Iran's favorite Azan a national treasure
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:08:23 GMT

The voice of Rahim Mo'azen-Zadeh reciting the Islamic call to prayer has now been officially added to Iran's list of national treasures.

The move comes as part of an initiative by Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization to honor its revered personalities and introduce them to the world.

Rahim Mo'azen-Zadeh struck a cord in many hearts with his warm and captivating voice when he recited the Azan on live radio for the first time in 1943. Since then he is a beloved national figure, earning his place on Iran's list of respected figures.

His wish, he said, was to leave his Azan as a tribute to Islam and the Iranian culture. "The recording of my Azan has given me much pride over the years. If this spiritual treasure, my Azan, is all I leave behind I will be happy," he was quoted to have said in his lifetime.

Mo'azen-Zadeh believed music, especially traditional music, to be the essence of the spirit, polishing and purifying the soul.

One of the things that he did not encourage was the imitation of Arab styles in the reciting of Azan. "If one imitates the style of others, nothing original or memorable will ever be produced," he said.

Mo'azen-Zadeh was born in the year 1925 and died in 2005 at the age of 80, leaving his legacy behind in the hearts of millions of Iranians, both religious and non-religious.

When asked about the secret to his Azan's effect on people, Mo'azen-Zadeh associated its lasting impression with the pure intentions of the reader, a prominent issue in Islam which weighs every action or thought according to the intent behind it.