The Voice that calls

Being a muezzin is not really a career His azan from a mosque five times a day is the prelude to namazrsquomdasha call to kneel and humble oneself When this writer moved out to Navi Mumbai as an adult after a childhood in Mumbai Central we first thought we felt restless due the unfamiliarity of the new place Then we heard the familiar soothing balm and realised the azan moored usmdashthe family of a Seventh Adventist parish priestIn this holy month we speak to muezzins in the cityrsquos three largest masjids and learn it is both an honour and a penancelsquoWe will serve on Qayamat ki raatrsquoJamal Akhtar Chunnabhatti Masjid CrawfordHad you heard him in 2007 you would lean and strain to catch Jamal Akhtarrsquos voice as he recited the Quran in his small village name in Uttar PradeshHis uncle in Kurlarsquos Kajupada called him to Mumbai to get his throat checked A teenager at the time Akhtarrsquos visit got extended due to medical reasons and eventually the city became his homeldquoI know you think itrsquos a bit ironic that I came here to fix a faulty throat and stayed back to recite the azanrdquo chuckles Akhtar ldquoBut thatrsquos how Allah worksrdquoAkhtar has completed the aalimiyat course taught at the madrassa attached to the masjid where kids are often sent to learn Arabic and be well versed with the holy book It also covers the translation of the Quran into Urdu grammar and language rules that are essential to Arbi the language of the holy bookAfter three to four years of rigorous study his teachers entrusted him with leading azan and namaz when seniors were absent In 2011 he was officially made muezzinAkhtar believes that his kind will stand out on Judgement Day ldquoIt is said that qayamat ki raat muezzins will be blessed with the opportunity to keep our head turned towards Allah and that He will reward us for reminding his followers five times a day that they need to stop and be gratefulmdashinside masjids in homes and on streetsrdquolsquoWe donrsquot do this for famersquoTausif Iqbal Bangi Jama Masjid Mahatma Phule Mandai Crawford MarketTausif Iqbal Bangi whose voice rings from the minarets of the cityrsquos largest masjid does not want to speak to us It takes many calls and convincing for us to learn that this is not due to an aversion to media but because ldquoI am grateful to be able to do this work for Allahrdquo Bangi explains ldquoIt shouldnrsquot look like we do this for famerdquoTausif Iqbal Bangi gives azan at the Jama Masjid Crawford Market PicSayyed Sameer AbediOver 3000 faithful prostrate themselves in obeisance at Jama Masjid during Ramzan Bangi a Kokani from Murud Janjira trained for four years to call out to them ldquoBecause it is such a huge masjid the trustees put out a call saying that they needed one more muezzin I got a call and was asked to recite the azaan on the spot I was selected and I have been here for the last 5 yearsrdquo he addsThough anyone can recite it what each Masjidrsquos trust looks for is a voice blessed with a touch of divinity ldquoIn madrassas teachers pick out those with sonoric voicesrdquo We ask whether thatrsquos why he was chosen ldquoMy voice It is a gift only Allah can bestow Who am I to say I sound melodiousrdquo he retorts all humilityThe muezzin also has to be a hafizmdashthe one who knows the Quran by heart a man of selfrestraint in the presence of cigarettes and ice so his divine gift remains unaffected They are usually fulltime employees of the Masjidrsquos trust and are funded by charity of the communitylsquoSome people have nikhaar in their voicersquoMohammad Saifullah Ahle Hadith Masjid BycullaMohammad Saifullahrsquos father was a muezzin in his village in Madhubani Bihar and Saifullah has been taking this legacy forward for four years He uses a term we have never heard before Nikhaar ldquoSome people have nikhaar in their voice people come far and wide to hear themrdquo he says He too found it impertinent to declare his voice melodiousMohammad SaifullahLike Bangi Saifullah lives eats sleeps and prays in the masjid and hopes to bring his family to Mumbai soon Each wish is prefixed with ldquoInsha Allah God willingrdquo ldquoIt is a precious responsibility to be the one in a community to call out to our fellowmen to join in remembering God To remind them to be grateful for what we have and stay humblerdquoSaifullah explains that the call includes the Arabic words which roughly translate to ldquoCome to prayer Come towards successrdquo ldquoThis essentially means that if you remember him he will always bless your household your family and you will never go without successrdquo he says