145 – On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): “Bilāl was commanded to pair the phrases of the adhān and to render the iqāma in single phrases, except for the iqāma itself—that is, except for the words ‘The prayer has begun.’ ” Agreed upon. Muslim, however, does not mention the exception. Al-Nasāʾī adds: “The Prophet ﷺ instructed Bilāl….”[1]

Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
• “Bilāl was commanded”: the verb appears in the passive. The majority of legal theorists hold that the one who issued the command was the Messenger ﷺ. Al-Karmānī observed that the correct view is that the report is marfūʿ (traced back to the Prophet).
• “to pair” (yashfaʿ): literally, to make something even—adding a second unit to a single one, so that the item becomes a pair.
• “to render in single phrases” (yūtir): to turn what is even into an odd number; here, to make each sentence of the iqāma stand alone. Al-witr means “the odd.”
• “to render the iqāma in single phrases, except for the iqāma”: the first instance refers to all the sentences of the iqāma; the second denotes the specific sentence “The prayer has begun.”

Points derived from the ḥadīth

1. The narration is effectively marfūʿ, for the command and prohibition ultimately come from the Prophet ﷺ.
2. It is recommended to double every sentence of the adhān so that they are heard repeatedly, enabling those at a distance to learn that the time for prayer has arrived.

[1] Sunan al-Nasāʾī, Book of the Call to Prayer.