The Book of the Adhan and the Sunnah Regarding It

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu 'Ubayd Muhammad ibn 'Ubayd ibn Maymun al-Madani narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Salamah al-Harrani narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Ishaq narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Taymi narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn Zayd, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had considered using a horn and ordered that a bell be fashioned. Then 'Abdullah ibn Zayd was shown in a dream: ‘I saw a man wearing two green garments and carrying a bell. I said to him, “O servant of Allah, will you sell the bell?” He said, “What would you do with it?” I said, “I would use it to call people to prayer.” He said, “Shall I direct you to something better than that?” I said, “What is it?” He said, “Say: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah; I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer; come to prayer. Come to salvation; come to salvation. Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah.”’ 'Abdullah ibn Zayd went out until he came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him what he had seen. He said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I saw a man wearing two green garments and carrying a bell,’ and related the account to him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Your companion has seen a true vision. Go out with Bilal to the mosque, teach it to him, and let Bilal call it, for his voice is clearer than yours.’ I went out with Bilal to the mosque and began prompting him with it as he called it aloud. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab heard the voice and came out, saying, ‘Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I saw the same as he saw.’ Abu 'Ubayd said: Abu Bakr al-Hakami informed me that 'Abdullah ibn Zayd al-Ansari said these verses about it: ‘I praise Allah, Possessor of majesty and honor, with abundant praise for the call to prayer, when the bringer of good news from Allah came to me—how noble a bringer of good news he was to me—over three successive nights; each time he came, he increased my esteem.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Khalid ibn 'Abdullah al-Wasiti narrated to us: My father narrated to us, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ishaq, from al-Zuhri, from Salim, from his father, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) consulted the people about what concerned them regarding the call to prayer. They mentioned the horn, but he disliked it because of the Jews. Then they mentioned the bell, but he disliked it because of the Christians. That night, the call was shown in a dream to a man of the Ansar named 'Abdullah ibn Zayd and to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab. The Ansari came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at night, and the Messenger of Allah ordered Bilal to use it; Bilal called the prayer. Al-Zuhri said: Bilal added ‘Prayer is better than sleep’ to the call for the dawn prayer, and the Messenger of Allah approved it. 'Umar said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I saw the same as he did, but he reached you before me.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar and Muhammad ibn Yahya narrated to us; they said: Abu 'Asim narrated to us: Ibn Jurayj informed us: 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Abd al-Malik ibn Abi Mahdhurah informed me, from 'Abdullah ibn Muhayriz—who had been an orphan in the care of Abu Mahdhurah ibn Mi'yar when he outfitted him for Syria. I said to Abu Mahdhurah, ‘Uncle, I am going to Syria, and people will ask me about your call to prayer. Tell me about it.’ He informed me that Abu Mahdhurah said: I went out with a group, and we were on part of the road when the Messenger of Allah's caller to prayer proclaimed the prayer in the Messenger's presence. We heard the caller's voice while we were off to one side, so we shouted, imitating and mocking him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) heard us and sent some men to bring us before him. He said, ‘Which of you had the voice I heard raised?’ Everyone pointed to me, truthfully, so he let them all go and kept me there. He said to me, ‘Get up and call the prayer.’ I got up, though nothing was more hateful to me than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and what he commanded me to do. I stood before the Messenger of Allah, and he himself taught me the call. He said, ‘Say: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah; I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’ Then he said to me, ‘Repeat it, raising your voice: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah; I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer; come to prayer. Come to salvation; come to salvation. Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah.’ When I had finished the call, he summoned me and gave me a small purse containing some silver. Then he placed his hand on the forelock of Abu Mahdhurah and passed it over his face from the front, then over his chest, until the Messenger of Allah's hand reached Abu Mahdhurah's navel. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘May Allah bless you and bless you abundantly.’ I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, have you ordered me to call the prayer in Makkah?’ He said, ‘Yes, I have ordered you to do so.’ All the aversion I had felt toward the Messenger of Allah vanished and turned into love for him. I went to 'Attab ibn Asid, the Messenger of Allah's governor in Makkah, and called the prayer with him, as the Messenger of Allah had commanded. He said: Someone who had met Abu Mahdhurah informed me of this, as 'Abdullah ibn Muhayriz had informed me.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: 'Affan narrated to us: Hammam ibn Yahya narrated to us, from 'Amir al-Ahwal, that Makhul related to him that 'Abdullah ibn Muhayriz related to him that Abu Mahdhurah related to him, saying: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me the call to prayer as nineteen phrases and the iqamah as seventeen phrases. The call to prayer is: ‘Allah is the Greatest’ four times; ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah’ twice; ‘I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ twice; then ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah’ twice; ‘I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ twice; ‘Come to prayer’ twice; ‘Come to salvation’ twice; ‘Allah is the Greatest’ twice; and ‘There is no god but Allah’ once. The iqamah is seventeen phrases: ‘Allah is the Greatest’ four times; ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah’ twice; ‘I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ twice; ‘Come to prayer’ twice; ‘Come to salvation’ twice; ‘The prayer is about to begin’ twice; ‘Allah is the Greatest’ twice; and ‘There is no god but Allah’ once.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Hisham ibn 'Ammar narrated to us: 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'd ibn 'Ammar ibn Sa'd, the caller to prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), narrated to me: My father narrated to me, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Bilal to put his fingers in his ears and said: ‘That makes your voice louder.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Ayyub ibn Muhammad al-Hashimi narrated to us: 'Abd al-Wahid ibn Ziyad narrated to us, from Hajjaj ibn Artah, from 'Awn ibn Abi Juhaifah, from his father, who said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at al-Abtah while he was in a red tent. Bilal came out and called the prayer, turning around as he called it and placing his fingers in his ears.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn al-Musaffa al-Himsi narrated to us: Baqiyyah narrated to us, from Marwan ibn Salim, from 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Abi Rawwad, from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Two matters are entrusted to the necks of the callers to prayer on behalf of the Muslims: their prayer and their fasting.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us: Abu Dawud narrated to us: Sharik narrated to us, from Simak ibn Harb, from Jabir ibn Samurah, who said: Bilal would not delay the call to prayer beyond its time, though he would sometimes delay the iqamah a little.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Hafs ibn Ghiyath narrated to us, from Ash'ath, from al-Hasan, from 'Uthman ibn Abi al-'As, who said: The last instruction the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me was that I should not appoint a caller to prayer who takes payment for the call.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah al-Asadi narrated to us, from Abu Isra'il, from al-Hakam, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from Bilal, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered me to use tathwib for Fajr and forbade me to use tathwib for 'Isha.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

