Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 173
173 service takes longer, depending upon the time occupied by the Imam’s address; on the average it occupies about one hour. When the worshiper is travelling or is under pressure of valid necessity, the noon and afternoon services may be combined, and the sunset and the late evening services may be combined. The service is normally held in a place dedicated to the worship of God, called a musjid , or mosque, but it may be held anywhere, the only requirement being that the place chosen be clean. The Prophet has said: “The whole earth has been purified for me for the worship of God. ” When a mosque is not easily available, services are often held in private rooms, in an open park, in the desert, on board a vessel on the ocean, and even in a train. Two persons form a congregation. All worshippers participating in a service face toward the Ka’aba in Mecca, which ensures unity of direction throughout the world, and spiritual concentration. The Call to Prayer, azan , is made by word of mouth and is in itself an epitome of the teachings of Islam. The person making the Call chants in a resonant, melodious voice, designed to carry as far as possible, the words of the Call, in Arabic, which may be rendered into English as follows: Allah is Great [four times]; I bear witness that there is no being worthy of worship save Allah