The Adhan — Call to Prayer

The Adhan is the Islamic call to prayer, proclaimed five times daily from mosques around the world. It was instituted in the first year after the Hijrah when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions discussed how to summon people for prayer. Abdullah ibn Zayd saw the adhan in a dream and described it to the Prophet, who confirmed it and instructed Bilal ibn Rabah to call the adhan, saying: "Stand up, Bilal, and call to prayer" (Sunan Abu Dawud). Bilal became the first muadhin (caller to prayer) in Islam.

The Words of the Adhan

The adhan consists of the following phrases: Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest) repeated four times; Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah (I testify that there is no god but Allah) twice; Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah (I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) twice; Hayya 'ala al-Salah (Come to prayer) twice; Hayya 'ala al-Falah (Come to success) twice; Allahu Akbar twice; and La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah) once. For the Fajr prayer, the phrase "Al-Salatu khayrun min al-nawm" (Prayer is better than sleep) is added twice after "Hayya 'ala al-Falah."

The Iqamah

The Iqamah is the second, shorter call made immediately before the congregational prayer begins. It follows the same wording as the adhan but each phrase is said once instead of twice (according to the Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools), with the addition of "Qad qamat al-Salah" (The prayer has been established) twice. The Hanafi school maintains that the iqamah has the same number of repetitions as the adhan, with the addition of the qad qamat phrase.

Etiquettes and Response

When hearing the adhan, the Muslim should stop what they are doing and repeat after the muadhin, except when the muadhin says "Hayya 'ala al-Salah" and "Hayya 'ala al-Falah," for which the listener says: "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" (There is no power or strength except with Allah). After the adhan, the Muslim recites the salawat upon the Prophet and then makes the dua: "O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and the established prayer, grant Muhammad the wasilah and the fadilah and raise him to the praised station which You have promised him" (Sahih al-Bukhari). The Prophet said: "Whoever says this after the adhan, my intercession will be permitted for him on the Day of Judgment."

Virtues of the Muadhin

The role of the muadhin carries immense reward. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "If people knew what was in the adhan and the first row, and they found no other way to get them except by drawing lots, they would draw lots" (Sahih al-Bukhari). He also said: "The muadhins will have the longest necks on the Day of Judgment" (Sahih Muslim), meaning they will be the most distinguished or hopeful. The adhan reaches all who hear it, and the Prophet said: "Nothing hears the call of the muadhin, whether jinn, human, or anything else, except that it will testify for him on the Day of Judgment" (Sahih al-Bukhari).