The Book of the Adhan (The Call to Prayer)

Ishaq ibn Mansur reported to us. He said: 'Abd al-Rahman narrated to us, from Shu'bah, from al-Hakam, from Ibn Abi Layla, from 'Abd Allah ibn Rubayyi'ah, who said: He was with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on a journey and heard a man's voice calling the adhan. He repeated the words after him, then said, 'This must be a shepherd or a man away from his family.' They looked, and it was a shepherd.

Muhammad ibn Salamah reported to us. He said: Ibn Wahb narrated to us, from 'Amr ibn al-Harith, that Abu 'Ushanah al-Ma'afiri told him, from 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Your Lord marvels at a shepherd on a mountain peak who gives the call to prayer and prays. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: Look at this servant of Mine: he gives the call and establishes the prayer, fearing Me. I have forgiven My servant and admitted him to Paradise.'

Rifaa ibn Rafi reported that the Messenger of Allah was sitting in the row for prayer. [The report continues.]

[1] With this chain, al-Tirmidhi recorded it (no. 302), as did al-Nasai in al-Sunan al-Kubra (no. 1631). It is the report about the man who prayed incorrectly. In it, the Prophet instructed him: Then recite the tashahhud, then say the iqamah. They explain that tashahhud here means calling the adhan. Al-Nasai recorded the report through other chains (nos. 1054, 1137, 1314, and 1315). While the wording reported by al-Tirmidhi and by the author in al-Kubra mentions what the author cited in the chapter, the other versions cited here by al-Nasai do not. It is as though he included this chain for the report to indicate the version related by al-Tirmidhi and by the author himself in al-Kubra, without wishing to relate its actual text here. Abu Dawud also related it through another chain, with the instruction to call both the adhan and iqamah (no. 861). It is among the evidence cited for the view that the adhan and iqamah are obligatory, since the instruction occurs in the report about the man who prayed incorrectly.

'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Tamim reported to us. He said: Hajjaj narrated to us, from Shu'bah, who said: I heard Abu Ja'far, the caller at al-'Uryan Mosque, from Abu al-Muthanna, the caller at the congregational mosque, who said: I asked Ibn 'Umar about the call to prayer. He said: 'In the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), the phrases of the adhan were said twice, and those of the iqamah once, except that when you say, The prayer has been established, you say it twice. When we heard The prayer has been established, we performed ablution and went out to pray.'

'Ali ibn Hujr reported to us. He said: Isma'il informed us, from Khalid al-Hadhdha', from Abu Qilabah, from Malik ibn al-Huwayrith, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me and a companion of mine, 'When the time for prayer comes, give the call to prayer, then call the iqamah. Then let one of you lead the prayer.'

Qutaybah reported to us, from Malik, from Abu al-Zinad, from al-A'raj, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'When the call to prayer is given, Satan turns away, passing wind so that he will not hear it. When the call has ended, he returns. When the iqamah is called, he turns away again, and when it ends, he returns until he whispers between a person and his heart, saying, Remember this, remember that—things he had not been thinking of—until the person no longer knows how many rak'ahs he has prayed.'

Qutaybah reported to us, from Malik, from Sumayy, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'If people knew the virtue in the call to prayer and the front row, and could secure them only by drawing lots, they would draw lots. If they knew the virtue in arriving early for prayer, they would race to do so. And if they knew the virtue of the night and dawn prayers, they would come to them even crawling.'

Ahmad ibn Sulayman reported to us. He said: 'Affan narrated to us. He said: Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us. He said: Sa'id al-Jurayri narrated to us, from Abu al-'Ala', from Mutarrif, from 'Uthman ibn Abi al-'As, who said: I said, Messenger of Allah, appoint me as the imam of my people. He replied, You are their imam. Make allowance for the weakest among them, and appoint a caller to prayer who takes no payment for his call.

Qutaybah reported to us, from Malik, from al-Zuhri, from 'Ata' ibn Yazid, from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'When you hear the call to prayer, repeat what the caller says.'

Muhammad ibn Salamah reported to us. He said: Ibn Wahb narrated to us, from 'Amr ibn al-Harith, that Bukayr ibn al-Ashajj told him that 'Ali ibn Khalid al-Zurqi told him that al-Nadr ibn Sufyan told him he heard Abu Hurayrah say: We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and Bilal stood up and gave the call. When he fell silent, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'Whoever says the same as this, with certainty, will enter Paradise.'

