Some chroniclers dimly recognized Muslim prayer as a communal profession of faith

Evidence

Although the words, and often the intention, of the prayer were unknown, a few observers saw that it was a communal act when performed in the mosques. … He said that the mu’adhdhin proclaimed ‘in the ears of all’ that Muhammad’s Law is holy and Just, and that he is the highest prophet sent by God; ‘all the others in response affirm it to be so; and this they believe to be enough for them for salvation’. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1183