And the Messenger of Allah spoke the truth. In this ḥadith the Prophet — peace and blessings be upon him — intended two great lessons.

1. He wished to show the virtue of the adhan, the call to prayer, and that it drives away the devils. For this reason many scholars recommend that, the very moment a baby is born, the adhan be recited in the infant’s ear so that Satan is repelled; others say it is so that the first sound the child hears is the remembrance of Allah. In any case, the adhan repels the devils. Yet if a person were to call the adhan at a time other than its appointed time, would that still expel them? Allah knows best. What we do know is that the remembrance of Allah in general banishes the devils, because al-khannās means “the one who slinks away whenever Allah is mentioned.”

2. The second virtue is that the Prophet commanded us, when we hear the muʾadhin, to repeat what he says. Thus, when he says, “Allāhu akbar,” we say, “Allāhu akbar.” When he says, “Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh,” we say, “Ashhadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh.” When he says, “Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūl Allāh,” we say, “Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūl Allāh.”

The only exception is when he calls out, “Ḥayya ʿala ṣ-ṣalāh, ḥayya ʿala l-falāḥ.” We do not echo those words, for we are the ones being summoned and he is the caller; it is therefore not proper to repeat them after him. Instead we say the formula of seeking help, “lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh” (there is no power nor strength except through Allah). This phrase declares that we have resolved to respond while relying on Allah for assistance. I therefore say that this statement is one of seeking aid; it empowers a person in his affairs and improves his condition. For that reason the believing man in the story of the two garden-owners said to his companion, “If only….”