“That’s very good! They’re calling everyone to prayer”

Manjari Devi Dasi remembers:

It was summer time in Iran. Srila Prabhupada was there for Lord Balarama’s appearance day. At that time it was very hot; all the flowers were blooming and it was very nice atmosphere. At a one point Srila Prabhupada called it Bhusvarga: heaven on earth! He liked it very much.

Iran is a Muslim country; they have what’s called ‘namaz’: a call to prayer 3 times a day, coinciding with Gayatri times. They have over the loudspeakers a kind of a chant that’s calling everybody to prayers. So Srila Prabhupada was sitting on the balcony. While the namaz was going on he listened to it; he turned to Atreya and asked, “What is this?”

Atreya replied, “This is namaz, it is the Muslims’ call to pray to God. They are saying the names of God: He who is the most merciful, the most compassionate, and so on”.

Srila Prabhupada responded, “That’s very good! They’re calling everyone to prayer”.

“But”, Atreya said, “Srila Prabhupada isn’t better that we pray and take the names of Krishna rather than Allah?”

Srila Prabhupada turned to Atreya, “You’re asking me to be sectarian!”