Muaddhin: a historic journey across America

By Jameel A. Syed, SMM

Growing up Muslim in America, I faced my fair share of struggles, setbacks and successes. It was a trial, day after day, and I grew up unsure of where I fit in. Was my place best within the American diaspora? Or was I forever slated to be an outsider, as a Muslim? It was difficult for me to come to terms with much of the rhetoric being preached on both sides of the aisle – that to be Muslim, you could not also be American, and it was not until I began reading the biography of the Prophet Muhammad and his life, that I finally realized how I fit in to the world. I found my experiences reflected in the life the Prophet led; part of the community – but always a bit of an outsider. His struggles spoke to me, and I found myself craving for the chance to be one of the Sahabah, learning and soaking in the Prophet’s teachings. Of course, that was not to be, given that I had come into this world hundreds of years after his existence.

As I was reading through his life, I found myself reflecting on the power of community within our lives as Muslims. It was when I stumbled on the hadith by Imam Muslim, “The faithful, in their love for one another and in their having mercy for one another and in their kindness toward one another, are like one body; when a member of it ails, all (the parts of) the body call one another (to share the pain) through sleeplessness and fever,” that I came to a realization. There was a reason to the continued focus on community engagement and focus for Muslims – even amidst the struggle and strife that came alongside it. In Islam, the individual’s responsibility for the community and conversely the community’s responsibility for the individual were considered the primary magnitude, constituting a trust of life and the highest of its responsibilities.
With that, I found myself struck with an epiphany, filling me with a burning desire that has not left me even today. There was a reason that Islam pushed the benefits of communal worship – and I was determined to bring that understanding, as well as the diverse message of the Prophet’s Last Sermon, to people across the world. It’s been told by traditional scholars that the best way to show gratitude towards your creator is to use the gifts that have been given to you to serve Him, by serving humanity. My gift is my ability to beautify and amplify the Adhan – Call to prayer.

With that being said, I made my intention to become the first Muaddhin (Caller of the Adhan) in history to make the Adhan in all fifty states across America. It’ll be a journey that gives the international Muslim community the opportunity to dictate the terms of their own narrative across the world. Instead of reacting to headlines, they’ll be creating their own by building a positive story around the community. On April 3rd, I’ll be embarking on the trip of a lifetime – stopping to collect fifty stories in fifty states, making the Adhan and giving the Prophet’s Last Sermon at each stop. The trip will be challenging, enlightening and illuminating – and the chance of a lifetime. Crowdfunded and live-streamed the entire way, I invite you to come along – this is the chance to author our own narrative, or simply be placed in boxes by Islamophobic mainstream media portrayals. This journey will change all of that, one stop at a time. Follow me on facebook and get connected at www.muaddhin.com.

Editor’s note: Jameel Syed’s views are his own.

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