Rahim Moazenzadeh Ardabili
Iranian muezzin (1925–2005)
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Rahim Moazenzadeh Ardabili (Persian: رحیم مؤذنزاده اردبیلی; 23 September 1925 – 26 May 2005) was an Iranian muezzin, and is known as the Bilal of Iran.[1][2][3][4] Born in Ardabil to a religious Azeri-Iranian family in 1925, his father Abdul Karim Moazenzadeh Ardabili was the first muezzin to call the adhan on Iranian television.[5][6] His voice was broadcast by radio in 1943, and he carried out the morning program of radio at the Imamzadeh Saleh in Tehran until 1947, when he died.[7] Rahim continued to issue the call to prayer after his father.[8] His adhan is recited in the dastgah of Bayat-e Turk, a musical scale in Azerbaijani traditional music.[8]
“Moazenzadeh” literally means “born muezzin” in Persian. His adhan is known as “Ruh al-Arwah” (“Spirit of Spirits”) because of its deeply spiritual, moving, and emotional quality.[9] It gradually became the most recognizable adhan in Shia Islam and especially in Iran, where almost everyone are familiar with his beautiful adhan and is still widely broadcast today. Recorded in 1955 while fasting during Ramadan, his adhan has been officially added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register,[6][10][11] and is also registered as Iran's national List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.[12][13][14] It is the first ever adhan to be included in UNESCO. He has stated:[15]
"Since recording this piece, I have always carried a sense of spiritual pride with me throughout the years. If this spiritual wealth is the only thing that remains, it will be enough for me."
In the spring of 2005, Rahim was hospitalized at the Madain Hospital in Tehran after being diagnosed with bladder cancer. His condition deteriorated in the following months, and he died in June of the same year at the age of 80. He is buried at Ibn Babawayh Cemetery in Rey, Tehran, near the tomb of Ibn Babawayh (al-Shaykh al-Saduq), one of the most prominent scholars of Shia Islam.
Life
Rahim Moazenzadeh Ardabili was born on 23 September 1925 in Ardabil. As a child, he attended Quranic school (maktabkhaneh), where he studied the Quran and the Persian classical musical modes under a teacher known as Mirza Aziz. After learning the principles of vocal performance and recitation of the adhan alongside his father, he began reciting the adhan and performing religious elegies at mosques in Ardabil and occasionally in nearby cities. After his father settled in Tehran, Rahim moved to Qom to pursue religious studies, where he studied advanced jurisprudence and recited the adhan at the Fatima Masumeh Shrine at noon.[16] His father, Abdul Karim Mo'azzemzadeh, who had first recited the adhan on Iranian radio in 1943 at the Imamzadeh Saleh, died in 1950. Rahim then moved to Tehran at the age of 25 to continue his father's work. In the spring of 2005, Rahim was hospitalized at Mada'en Hospital in Tehran after being diagnosed with bladder cancer. He died in June of the same year at the age of 80.
Family
His father was Karim Moazemzadeh, his mother was Hanieh Mehrajie, and his brother was Salim Moazenzadeh Ardabili. Salim was a renowned reciter of religious eulogies (maddah) and elegies dedicated to the Ahl al-Bayt. Their father, Karim, was the first muezzin to recite the adhan on Iranian radio, while their ancestor, Faraj Mo'azzem, is regarded as the oldest known muezzin in Iran.
Legacy
"We are Iranians, and our adhan must come from within us. Nowadays, there are muezzins who imitate Saudi styles, which is not appropriate—we must be creative ourselves. It has been 50 years, and no one has been able to recite an adhan over mine—not even my brother Salim, with his powerful and beautiful voice. This is God's will, the same God who says: ‘If you are united in calling upon Me, I will place love for you in the hearts of all.’"
— Rahim Moazenzadeh Ardabili
Iranian singer Mohammad-Reza Shajarian says about Moazenzadeh's adhan:[17]
"This call to prayer has two remarkable qualities. The late Moazenzadeh recited it in the Bayat-e Tork musical mode, a traditional melody known for conveying messages of hope, awakening, and spiritual awareness. His choice was deeply meaningful, as it gives a sense of promise and reassurance to listeners at any time. Additionally, there is a profound sincerity in this azan—and as someone who has worked in music for many years, I have been hearing and living with this call to prayer for 60 years."
Shahram Nazeri, another Iranian classical musician, says:[18]
"The voice of master Moazenzadeh Ardebili possesses a distinctly heroic and legendary quality. His greatest strength lies in his deep understanding and mastery of the style and expression of Iranian vocal music, to the extent that even his call to prayer (Adhān) is performed in an Iranian melodic style rather than an Arabic one."
Statue
On 25 July, which has become known as National Ardabil Day, a statue depicting Rahim Moazemzadeh Ardabili reciting the adhan was unveiled in Tohid Square in Ardabil, his hometown. Following approval by the Kish Free Zone Organization, a bust of the late Mo'azzemzadeh was also commissioned for installation along the Artists and Cultural Figures Promenade in Kish Island.