QSI: The Horn, The Bell and The Adhan: Themes and Methods for Raising the Dead

The Story of the Adhan (The Call to Prayer)...

One day, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked the Muslims about a way to call all everyone to salah/prayer five times a day.'

"We could use a horn, like the Jews do,"some suggested. 

"What about using a bell to call Muslims, the Christians use a bell,"suggested others. 

But the Prophet Muhammad didn't like those ideas.

"What about putting a big fire on top of a mountain, so that everyone from great distances would be able to see it, and know the time for prayer?" others said. 

But the Prophet Muhammad did not like that idea at all.

"We could raise up a flag each time at the time of salah, so that when people see it, they can tell each other and come to salah," said someone else.

What could they do to call all the Muslims to prayer? 

Eventually, the Prophet Muhammad decided that out of all the suggestions, the bell was the best one, However, the Prophet Muhammad was still not satisfied with the suggestion and unhappy that they were unable to find a good solution for calling people to salah.

According to the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allah ibn Zayd ibn Abd Rabbihi, when the Messenger of Allah decided to use a bell even though he disliked it because it was like what the Christians used, ‘there appeared to me in a dream a man who was wearing two green garments, in whose hand was a bell. I said, “O slave of Allah, will you sell that bell?” he said, “What will you do with it?” I said, “We will call the people to prayer with it.” He said, “Shall I not show you something better than that?” I said, “Yes.”