Disliked ways of calling the adhan, and who may not call it
The acts that make an adhan disliked, whose adhan does not count at all, and whose adhan counts but should ideally be repeated.
Things that make an adhan disliked
- Doing tarji': saying the two testimonies quietly first, then saying them again loudly.
- Changing the sound of the letters, or singing the words in a way that changes their meaning.
- Shouting louder than your voice can really manage.
- Doing anything else against the sunnah way of calling it.
Adhans that count, but are disliked
- A woman's adhan, a drunk person's adhan, and a sinful person's adhan are all disliked. But if a sinful person calls it, it doesn't need to be called again. A woman's or a drunk person's adhan should ideally be called again by someone else.
- The adhan and iqamah of someone who needs a full bath (ghusl) are both disliked. His adhan should be called again; his iqamah does not need to be.
Tarji', reciting the two testimonies of the adhan quietly and then repeating them aloud, is disliked.
Lahn (altering the pronunciation of the letters, or the movements of the voice, in a way that changes the meaning of the words or turns the adhan into a musical performance) is disliked.
Raising the voice beyond what one is naturally capable of is disliked.
Departing from the sunnah and the recommended practices of the adhan is disliked.
| Mu'adhin | Adhan | Iqamah |
|---|---|---|
| A woman | Makruh; should ideally be repeated | Not applicable |
| A drunkard | Makruh; should ideally be repeated | Not applicable |
| A fasiq (openly sinful person) | Makruh, but does not need repeating | Not applicable |
| A person in janabah (major impurity) | Makruh; should be repeated | Makruh, but does not need repeating |
Tarjiʿ, pronouncing the two shahadahs of the adhan quietly and then repeating them aloud, is makruh.
Laḥn (a change in the pronunciation of letters, or in the movements of the voice, that alters the meaning of the words or renders the adhan a musical performance) is makruh.
Raising the voice beyond one's natural capacity is makruh.
Any departure from the sunnah and mustahabb practices detailed for the adhan is, in itself, makruh.
| Mu'adhin | Adhan | Iqamah |
|---|---|---|
| A woman | Makruh; repetition is preferable (mustahabb) | Not applicable |
| A drunkard | Makruh; repetition is preferable | Not applicable |
| A fasiq (one openly non-compliant) | Makruh, but not repeated | Not applicable |
| One in janabah (hadath akbar) | Makruh; should be repeated | Makruh, but not repeated |
The asymmetry, some cases repeated, others not, follows the fuqaha's own distinctions here rather than a single rule; it is reproduced as given.
Terms on this page
Related
- The rules of adhan and iqamah, and when an adhan counts Who must call the adhan, when it is and isn't required, and the four conditions that make an adhan valid.
- Adhan for a newborn and in distress, and other rulings Giving the adhan outside the five daily prayers, and a set of everyday rulings about calling and repeating it.
- The sunnahs and preferred acts of adhan and iqamah How the muadhin should stand, move and speak while calling, the purity he should be in, and the mistakes to avoid in pronunciation.
- The sunnah method of adhan and iqamah, step by step How the muadhin calls the adhan from start to finish, and how the iqamah differs from it.