Adhan and Iqamah

 Adhan and Iqamah (Meaning and Legitimacy of Adhan)

Adhan literally means to warn, to inform and to announce.  In Shari'ah terms, adhan refers to the perceptible words used to inform people that it is time for prayers.

 When a mosque was built in Madinah to perform the congregational prayers, there was a need to adopt a special method of informing the people about the approaching congregational time.  So the PROPHET (Peace And Blessings Of Allaah Be Upon Him) consulted the Sahaabah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about this .  Here are four suggestions :

• A special flag should be raised as a sign during prayers .
• A Fire Should Be Lit In a High Place .
• The bells should be rung like Christians .

But the Holy Prophet (sws) was not satisfied with any of these things. Due to the similitude of non-Muslim nations, the Holy Prophet (sws) disliked all these things.  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions were concerned about this issue.  That night, an Ansari companion, Hazrat Abdullah bin Zayd, had a dream.  In a dream, someone taught him the words of Adhan and Iqamah. He came to the service of the Prophet (peace be upon him) early in the morning and told the whole story of the dream.  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked it and called it a dream from Allaah.  Similar dreams were also seen by some other Companions and the Holy Prophet (sws) was also taught the adhan by Allah through revelation.  The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Hazrat Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him): Teach Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) these words of the call to prayer.  Their voices are loud.  He should give Adhan in the same way for every prayer.  Therefore, this system of Adhan has been established since that day.

 The adhan is also mentioned in the Quran with these words :

•  اِذَا نُوْدِیَ لَلصًّلٰوۃِ مِنْ یًّومِ الْجُمُعَتہِ فَاسْعَوْااِلیٰ ذِکْرِ اللّٰہ .

Translation: When the call to prayer is on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah.

•  وَ اِذَا نَادَیْتُمْ اِلَی الصَّلٰوۃِ اتَّخَذُوھَا ھُزُواً وَّلَعِباً ۔

Translation: When you call to prayer, they make it a laugh and a joke.

Statement issues :

1. It is a definite Sunnah to say the adhan for the five obligatory prayers and the Friday prayers.  Apart from these, adhan is not prescribed for any other prayers such as Eid prayers, Istisqa prayers, Eclipse prayers and other prayers.
2. In the adhan of Fajr, after  "حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاَح " it should be said twice ," الَصَّلَوۃُ خَیْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوم " (Prayer is better than sleep).  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked these words very much and ordered that these words should be included in the adhaan of Fajr.
3. Adhan words are also used in iqamah. The only difference is that in the iqamah, after " حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاَح ", it is twice called " قَدْقَامَتِ الصَّلَٰوۃ "  While the adhan does not have these words.
4. Adhan should be said slowly.  That is, the words of the call to prayer should not be hurried, but should be performed slowly.  And after each word the muezzin remained silent for a long time so that the listener could answer by repeating the same words.  While iqamah should be said quickly and fluently.

The Holy Prophet said to his muezzin Bilal : 

When you call to prayer, say it slowly and slowly, and when who say iqamah, say it fluently . And pause between your adhan and iqamah so that the one who is engaged in eating and drinking will be free, and the one who has gone for defecation will be free from his need, and do not stand up for prayer until  Do not see me coming for prayer. "

• When saying Adhan and Iqamah, one should stand facing the Qibla . The muezzin turns his face to the right while saying "حَیَّ عَلَی الصَلَوۃِ " . And when he says " حَیَّ عَلَی الْفَلَاَح " ,  Chest and feet towards the qiblah . When giving the call to prayer, put the fingers in the ears and say the call to prayer aloud according to one's strength . Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) commanded Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) to put his fingers in his ears while giving the call to prayer  The Holy Prophet (May Peace Be Upon Him ) said :

" Doing So Will Make Your Voice Louder " . 

• When performing the adhan and iqamah, one should perform wudoo '.  However, it is permissible to say adhan without ablution . Because the call to prayer is not prayer but remembrance . Just as it is permissible to recite the word of God without ablution , the adhan is also permissible.However, it is makrooh to say iqamah without ablution . It is makrooh to call to prayer in the state of janabah (state of impurity).  Because the call to prayer is an act of worship similar to prayer.  Although complete purification is not necessary for this, it is necessary to be free from janabat .

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