Call to Prayer

What do I miss most about the Middle East?  That dreamy state at the crack of dawn when I hear the first muezzin's call to prayer.  His chants penetrate my dreams.  It isn't until the second or the third or the fourth that I finally wake up.  My Muslim neighbors roll out of bed and kneel toward Mecca.  I get up and go make coffee.  Every loudspeaker attached to every minaret in Al Khobar is now at full blast.

Allahu, Akhbar, Allahu Akhbar

Ash-hadu an'la ilaha ill Allah

God is great; God is great

There is no other god but Allah.

Praying five times a day is one of the Pillars of Islam.  Muslims perform this ritual beginning at dawn, then at noon, mid-afternoon, dusk and two hours later at nightfall.  Days in Saudi Arabia revolve around these five calls to prayer.  Businesses shut down at noon and stores do not reopen until after the third prayer is over.  All shopping and household chores are done in the morning.  It makes sense to stay inside and rest during the intense heat of the day.

But, ah, those sunsets!  Richard and I made it a point to either go the beach or go up to the roof of our apartment building to watch the sky fade from orange to navy blue and to listen to the fourth of the meuzzins' daily call.  This was my favorite time of day.  The work day was over.  The air was slightly cooler.  We could finally relax, have dinner and enjoy the evening ahead.  It was early to bed, early to rise.  Day after day after day.

Even today back in Santa Barbara I have a standing date with the setting sun.  I swear I can hear the muezzin's chant half-way around the world.  I, too, murmur a silent prayer of thanks to that mysterious force that jump started the journey on this incredible planet.