Suwayd ibn Nasr reported to us. He said: 'Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak informed us, from Mujammi' ibn Yahya al-Ansari, who said: I was sitting with Abu Umamah ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf when the caller gave the adhan. He said, Allah is greatest, Allah is greatest, and Abu Umamah repeated the takbir twice. The caller said, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and Abu Umamah repeated the testimony twice. The caller said, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and Abu Umamah repeated the testimony twice. Then Abu Umamah said, Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan related this to me from the saying of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Muhammad ibn Qudamah reported to us. He said: Jarir narrated to us, from Mis'ar, from Mujammi', from Abu Umamah ibn Sahl, who said: I heard Mu'awiyah say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and when he heard the caller to prayer, he said what the caller said.

Mujahid ibn Musa and Ibrahim ibn al-Hasan al-Miqsami reported to us. They said: Hajjaj narrated to us. Ibn Jurayj said: 'Amr ibn Yahya informed me that 'Isa ibn 'Umar told him, from 'Abd Allah ibn 'Alqamah ibn Waqqas, from 'Alqamah ibn Waqqas, who said: I was with Mu'awiyah when his caller gave the adhan. Mu'awiyah repeated what the caller said. When he said, Come to prayer, Mu'awiyah said, There is no power nor strength except through Allah. When he said, Come to salvation, Mu'awiyah said, There is no power nor strength except through Allah. After that, he repeated what the caller said. Then he said, I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say the same.

Suwayd reported to us. He said: 'Abd Allah informed us, from Haywah ibn Shurayh, that Ka'b ibn 'Alqamah heard 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Jubayr, the freedman of Nafi' ibn 'Amr al-Qurashi, relate that he heard 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, 'When you hear the caller to prayer, repeat what he says, then invoke blessings upon me. Whoever invokes blessings upon me once, Allah will bless him ten times. Then ask Allah to grant me al-Wasilah, a station in Paradise suited to only one servant of Allah, and I hope that I will be that one. Whoever asks Allah to grant me al-Wasilah will be entitled to my intercession.'

Qutaybah reported to us, from al-Layth, from al-Hukaym ibn 'Abd Allah, from 'Amir ibn Sa'd, from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said: 'Whoever says, upon hearing the caller to prayer, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; I am content with Allah as Lord, Muhammad as Messenger, and Islam as religion—his sins will be forgiven.'

'Amr ibn Mansur reported to us. He said: 'Ali ibn 'Ayyash narrated to us. He said: Shu'ayb narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'Whoever says upon hearing the call to prayer: O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and the prayer about to be established, grant Muhammad al-Wasilah and excellence, and raise him to the praised station You have promised him—my intercession will be due for him on the Day of Resurrection.'

'Ubayd Allah ibn Sa'id reported to us, from Yahya, from Kahmas, who said: 'Abd Allah ibn Buraydah narrated to us, from 'Abd Allah ibn Mughaffal, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'Between each two calls there is a prayer; between each two calls there is a prayer; between each two calls there is a prayer—for whoever wishes.'

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim reported to us. He said: Abu 'Amir informed us. Shu'bah narrated to us, from 'Amr ibn 'Amir al-Ansari, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: When the caller gave the adhan, some of the Prophet's Companions would get up and hurry to the mosque pillars to pray. They continued praying there until the Prophet (ﷺ) came out. They used to pray before Maghrib, with no interval between the adhan and iqamah.

Muhammad ibn Mansur reported to us, from Sufyan, from 'Umar ibn Sa'id, from Ash'ath ibn Abi al-Sha'tha', from his father, who said: I saw Abu Hurayrah when a man crossed the mosque and went out after the call to prayer. Abu Hurayrah said, 'This man has disobeyed Abu al-Qasim (ﷺ).'

Ahmad ibn 'Uthman ibn Hakim reported to us. He said: Ja'far ibn 'Awn narrated to us, from Abu 'Umays. He said: Abu Sakhrah informed us, from Abu al-Sha'tha', who said: A man left the mosque after the call to prayer had been given. Abu Hurayrah said, 'This man has disobeyed Abu al-Qasim (ﷺ).'