by Gavin Ashenden
I have just seen a photograph that stopped me in my tracks and wounded my heart.
It shows Muslims sitting on the floor inside Bristol Cathedral, eating their Ramadan Iftar meal.
For most people this will look like a gesture of hospitality — a moment of interfaith goodwill.
For me it is something else entirely.
At the entrance to this cathedral the call to prayer was sounded. You may not know what the prayer consists of? You should know.
“Allah is the greatest…
I testify there is no god but Allah…
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah…
Come to prayer.”
Historically and culturally, the adhan functions as:
- A proclamation of Islamic faith
- A claim that a place has become a place of Muslim prayer
- A signal that an area belongs to the “realm of Islam” (dar al-Islam)
That is why historically the adhan was used to mark the establishment of Islam in a city.
Fifty years ago, in that very building, my life changed forever.