TIGTM #4: The Call to Prayer

Five times a day, every day without fail, the normally quiet air of Doha is filled with the intonation of voices chanting over loudspeakers in a language I don't understand. If you happen to be near a mosque at this time it is quite obvious what this call signifies, especially on Friday morning. Cars will literally stop in the middle of the street (like in 2 lane divided roads where the speed limit is 100km) and hoards of men will be not-so-cautiously ambling across the street towards the nearest mosque to join in communal prayer with their brethren. In most places around Doha you can usually hear more than one at any given time. I happen to live in an area with a particularly high density of mosques within ear shot such that if I have the windows to my apartment open on a rare cool winter afternoon (where the temperature only reaches 70... but that's another upcoming post...) I can hear no less than 5 different imams. That's no great surprise considering Qatar has purportedly one of if not the highest density of mosques per sq.km. in the world. What's funny about the call to prayer is that it's not necessarily something I miss when I'm not here. When I'm on vacation, I don't consciously think about the fact that I haven't heard the call to prayer at sundown and therefore miss it. Even when I go to other Muslim countries and hear their call of prayer, it's never as pleasant to the ears as the one in Qatar (most are just in a monotone voice as opposed to what to me sounds like an impassioned glorification of God through voice). I realize how comforting it is to hear only when I return to Qatar and hear it for the first time as I'm getting off the plane or driving back to my apartment. Even though my faith doesn't make me compelled to respond to the call to prayer, it's a helpful daily reminder of the importance of thinking about my faith and of offering thanks to our maker. Will I forget all about the call to prayer when I move to New York? Probably, but the second I set foot back in Qatar and hear it for the first time, I'll know I'm back home.