from an elevated spot within the mosque compound to which the caller would climb, as mentioned earlier. It may be that the ascent in question was only to the mosque’s flat roof,¹ or it may have been to a structure erected above that roof, as in the report of Umm Zayd. Whatever the case, we are certain that the kind of minaret known today forms no part of the Sunnah. Nevertheless, its intended function—conveying the call—is unquestionably sanctioned. Therefore, if the call cannot be conveyed except by means of a minaret, it becomes permissible, indeed required, in keeping with the legal maxim that “whatever is indispensable for fulfilling an obligation assumes the ruling of that obligation.” Even so, it should be raised only to the extent that necessity requires.