Azan heard from the sky in Germany? Old video, fictional claim

A video has been shared on social media with the claim that azan, the Islamic call to prayer, played seemingly out of the sky in Berlin, Germany and surprised onlookers who began recording the sound. The incident is being portrayed as nothing short of a miracle. Facebook user Anwar Gaur promoted the clip with the same claim. (Archive link)

Back in 2020, Facebook user Mohammad Akhtar had shared the video and accompanying claim. (Archive link)

The video is widespread on Facebook, and has also made its way to WhatsApp with the same message. Alt News also received numerous requests to verify the visuals on our WhatsApp helpline number.

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Fact-check

Taking a closer look at the viral video, we noticed a few details worth noting. We performed a reverse image search of the multi-coloured building seen in the background of the video using Google Lens. Searching via Google Lens allowed us to easily find an exact match for the search query.

This led us to a few links which identified it as a building located in the Flughafenstraße street of Berlin, Germany.

 

Using Google Street View, we found that Dar Assalam Mosque is located next to this building. The photo listed on Street View is from 2008, and the exterior paint colour of the building has been changed since then.

You can compare the screengrab from the video in question with the Google Street View image below. The similarities are evident, apart from the paint colour. The mosque can clearly be seen next to both buildings.

Upon further research of the visuals, we came across a video report by Ruptly. On April 5, 2020, several media outlets reported that a mosque’s call to prayer ended early after breaches in the social distancing norms in Berlin, Germany. At the 0:21 mark, a man is clearly seen singing, which confirms that the azan is not playing from the sky.

According to a Ruptly article dated April 4, 2020, around 300 people gathered outside the Dar Assalam Mosque in Berlin. However, the crowd was dispersed after they flouted physical distancing norms.

To sum it up, a mosque in Germany broadcasted a call to prayer over a loudspeaker, which prompted a crowd to gather in the streets. A video of the incident was falsely circulated as azan prayers miraculously being playing from the sky.