156 – He also reports—on the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)—that the Prophet ﷺ said: “No one may give the adhān except one who is in a state of wuḍūʾ.” He (the compiler) likewise graded it weak. (1)

Degree of authenticity:
The ḥadīth is weak. Its weakness lies in the break between al-Zuhrī and Abū Hurayrah, and in the unreliability of the narrator who transmits from al-Zuhrī. Al-Tirmidhī narrated it from Yūnus, from al-Zuhrī, as a mawqūf report and said, “This version is sounder.”

Vocabulary note:
“Except one who is in a state of wuḍūʾ (mutawaḍḍiʾ)”—in Arabic grammar the word mutawaḍḍiʾ is read in the nominative because it functions as a substitute for the excluded noun and serves as an implicit subject.

Lessons extracted from the ḥadīth:

1. On the face of it, the ḥadīth makes ritual purity a prerequisite for giving the adhān; the majority, however, regard it as recommended rather than obligatory.
2. Two considerations underlie the recommendation of purity for the adhān:
   a. Its connection to the prayer. In the fuller wording reported from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) the Prophet ﷺ said: “The adhān is linked to the prayer; therefore let none of you give the adhān unless he is pure,” as a form of preparation by fulfilling one of the prayer’s conditions.
   b. The adhān itself is an act of worship, and it is most appropriate to perform any act of worship—especially one so closely tied to the prayer—while in a state of ritual purity.