Adhan (Call to Prayer)
Suggest editDefinition and Historical Origin
The Adhan (أذان) is the Islamic call to prayer, a powerful proclamation of faith announced five times daily to summon Muslims to congregational worship. It is among the most distinctive sounds of Muslim civilization — a public declaration of tawhid that reverberates through cities and villages across the globe, marking the rhythm of the Islamic day.
The adhan was instituted in the first year after the Hijrah to Madinah, when the Muslim community needed a distinct method to call people to prayer. The Prophet consulted his companions about how to do this. Some suggested a bell (like the Christians) or a horn (like the Jews), but both were rejected. Then Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Abd Rabbih came to the Prophet and described a dream in which he saw a man teaching him the words of the adhan. The Prophet recognized it as a true vision from Allah and instructed Bilal ibn Rabah — known for his powerful voice — to call the adhan publicly (Sunan Abu Dawud 499). Remarkably, Umar ibn al-Khattab also reported seeing the same words in a dream, confirming the divine origin of this call.
The Words of the Adhan
The adhan consists of the following declarations, repeated in the prescribed number:
- Allahu Akbar — Allah is the Greatest (4 times)
- Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah — I bear witness that there is no god but Allah (2 times)
- Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah — I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (2 times)
- Hayya 'ala as-Salah — Come to prayer (2 times, turning right)
- Hayya 'ala al-Falah — Come to success (2 times, turning left)
- Allahu Akbar — Allah is the Greatest (2 times)
- La ilaha illallah — There is no god but Allah (1 time)
For the Fajr prayer, the phrase 'As-Salatu khayrun min an-nawm' (Prayer is better than sleep) is added twice after Hayya 'ala al-Falah. This addition was also established by the Prophet (Sunan Abu Dawud 500).
The Iqamah
The iqamah is the second call to prayer, made just before the congregational prayer begins. It closely resembles the adhan but is spoken more quickly and includes the phrase 'Qad qamat al-salah' (The prayer is beginning) twice in place of the hayya phrases. While the adhan calls people from a distance, the iqamah signals that the rows are being formed and the prayer is imminent.
Etiquettes of the Adhan
When the adhan is called, Muslims are to:
- Stop speaking and listen attentively
- Repeat each phrase after the muezzin (except for the hayya phrases, where one says La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah — there is no power except with Allah)
- Send salawat (blessings) upon the Prophet after the adhan
- Make the prescribed dua after the adhan: 'Allahumma Rabba hadhihi al-da'wat al-tammah...' (O Allah, Lord of this perfect call...) (Sahih al-Bukhari 614)
Virtues of the Muezzin
The Prophet said: 'The muezzin will have the longest neck on the Day of Resurrection' (Sahih Muslim 387) — meaning they will be distinguished and honored. He also said: 'If people knew the reward of the adhan and the first row, and they found no other way to get it than by drawing lots, they would draw lots' (Sahih al-Bukhari 615). The adhan reaches every creature within earshot — humans, jinn, stones, and trees — and all that hears it will testify for the muezzin on the Day of Judgment (Sahih al-Bukhari 609).