Iqamah

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A formal announcement signaling the beginning of collective prayer, indicating the shift from preparation to active worship in a communal setting
2. A proclamation that marks the initiation of prayer gatherings, highlighting the readiness of participants to engage in the worship ritual
3. An official declaration made to commence a group prayer session, showing that the worship is about to begin

Etymology: The iqamah is the second call to prayer in Islam, the one given just before the congregation begins the prescribed prayer. The Arabic root is "qawama," meaning to stand upright or to establish, and the noun "iqama" (also spelled "iqamah") is a verbal noun built on the causative form of that root, so its sense is roughly "causing to stand," that is, calling worshippers to their feet for the prayer. English borrowed the word directly from Arabic, where "ʔiqāma" is the form used for this call. It is a specialised religious term, so it reached English through the vocabulary of Islamic practice rather than through everyday speech, and it keeps its Arabic shape with only the transliteration varying between "iqama" and "iqamah."