that he has finished it completely.

Lessons extracted from the ḥadith

1. It is recommended to render the adhān with tarassul—slow, deliberate articulation and measured intonation—so that even distant listeners can hear it clearly.

2. As for the iqāmah, the preferable manner is ḥadr: to recite it briskly in a single flow, because its purpose is only to inform those already present that the prayer is about to begin; they do not need the extra time required by those farther away.

3. Since the adhān announces the entrance of the prayer time and calls people to attend, it is best to leave between the adhān and the iqāmah an interval during which they can prepare themselves—finishing whatever they were doing when the adhān was called, such as eating, dressing, or performing purification. This is based on the Prophet’s statement: “Leave between your adhān and your iqāmah the amount of time it takes a person who is eating to finish his food.”

4. At the same time, it is commendable not to prolong that interval so much that it becomes burdensome for those already assembled.

5. Al-Bukhārī (603) and Muslim (378) relate: “Bilāl was commanded to make the adhān in pairs and the iqāmah in single phrases, except for the declaration ‘The prayer has been established.’” Al-Tirmidhī said, “This is the view held by most scholars.” Delivering the adhān in shafʿ (doubled phrases) and the iqāmah in witr (single phrases) is the practice that has reached us through multiple, corroborated transmissions. The rationale is that the adhān is meant to inform those who are absent, hence the need for repetition, whereas the iqāmah addresses those already present, so there is no need to repeat its wording.