Ali Al-Mulla – The muezzin of Masjid al-Haram, Makkah for 40 years

Ali Ahmed al-Mullah has been the Muezzin of the Grand Mosque of Makkah for four decades. He became the Muezzin in a family tradition that has been handed down to him from one generation to another.

As we all know the first Muezzin of Islam was Hazrat Bilal ibn Rabah. He was the Muezzin at the time of our beloved Holy Prophet Mohammad PBUH. Bilal R.A was well known for his beautiful voice and for the reason he was selected by our beloved Prophet PBUH.

Nicknamed Bilal: Muezzin Ali Ahmad Mulla is also nicknamed as Bilal of the grand mosque of Makkah for following Hazrat Bilal’s footsteps. He is called Bilal for his beautiful voice and fascinating stories and different tales he relates during his preaching.

Longest Serving Muezzin of Masjid al-Haram: Ali Ahmad Mullah is also known as the longest serving muezzin of the Grand Mosque. He is widely respected by the Muslim world and his Adhan is enjoyed throughout the world via radio, live television broadcast and other forms of media.

The family of Muezzins: Ali Al-Mulla of the holy mosque was born in 1945 in Makkah a family of muezzins of the grand mosque. He started giving Adhan at the Holy Mosque when he was 14 in the absence of his maternal uncle Abdul Hafeez Khoja, his paternal uncle Abdul Rahman Mulla, and his grandfather who all were also the notable muezzin at Masjid al-Haram.

He became the official muezzin in 1975 after the death of his uncles' son Sheikh Abdul Malak al-Mulla. His grandfather Sheikh Ali and his father Siddique and both his uncles and two of his cousins preceded doing this job.

Best Moment of his Life: He said the best news during his lifetime was when he heard the news to become the next muezzin of the Grand Mosque of Makkah from his father and many of his friends also encouraged him to do so.  He started giving Adhan before the introduction of loudspeakers in the mosque.

The old way of Adhan in Masjid al-Haram: It was the time when muezzin stood at each of the seven minarets of the mosque to call for prayer. At that time the time to perform Adhan decision was given by the chief of the Muezzins from Al Shafie Maqam, a place near the well of Zamzam.

The Adhan was given and each of the muezzins repeated the Adhan behind the first muezzin until the Adhan was completed. This was an old tradition that was introduced by Ottomans and is still carried out in Turkey.

Incident of 1979: Ali said he witnessed the incident of 1979 when prayers at the grand mosque were halted for 23 days and Haram was overwhelmed by Juhayma Al Aoutaibi who occupied the Grand Mosque and promised allegiances to the person who claimed to be the Mahdi under the Kaba.

He said that blockade was lifted after 23 days and the first Adhan he performed at that time was during Maghreb prayer in the presence of King Khaled bin Abdul Aziz. He said it is his great honor to perform Adhan at Masjid al-Haram the holiest mosque in the world.