Adhan (الأذَان) and Iqama (الإقَامَة) are certain sentences recited before the five times prayer for calling the people to Salaat. The both came into existence in the first year of Hijrah.
Sentences of Adhan:
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ(2(
Allah is most great.
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَإِلَهَ إِلاَّاللَّهُ (2(
I testify that there is no god but Allah.
أَشْهَدُأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (2(
I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلاَةِ(2(
Come (hasten) to the prayer.
حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلاَحِ(2(
Come (hasten) to the success.
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُا للَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allah is most great.
لاَإِلَهَ إلا الله
There is no God except Allah.
For Fajr prayer, the following sentence is added after حي على الفلاح:
الصلاَةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوم (2)
Prayer is better than sleeping (only for Fajr prayer)
Sentences of Iqama
The words of Iqama are same as the words of Adhan except that words are not repeated and the following sentence is added after حَيّ على الفلاح.
قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلاَة (2)
The prayer has just started
When the both Adhan and Iqama are Sunnah?
The both are Sunnah for one who offers five times prayer alone (مُنْفَرِد) and for those who offer prayer in congregation (صَلاَة الجَمَاعَة). For woman, only Iqama is recommended. If one performs more than one Fard prayer, then he can call Adhan for the first prayer and call Iqama for all prayers.
If the Jama’a is for Sunnah prayer (المسنونة التي تسن فيها الجمَاعة), one can give a call الصلاة جامعة at the time of commencement of time and give another call right before Salaat. For Subah prayer, two Adhan – one after the midnight and another one immediately after Subah time- are recommended. Likewise, for Friday prayer two Adhan are recommended: one immediately after the commencement of the prayer time and another at the time when Khateeb climbs to pulpit.
Adhan Conditions (Shuroot)
- Mu’adhin (مُوَّذِّن/caller) should be a male Muslim.
- Commencement of time except for Subah prayer’s Adhan.
- Keeping the sequence (تَرْتِيب) of Adhan words; Iqama should not be recited before Adhan.
- Reciting loudly for Jama’a prayer.
Sunan of Adhan - Wudu.
- Calling Adhan standing from higher place (مُرْتفع) like minaret.
- Facing Qiblah.
- Putting the two index fingers (سبَّابَة) in the ear when calling for congregation prayers’ Adhan.
- Calling Adhan louder than Iqama.
- Reciting Iqama quickly and Adhan slowly.
- Stopping (Waqf) over the last word of each sentence (for Adhan).
- Turning face to the right in the first two Hayya Alaas and to the left in the second two Hayya Alaas.
- Saying two Shahada in low voice after saying words of Shahada in Adhan (that is called Tarjee’a/تَرْجِيع).
- Saying the following sentence after two Hayya Alaas of Subah prayer (that is called تثْوِيب /Tathweeb).
الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْم
(The prayer is better than sleeping) - Delaying Iqama for a small time so that all can assemble for Jama’a except in Maghrib.
- Saying Salaat for the Prophet before Iqama.
- Saying Salaat for the prophet and Dua after Adhan and Iqama.
Dua is as follows:
اللهُمَّ رَبَّ هّذِهِ الدَّعْوَةِ التَّامَّة والصَّلاةِ القَائِمَة آتِ مُحَمَّدًا الوَسِيلَةَ والفَضِيلَةَ والدَّرَجَةَ الرَّفِيعَةَ وابْعَثْهُ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا الذِي وَعَدتَّهُ إِنَّكَ لا تُخْلِف المِيعَاد
O Allah! Lord of this perfect call (perfect by not ascribing partners to You) and of the regular prayer which is going to be established, give Muhammad the right of intercession and illustriousness, and resurrect him to the best and the highest place in Paradise that You promised him (of), - For one who listens to Adhan and Iqama, it is Sunnah for him to repeat what Mu’adhin says even in Tarjee’a except in two Hayya Alaas and Tathweeb.
When hearing two Hayya Alaas (the two sentences حي على الصلاة and حي على الفَلاَح), one has to say
لا حَوْلَ ولاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللهِ العَلِيَّ العظيم
There is no power and no strength except with Allah.
When hearing Tathweeb (the sentence الصلاة خيرٌ مِن النوْم), one has to say:
صدَقْتَ وَبَرِرْتَ
You have told the truth, you have done a good thing
When hearing to قد قامَتِ الصلاة one has to say:
أَقَامَهَا الله وأَدَامهَا
May Allah establish it and cause it to continue.
This is excerpts from the book Salaat (Brief rulings of Prayer in Shafi Madh’hab) by Abdu Shaheed Azhary. To download the full chapter click the below link. To support us, please consider acquiring the digital copy of the book from Amazon