“And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah, does righteousness and says, ‘Indeed, I am of the Muslims.’” Surah Fussilat, 41:33

What were the first words you ever heard? For most of us, it was Allahu Akbar , whispered into our right ear soon after we were born, often by our own father. Before we heard our own name, before anyone said “well done” or asked “what did you score?”, we heard this: Allah is the Greatest. Come to prayer. Come to success.

I shared this last night at Beyond Grades, Sultan Academy’s fifth anniversary celebration, just before Maghrib. It struck me how fitting the theme was. The very first lesson a Muslim child receives is not about marks. It is about who he belongs to, and what real success looks like.

A call chosen for a voice

About 1,400 years ago in Madinah, the young Muslim community faced a practical problem: how to gather everyone for prayer, five times a day, at the right time. A bell, a horn and a fire were all suggested. The Prophet ﷺ was comfortable with none of them. This ummah needed something of its own.

That night, the companion Abdullah ibn Zayd dreamt of a man teaching him the words of the azan. The Prophet ﷺ confirmed it as a true vision, and Umar ibn al-Khattab soon arrived saying he had seen the very same dream (Sunan Abu Dawud 499).

Then comes the detail I love most. The Prophet ﷺ did not ask Abdullah to make the call. He said: “Teach it to Bilal, for his voice is stronger than yours.”

Bilal ibn Rabah had been a slave in Makkah. When he accepted Islam, he was laid on the burning sand with a heavy rock on his chest and ordered to give up his faith. He answered with two words: “Ahad, Ahad.” One. One. A man with no wealth, no status and no tribe to protect him became the first voice to call the ummah to prayer. 

Leadership in Islam has never been about status. It is about sincerity, steadfastness, and a willingness to raise your voice for Allah. And five times a day, the azan itself tells us what success really is: hayya ‘alal-falah, come to falah, success in this life and the next. Not an A-star.

What a muazzin carries

Being a muazzin is about much more than a nice voice. He carries four things.

• Amanah (trust). The Prophet ﷺ said, “The imam is a guarantor and the muazzin is entrusted” (Sunan Abu Dawud 517). In Ramadan, a whole community breaks its fast on his word. He has to be honest, and he has to be on time.

• Discipline. He arrives before everyone else, five times a day, whether it is convenient or not.

• Honour. Every jinn, human and thing that hears his voice will testify for him on the Day of Judgement (Sahih al-Bukhari 609). The muazzins will also have “the longest necks” on that Day (Sahih Muslim 387), which scholars explain as a sign of their honour.

• Humility. After gathering the whole jamaah, he calls the iqamah, steps back into the saf and prays behind the imam like everyone else. He leads by calling, then he follows.

Trusted, consistent, brave and humble. Isn’t that the young man we hope to raise? Not just a son who scores well, but a son who can be trusted.

Bringing the azan home

Alhamdulillah, we have beautiful masajid here and the freedom to practise our faith. But outside the masjid, when did your children last hear the azan? In many Muslim countries it echoes through the streets five times a day. For our children, it is often just a notification on a phone. What we do not hear slowly becomes distant, something that belongs to the masjid and not to us.

Now picture this. It is Maghrib. Instead of an alarm going off, your son stands up in the living room, faces the qiblah and calls the azan. Everyone stops what they are doing, makes wudhu and comes together to pray. It is simple, and it is within reach of every family.

It matters for three reasons.

It is his first step into spiritual leadership. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock” (Sahih al-Bukhari 893; Sahih Muslim 1829). One day, inshaAllah, our sons will be responsible for the deen of their own families. That leadership does not begin on the wedding day. It begins now, with small responsibilities at home.

It gathers the family. Between work, school, tuition and CCA, praying every prayer together is hard. But Maghrib, when everyone is finally home, is within reach. Azan, solat, dinner. Imagine what that one habit does for a family over ten years.

It is a natural next step. Every boy stands a little taller when he is asked to call the iqamah. The iqamah is for those already in the room. The azan calls everyone in.

Three simple ways to start:

1. 1. Start with Maghrib. One prayer a day. He calls the azan, you pray together, then you eat together.
2. 2. Iqamah first. If he is not ready for the azan, begin with the iqamah and move him up when he is comfortable. Celebrate each step.
3. 3. Praise the consistency, not just the voice. Instead of “Wah, your voice is so nice,” try “I’m proud of you, you did it every day this week.” That builds character. That is beyond grades.

Our daughters have a role too. While the boys call the azan, the girls can lead a short recitation or du’a after solat. Every child can have a part.

Answer the call

There is something every one of us can do, starting at the next prayer. The Sunnah is to answer the azan by repeating each line after the muazzin. The exception is hayya ‘alas-solah and hayya ‘alal-falah , where we say la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah: there is no power and no strength except with Allah (Sahih Muslim 385). Let your children hear you do it.

The first words our children heard were a call. Our task as parents is to raise children who answer it, and who, one day, will make that call themselves. A young voice calling, and a family that answers: that is the picture worth carrying home.

To find out more about Pathway to Quran and Voices of Young Muslims, visit youm.life.

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