Al-Isharah Create First Adhan In British Sign Language For Ramadan TV

In Ramadan this year, the first ever Muslim call to prayer (adhan) was communicated in British Sign Language (BSL) on British television.

The prayer call was broadcasted on the digital television channel Ramadan TV, a project of Canadian organisation Mercy Mission. The signing in the video was communicated by Al-Isharah, one of Britain's first centres for the Muslim deaf community. Al-Isharah provide professional resources to cultivate a holistic celebration of Muslim diversity in the United Kingdom.

Al-Isharah (الإشارة), Arabic for 'the sign' or 'signal', has built a reputation on firsts. It was the first organisation to introduce British sign language mosque sermons (khutbahs) for the East London mosque in 2009, extending across England; it helped create the first information signing video on forced marriages by Scottish organisation Isharah; Al-Isharah is the first to provide Umrah pilgrimage trips catered to deaf Muslims.

The Muslim call to prayer (adhan) is an Islamic tradition beginning from when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) chose the African Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habashi, a freed slave, to invite the community to pray. Traditionally called in Arabic, the invitation reads,

"God is Great, God is Greater.
I testify that there is no god except the One God (Allah).
I testify that Muhammad is God's Messenger,
Come to prayer, come to worship.
Come to success."

Another first in the sign language adhan shows the need for resources and inclusivity for deaf Muslims.


Link to video {http://youtu.be/YjKiN34u7YE}



More:
Deaf Muslims Set Sights on ASL Qur'an
Video: Muslim Signers Answer 'What Is Islam?'
"I'm Blind, But I'm A Qur'an Hafidh"

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