—namely, Muhammad ﷺ—and because the community of Muhammad implores Allah for this after every adhan, and because the supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is never turned away, the entire ummah says, “O Allah, grant Muhammad al-wasilah.” By Allah’s permission the ummah of Muhammad is worthy that, when it asks that Muhammad be granted al-wasilah, Allah will accept that plea. For this reason he said, “I hope that I will be that servant.”

Therefore, whenever we hear the mu’adhin we should repeat exactly what he says. Even if we are reciting Quran, we break off the recitation, respond to the call, and when we have finished we resume reading.

The scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—have differed over whether a person who is already praying should still answer the mu’adhin. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Yes, even while you are praying, for the adhan is a form of remembrance and does not invalidate the prayer, and the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘When you hear the mu’adhin, say what he says,’ without exempting any circumstance.” Most scholars, however, hold that if you are praying you should not respond, because the prayer itself engages you fully and the adhan is lengthy and would distract you. If you sneeze while praying, then say “al-hamdu lillah”—there is no harm—for it is a single word that will not preoccupy you. Responding to the mu’adhin, by contrast, is lengthy, so do not answer him during the prayer; when you have completed the prayer, then respond, for your earlier silence was due to your engagement in the prayer.

Similarly, if you are relieving yourself when the adhan is called, do not respond, for this is a time in which remembrance is suspended; but when you have finished and left the restroom, then answer. Some have said that one should respond inwardly, but this view is questionable, for the Messenger ﷺ said, “Say what he says,” which clearly calls for verbal participation and following the mu’adhin.