for his good character, voice and skills to serve at the mosque. Muezzins are typically men.[5] The muezzin is not considered acleric, as he cleans the toilets and the place where people wash their hands, face and feet when they perform theWuḍu' (Arabic:wuḍū’وُضُوء, the "purification" of ablution) before offering the prayer.[6] When calling to prayer, the muezzin faces theqiblah, the direction of theKa'bah inMakkah, while reciting theadhan.[7][dubious –discuss]
From the fourteenth century, initially inMamluk Egypt but then spread into other parts of the Islamic world, major mosques might employ a related officer, themuwaqqit, who determined the prayer times using mathematical astronomy. Unlike the muezzin, who were typically chosen for their piety and beautiful voice, the qualification of the muwaqqit required special knowledge in astronomy.[8][9] Historian Sonja Brentjes speculates that the muwaqqit might have evolved from a specialised muezzin,[10] and that there might not have been a clear delineation between the two offices.[11] Some celebrated muwaqqits, includingShams al-Din al-Khalili andibn al-Shatir, were known to have once been muezzins, and many individuals held both offices simultaneously.[12] Today, with the production of electronic devices and authoritative timetables, a muezzin in a mosque can broadcast the call to prayer by consulting a table or a clock without requiring the specialised skill of amuwaqqit.[13]
The call of the muezzin is considered an art form, reflected in the melodious chanting of the adhan. InTurkey, there is an annual competition to find the country's best muezzin.[14]
Historically, a muezzin would have recited the call to prayer atop theminarets in order to be heard by those around the mosque.
Now, mosques often have Loudspeakers mounted on the top of the minaret and the muezzin will use a microphone, or a recording is played, allowing the call to prayer to be heard at great distances without climbing the minaret.
The institution of the muezzin has existed since the time ofMuhammad. The first muezzin was a former slaveBilal ibn Rabah, one of the most trusted and loyalsahabah (companions) of theIslamic prophetMuhammad. He was born inMecca and is considered the first mu'azzin, chosen by Muhammad himself.[15][16][17][18]
After minarets became customary at mosques, the office of muezzin in cities was sometimes given to ablind man, who could not see down into the inner courtyards of the citizens' houses and thus could not violate privacy.[19]
Muezzin Islamic religious official, inEncyclopædia Britannica Online, by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Gloria Lotha, Deepti Mahajan and Amy Tikkanen
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