With regard to this ḥadīth, questions arise about who first instituted the adhān, the visions of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Zayd and ʿUmar, ʿUmar’s own directive concerning it, and the report that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—heard the call to prayer on the night of the Miʿrāj, in addition to other related narrations. This is not the place to detail those matters or to address the difficulties they may pose.

The point intended here is that when the Prophet, upon him be peace, disliked the Jews’ horn that is blown by mouth and the Christians’ bell that is struck by hand, he explained his objection by noting that the former belonged to the Jews and the latter to the Christians. Mentioning the description immediately after the ruling shows that the description is the reason for the ruling; therefore, his words indicate a prohibition of everything that pertains to the ways of the Jews and Christians.

This stands even though it is said that the Jewish horn traces back to Moses, peace be upon him, and that a trumpet was sounded in his time, whereas the Christians’ bell is an innovation, for most of their religious rites were introduced by their priests and monks.

Accordingly, this kind of sound is disliked in an unrestricted sense—even outside the prayer—because it comes from Jewish and Christian practice, and the Christians ring their bells at many times beyond their acts of worship.

The distinctive emblem of the upright religion is the adhān, which openly proclaims the remembrance of Allah: through it the gates of heaven are opened, devils flee, and mercy descends.

Yet many people of this Ummah—kings and others—have been tried by this Jewish and Christian emblem, so much so that we have observed them in this khamīs