'Amr ibn Rafi' narrated to us: 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us, from Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri, from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, from Bilal, that he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to notify him of the Fajr prayer. He was told, ‘He is asleep.’ Bilal said: ‘Prayer is better than sleep; prayer is better than sleep.’ This was then approved for the Fajr call, and the practice remained thus.

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Ya'la ibn 'Ubayd narrated to us: al-Ifriqi narrated to us, from Ziyad ibn Nu'aym, from Ziyad ibn al-Harith al-Suda'i, who said: I was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey. He ordered me, and I called the prayer. Bilal wanted to pronounce the iqamah, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Our brother from Suda' has called the prayer, and whoever calls it should pronounce the iqamah.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Ishaq al-Shafi'i, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn al-'Abbas, narrated to us: 'Abdullah ibn Raja' al-Makki narrated to us, from 'Abbad ibn Ishaq, from Ibn Shihab, from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When the caller to prayer calls, repeat what he says.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Shuja' ibn Makhlad Abu al-Fadl narrated to us: Hushaym narrated to us: Abu Bishr informed us, from Abu al-Malih ibn Usamah, from 'Abdullah ibn 'Utbah ibn Abi Sufyan, who said: My aunt Umm Habibah related to me that she heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘When he was with her on her assigned day and night and heard the caller to prayer calling, he would repeat what the caller said.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Kurayb and Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; they said: Zayd ibn al-Hubab narrated to us, from Malik ibn Anas, from al-Zuhri, from 'Ata' ibn Yazid al-Laythi, from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When you hear the call, say as the caller says.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Ramh al-Misri informed us: Al-Layth ibn Sa'd informed us, from al-Hukaym ibn 'Abdullah ibn Qays, from 'Amir ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said: ‘Whoever says upon hearing the caller, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. I am pleased with Allah as Lord, Islam as religion, and Muhammad as Prophet,” will have his sin forgiven.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Yahya, al-'Abbas ibn al-Walid al-Dimashqi, and Muhammad ibn Abi al-Husayn narrated to us; they said: 'Ali ibn 'Ayyash al-Alhani narrated to us: Shu'ayb ibn Abi Hamzah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, from Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Whoever says upon hearing the call, “O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and of the prayer about to be established, grant Muhammad al-wasilah and virtue, and raise him to the praised station that You promised him,” will be granted intercession on the Day of Resurrection.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah narrated to us: Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah narrated to us, from 'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Sa'sa'ah, from his father—whose father had been in the care of Abu Sa'id. He said: Abu Sa'id said to me, ‘When you are in the open countryside, raise your voice in the call to prayer, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “No jinn, human, tree, or stone hears it except that it will testify for him.”’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us: Shababah narrated to us: Shu'bah narrated to us, from Musa ibn Abi 'Uthman, from Abu Yahya, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: I heard [unclear wording] concerning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), saying: ‘The caller to prayer is forgiven as far as his voice reaches, and everything moist and dry seeks forgiveness for him. Whoever attends the prayer is credited with twenty-five good deeds, and what is between them is expiated for him.’

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar and Ishaq ibn Mansur narrated to us; they said: Abu 'Amir narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Talhah ibn Yahya, from 'Isa ibn Talhah, who said: I heard Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘The callers to prayer will have the longest necks among people on the Day of Resurrection.’