[Explanation]

The compiler—may Allah have mercy on him—cites these two hadiths in Riyad al-Salihin under the chapter “The Virtue of the Adhan.” In the first, Muʿawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Prophet ﷺ said, “The callers to prayer will have the longest necks on the Day of Resurrection.” When people are resurrected, the muʾadhins will enjoy a distinction granted to no one else: their necks will be the longest of all. They will be recognized by this conspicuous sign as a public celebration of their merit and a manifest honor, for they proclaim Allah’s greatness and oneness, testify to His Messenger’s prophethood, and summon people to the prayer and to success—voicing these words from elevated places. Their recompense, therefore, matches their deed: their heads and faces will be raised high through the lengthening of their necks on the Day of Resurrection.

This teaches that a person should be eager to act as the muʾadhin; even on a casual outing with friends he ought to hasten to give the call. We have already mentioned the Prophet’s ﷺ saying: “If people knew the reward contained in the call to prayer, and could find no other way to obtain it but by drawing lots, they would surely draw lots for it.”

Another mark of the adhan’s excellence is the report from Abu Saʿid al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), in which the Prophet ﷺ said that no human being, jinn, or creature hears the muʾadhin’s voice without testifying for him on the Day of Resurrection. Thus, the caller to prayer will have witnesses in his favor on that Day—an open acknowledgment of his virtue and a clear statement of his reward.

In short, the adhan possesses immense merit and one should strive to be a muʾadhin. However, if there is an appointed, regular caller, it is not lawful for anyone to overstep him and give the adhan.