Chapter on the Rulings of the Adhan and the Iqama

The five daily prayers are bound to specific times and may not lawfully be performed before those times begin. Because many people are unaware of the time’s entry or are occupied and fail to notice it, Allah legislated the adhan as a public announcement that the prayer time has commenced.

The adhan was prescribed in the first year after the Prophet’s migration. Its legislation came about when determining the prayer times became difficult for the believers; they consulted one another about setting up a sign, and ʿAbd Allah ibn Zayd was shown the wording of the adhan in a dream. Revelation then confirmed it.

Allah the Exalted says, “O you who believe, when the call is made for prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade” (Quran 62:9), and He says, “Whenever you call to the prayer …” (Quran 5:58).