Both the adhān and the iqāma consist of specific phrases of remembrance, each one articulating the essence of faith. They open with the takbīr—magnifying Allah—then affirm Allah’s oneness, followed by bearing witness to the messengership of our Prophet Muhammad through the two testimonies. After that comes the summons to prayer, the very pillar of Islam, and the summons to falāḥ, that is, to triumph and everlasting delight. They conclude by exalting Allah once more and with the kalimat al-ikhlāṣ (the declaration of divine oneness), one of the finest and most exalted forms of remembrance: if it were placed on one side of a scale and the heavens and all who dwell in them besides Allah, along with the seven earths and their inhabitants, were placed on the other, it would outweigh them by virtue of its greatness and excellence.

Numerous hadiths speak of the virtue of the adhān, stating that the mu’adhdhins will have the longest necks on the Day of Resurrection.

The adhān and the iqāma are a communal obligation (farḍ kifāya); they are required of the Muslim community, and once a sufficient number perform them the liability is lifted from the rest. They are among the manifest symbols of Islam and are prescribed for men, whether resident or travelling, for each of the five daily prayers. The inhabitants of any town who abandon them may be fought, for these rites must never be suspended.

The mu’adhdhin should be loud-voiced, for that is more effective in conveying the call, and trustworthy, for people rely on his call to know when the time for prayer enters, when to begin the fast, and when to break it.