Chapter on the Adhan and the Iqama

Introduction

Etymologically, the word adhan comes from the verb adh-dhana, yaʾdhinu, taʾdhīnan and adhānan; adhan is the regular verbal noun and, in language, means “announcement.” The Almighty says, “And a proclamation from Allah and His Messenger” (al-Tawbah 9:3), i.e., an announcement from them to the people.

In the Sacred Law, the adhan is an announcement that the time for prayer has begun, delivered with specific phrases. The iqama, in the Sacred Law, is an announcement to stand for the prayer, expressed with a particular formula.

Proofs for their legislation

Both adhan and iqama are affirmed by the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslim community. Allah says, “And when you call to prayer …” (al-Maʾidah 5:58). Muslim (387) and others report from Muʿawiya that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The callers to prayer will have the longest necks on the Day of Resurrection.”

Ibn Rushd remarked, “The command to give the adhan has reached us through mass-transmission (tawātur); knowledge of it is axiomatic, and the umma is unanimous regarding its prescription.”

Their legal status

Both the adhan and the iqama are a communal obligation (farḍ kifāya). The residents of neither a city nor a village may abandon them, for they are among the manifest symbols of Islam.

Shaykh Taqi al-Din said, “They are both a communal obligation, yet many scholars label as sunnah any act that the Law rewards and whose omission incurs censure; the disagreement, therefore, is merely semantic.”

A communal obligation is a duty binding on all Muslims: if a sufficient number perform it, the obligation is lifted from the rest; if no one does, they all incur sin.

The adhan, moreover, encapsulates the creed of faith: its opening words affirm the Divine Essence, expressing exaltation and magnification