Exposition

The Relationality of the Adhaan: A Reading of the Islamic Call to Prayer Through Adriana Cavarero’s Philosophy of Vocal Expression (2017)

Lutfi Othman
open exposition

About this exposition

The Call to Prayer, the Adhaan, is one of the most instantly recognizable Islamic sounds that we might hear in our soundscape today. For Muslims, the Adhaan is a specific call to notify the Islamic community that the time for prayer has arrived. For those who are not trained to respond to it religiously, the experience of listening to the Adhaan can trigger the formation of different interpretations, sometimes in hostile ways, from its original intent. This paper looks at the Adhaan from the perspective of sound and suggests that the voice of the Mu’adhin, who calls for prayer, carries with it the possibility to be perceived in manifold ways. Through the sound of the human voice and its pervasive nature, the Adhaan carries its original message, fusing it with new meanings, and announces it in a way unique to the voice. Guided by philosopher Ariana Cavarero’s conception of the voice and referencing situations in The United States of America where the Adhaan was at the center of controversy, this paper approaches the Adhaan with a focus on the sound of the voice and the relations that it fosters both intentionally and unintentionally.
typeresearch exposition
keywordsAdhaan, Journal of sonic studies, Sonic Studies, sound, voice
date06/12/2017
published14/12/2017
last modified14/12/2017
statuspublished
share statusprivate
licenseAll rights reserved
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/411744/411745
doihttps://doi.org/10.22501/JSS.411744
published inJournal of Sonic Studies
portal issue15. Issue 15


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namesonicstudies-banner-964-3
copyrightJSS
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameAdhan at Duke Chapel, 1.16.15
copyrightYouTube
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usagesvideo

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