The call to prayer in Morocco seems inevitable, like the sun rising.
In this clip one of us is with a group of people in the old city of Fes watching the clock and waiting for the call for the sunset prayer. Someone says, ” I think it’ll happen,” and then one by one each mosque in the area begins the call to prayer, each one coming in a little behind the other so that it seems as if they are singing in a round.
It’s been a year since we were in AlMaghreb, but a friend who just returned from a summer in Rabat passed along this recording. It’s a recitation of Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) that tells people not to speak while the Imam is giving the Friday sermon–so that they may get the full benefit of the sermon.
Walking home on a Wednesday night in Rabat we heard from a few blocks away the sound of a party (assumed to be either a wedding or a baby naming ceremony). A group of men are singing amdah, religious songs praising the qualities of the Prophet Muhammad and asking God to bless him. The sound is coming from an apartment building where several apartments are being used to house the party guests. This clip was taped on the sidewalk outside the building.
Bab Bou Jelloud, is a popular starting point for groups touring the medina (old city) of Fes. One Saturday morning a group of about 50 Moroccan women entered the gate carrying small drums and singing a traditional Moroccan song “Dayf Ullah” which means “God’s guest” and is a term used to describe someone who shows up surprisingly or uninvited – you would still accept them and welcome them because God sent them to you. At the end of the sound clip you will hear the tour guide with a bull horn trying to get the women’s attention and explaining to them where they are at in the medina.
This afternoon Quran recitation was organized by a group so that people could enjoyably listen to different Quran reciters. Each person recites for only a minutes, and between each reciter there are short talks about the relationship and place of the Quaran in the life of Muslims. This Umsiyah was held at a meeting hall used for lectures and meetings of religious leaders. It is on a busy street across from the Royal Mirage Hotel in Fes.
Memorization of the Qur’an is an important and traditional way of learning the holy text, practicing Islam, and an act that is greatly celebrated upon completion. For better or worse, in Morocco, the technique of memorization has been extended into secular education, and students in the majority of Moroccan classrooms study a variety of subjects using the a rote memorization technique. Below you can hear elementary students singing as they learn.
No two tahleels in Morocco sound alike. This one was recorded at a mosque near Bab Boujeloud, in Fes. The muezzin’s voice is certainly unique.
Moroccan weddings are musical (shwiya deafening) events. These recordings are from two weddings that were recently in the Fes Medina.
A song sung by a professional band that was hired for the event:
Spontaneous ululation by female guests, a common practice at Moroccan weddings:
Men–guests–singing, while waiting for dinner to be served:
On the morning of Eid al Adha, this “chant” is sung inside of mosques as people await the Eid prayer. It is sung only during the Eid days and sometimes at funerals. It consists of a repeated refrain of ” Allah (God), How Perfect is God, All Praise is for God, There is no might or power except by God.”
These songs were heard from an apartment next door to the party–the celebrations were so boisterous that they came through loud and clear.
1. A group singing madih, which are songs extolling the virtues of the Prophet Muhammad. This madih includes the line: “what are you but the best of creation?”
2. A song in which the singer is giving “shout outs” to people attending the party.
This recording was actually made in Marrakesh, not Fes. A blind beggar is walking down the street calling out one word repeatedly: “Allah.”
Eid al Fitr is the celebration at the end of Ramadan. Celebratory horn-blowing punctuates the nights of Ramadan, and on the morning of Eid al Fitr we were awakened by this horn and a knock on the door.
Every night in Ramadan after Tarawih prayers in mosques across Morocco, congregations recite this group supplication. It begins with “Praise to God who has guided us,” and goes on to beseech God to strengthen and maintain their faith, and ends by asking God to bless the Prophet Muhammad.
The day after a family argument, in the spirit of reconciliation, a Qur’an reciter was brought into this home to recite verses relating to good relations, appropriate behavior, and forgiveness.
About half an hour before the dawn call to prayer (adhaan), the muezzin recites phrases that glorify God and praise the Prophet Muhammad, such as
” There is nothing worthy of worship but God,”
“Oh God, Bless our beloved Muhammad,” and
” There is no power or strength except by God.”
This tahleel was recited daily during the month of Ramadan in Fes Jdid. It signified the approaching dawn and marked the last chance to eat or drink before the fast began at the Call to Prayer.
Adhaan (call to prayer) for the Sunset Prayer during Ramadan.
