The call to prayer (adhan) and the call to begin (iqamah): what they are, their words, and the extra call (tathwib)
What the call to prayer (adhan) and the call to begin (iqamah) are, the exact Arabic words of each with their meaning, and the extra call (tathwib) given between them.
The adhan is the call that tells everyone it is time to pray. It is a set of special Arabic words, called out loud by one person, called the muadhin.
The iqamah is a second, shorter call. It is said inside the mosque, right before the prayer actually starts, to let everyone know: line up, we are starting now.
اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar
Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa'llāh, ashhadu an lā ilāha illa'llāh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.
أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ
Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu'llāh, ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu'llāh
I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ
Ḥayya ʿala'ṣ-ṣalāh, ḥayya ʿala'ṣ-ṣalāh
Come to prayer. Come to prayer.
حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ
Ḥayya ʿala'l-falāḥ, ḥayya ʿala'l-falāḥ
Come to success. Come to success.
اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar
Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ
Lā ilāha illa'llāh
There is no god but Allah.
اَلصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ، اَلصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ
Aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun mina'n-nawm, aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun mina'n-nawm
Prayer is better than sleep. Prayer is better than sleep.
The adhan is fifteen lines, each said in pairs: Allahu Akbar four times, the two testimonies twice each, 'Come to prayer' twice, 'Come to success' twice, Allahu Akbar twice, and 'There is no god but Allah' once at the end. Only in the Fajr adhan, 'Prayer is better than sleep' is added twice, making seventeen.
123456789The iqamah uses the exact same words, in the exact same order, as the adhan above, but with one extra line added after line 5 ('Come to success'), said twice.
قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ، قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ
Qad qāmati'ṣ-ṣalāh, qad qāmati'ṣ-ṣalāh
The prayer has now begun. The prayer has now begun.
The iqamah uses the same words as the adhan, in the same order and in pairs, with 'The prayer has now begun' added twice after 'Come to success'. That makes seventeen lines.
1234Sometimes, between the adhan and the iqamah, one more reminder is called out. This is called tathwib.
Tathwib is an extra reminder about the prayer, said between the adhan and the iqamah, for example, calling out 'the prayer, the prayer' or 'the prayer is ready'.
About tathwib
- It can be said before every prayer except Maghrib; there isn't enough time for it before Maghrib.
- For Fajr, it is said after waiting long enough to recite a few verses, and then the iqamah follows after another similar wait.
- There should be a gap between the adhan and the iqamah, roughly the time it would take to pray two to four rakats.
- It doesn't have to be in Arabic: saying 'the prayer is about to start' works too. Even someone coughing to remind people counts as tathwib.
Adhan literally means 'to inform' or 'to notify'. In fiqh it refers to calling people to the obligatory prayer using a specific method and a fixed set of words.
Iqamah is the announcement made inside the mosque to tell those present that the prayer is about to begin; it is sometimes referred to simply as the takbir.
The adhan is made up of fifteen words, given here as they are called out; each line below is one unit of the call.
اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar
Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa'llāh, ashhadu an lā ilāha illa'llāh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.
أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ
Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu'llāh, ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu'llāh
I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ
Ḥayya ʿala'ṣ-ṣalāh, ḥayya ʿala'ṣ-ṣalāh
Come to prayer. Come to prayer.
حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ
Ḥayya ʿala'l-falāḥ, ḥayya ʿala'l-falāḥ
Come to success. Come to success.
اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar
Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ
Lā ilāha illa'llāh
There is no god but Allah.
اَلصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ، اَلصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ
Aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun mina'n-nawm, aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun mina'n-nawm
Prayer is better than sleep. Prayer is better than sleep.
The adhan is fifteen phrases, called in pairs: the opening takbir four times, each testimony twice, 'hayya ala's-salah' twice, 'hayya ala'l-falah' twice, the closing takbir twice, and 'la ilaha illa'llah' once. In the Fajr adhan alone, 'as-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm' is added twice after 'hayya ala'l-falah', making seventeen. This is the wording shown to Abdullah ibn Zayd and taught to Bilal.
123456789The iqamah has seventeen words: it repeats the same fifteen words of the adhan, in the same order, with one phrase added after 'Come to success', said twice.
قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ، قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ
Qad qāmati'ṣ-ṣalāh, qad qāmati'ṣ-ṣalāh
The prayer has now begun. The prayer has now begun.
The iqamah repeats the fifteen phrases of the adhan in the same order, in pairs, with 'qad qamati's-salah' added twice after 'hayya ala'l-falah', making seventeen phrases; the Prophet ﷺ taught Abu Mahdhurah the iqamah in seventeen words.
1234Between the adhan and the iqamah a further reminder may be given. This is the extra call, tathwib.
Tathwib is an additional notification about the prayer given between the adhan and the iqamah, for instance, calling out 'as-salah, as-salah' ('the prayer, the prayer') or 'the prayer is ready'.
The rules of tathwib
- It is permissible at every prayer time except Maghrib.
- For Fajr, tathwib is said after a pause long enough to recite a few verses; the iqamah then follows after a similar further pause.
- A gap should be kept between the adhan and the iqamah equivalent to two to four rakats, reciting around ten verses per rakat.
- Tathwib does not need to be in Arabic: a phrase such as 'the congregation is ready' or 'the prayer is about to begin' serves the same purpose, and even a cough that people understand as the signal counts as tathwib.
Adhān denotes iʿlām: informing or notifying. As a term of fiqh, it is the calling of people to the obligatory prayers by a specific method and specific words.
Iqāmah is the announcement given inside the mosque that the prayer is about to commence; it is also referred to as the takbīr.
The adhān comprises fifteen kalimāt (words/phrases), each recited as follows.
اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar
Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa'llāh, ashhadu an lā ilāha illa'llāh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.
أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ
Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu'llāh, ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu'llāh
I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ
Ḥayya ʿala'ṣ-ṣalāh, ḥayya ʿala'ṣ-ṣalāh
Come to prayer. Come to prayer.
حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ
Ḥayya ʿala'l-falāḥ, ḥayya ʿala'l-falāḥ
Come to success. Come to success.
اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar
Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ
Lā ilāha illa'llāh
There is no god but Allah.
اَلصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ، اَلصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ
Aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun mina'n-nawm, aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun mina'n-nawm
Prayer is better than sleep. Prayer is better than sleep.
The adhan comprises fifteen kalimat, delivered in pairs (tarji' excluded): the opening takbir four times, each shahadah twice, hayya ala's-salah twice, hayya ala'l-falah twice, the closing takbir twice, and the tahlil once. In the Fajr adhan alone, as-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm is added twice after hayya ala'l-falah, bringing it to seventeen. This is the wording of the dream of Abdullah ibn Zayd, taught to Bilal and to Abu Mahdhurah.
123456789The iqāmah is seventeen kalimāt: the same fifteen of the adhān, in the same sequence, with one phrase interposed after ḥayya ʿala'l-falāḥ, said twice.
قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ، قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ
Qad qāmati'ṣ-ṣalāh, qad qāmati'ṣ-ṣalāh
The prayer has now begun. The prayer has now begun.
The iqamah is seventeen kalimat: the fifteen of the adhan in the same sequence, delivered in pairs as the adhan is, with qad qamati's-salah interposed twice after hayya ala'l-falah. The Prophet ﷺ taught Abu Mahdhurah the iqamah in seventeen words, and Bilal gave both the adhan and the iqamah in pairs.
1234A third form of notification sits between the two: tathwib, the extra call.
Tathwib is a further notification of the prayer given between the adhan and iqamah, e.g. calling out 'as-salah, as-salah', or any equivalent phrase such as 'the prayer is ready'.
The rulings of tathwib
- Tathwib is permissible at every prayer's time except Maghrib, whose window is too short for it.
- For Fajr specifically, tathwib is given after a pause sufficient to recite some verses, and the iqamah follows after a further, similar pause.
- A fasilah (interval) is kept between the adhan and the iqamah equivalent to the time of two to four rakats, reckoning roughly ten ayat recited per rakat.
- Tathwib need not be in Arabic; any phrase conveying the same notification ('the congregation is ready', 'the prayer is about to begin') fulfils it, and even a cough understood by those present as the signal is treated as tathwib.
This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 293 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Adhan 77. Definition of Adhan
Adhan means to inform or notify. In Islamic terminology, it refers to calling people to the obligatory prayers using a specific method and set words.
Rulings of Adhan 78. Words of Adhan
Adhan consists of fifteen words:
اَللّٰہُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰہُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰہُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰہُ أَكْبَرُ،
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰہُ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰہُ،
أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُولُ اللّٰہِ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَّسُولُ اللّٰہِ۔
حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ،
حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ، حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ۔
اَللّٰہُ أَكْبَرُ، اَللّٰہُ أَكْبَرُ،
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰہُ۔
For Fajr Adhan, after حَیَّ عَلَی الفَلَاحِ, the words اَلصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمare added twice, making a total of 17 words.
Rulings of Adhan 79. Definition of Iqamah
Iqamah refers to the announcement made to inform the people in the mosque that the prayer is about to begin, usually called Takbir.
Rulings of Adhan 80. Words of Iqamah
Iqamah consists of 17 words. It includes the same 15 words as Adhan, with the additional phrase:
قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلاةُ، قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ
These are repeated after حَيَّ عَلَى الفَلَاحِin Iqamah.
Rulings of Adhan 87. The Ruling of Tathwib
- The action of giving additional notification about the prayer between the Adhan and Iqama is known as Tathwib (for example, Saying "الصَّلاةُ الصَّلاةُ" or "The prayer is ready").
- Tathwib is permissible in all prayer times except for Maghrib.
- For Fajr, Tathwib should be said after a pause long enough to recite some verses, and then after a similar pause, the Iqama should be given.
- There should be a break between the Adhan and Iqama equivalent to the duration of two to four rak'ahs, with ten verses read in each rak'ah.
- Tathwib does not need to be in Arabic. If someone says something like "The congregation is ready" or "The prayer is about to begin" or another phrase that conveys the same meaning, it is also acceptable. Similarly, even if people understand from someone coughing, it is considered Tathwib.
Terms on this page
Related
- The sunnah method of the call to prayer (adhan) and the iqamah, step by step How the caller (muadhin) gives the call to prayer (adhan) from start to finish, and how the call to begin (iqamah) differs from it.
- How to respond to the call to prayer (adhan) and the call to begin (iqamah) What to do on hearing the call to prayer (adhan), the words to say in reply to each phrase, the supplication after it, and how to answer the call to begin (iqamah).
- The sunnahs and preferred acts of the call to prayer (adhan) and the iqamah How the caller (muadhin) should stand, move and speak while calling, the purity he should be in, and the mistakes to avoid in pronunciation.
- The rules of the call to prayer (adhan) and the iqamah, and when an adhan counts Who must give the call to prayer (adhan), when it is and isn't required, and the four conditions that make an adhan valid.