The call to prayer (adhan) for a newborn and in distress, and other rulings
Giving the call to prayer (adhan) outside the five daily prayers, and a set of everyday rulings about calling and repeating it.
Other times an adhan is given
- It is recommended to say the adhan in a newborn baby's right ear, and the iqamah in the left ear.
- If someone is very distressed, having a seizure, or has been burned, it helps to say the adhan in their ear.
- If a traveller is lost with no one to guide them, or a place feels disturbed or unsafe, it is good to give the adhan there.
Everyday rulings about adhan and iqamah
- It is disliked to pray an obligatory prayer in the mosque without an adhan and iqamah having been called first.
- It is very disliked to leave the mosque after the adhan without praying there.
- You don't need a special intention to call the adhan or iqamah, but making one earns extra reward.
- It is disliked for the same person to call the adhan in one mosque, and then go pray somewhere else without calling the adhan there too.
- The one who called the adhan has first right to call the iqamah too. Someone else may call it instead with his permission, or if he isn't there, but not while he's present and unhappy about it.
- If a louder call is needed, more than one muadhin may call the adhan together.
- The one who called the adhan and iqamah is allowed to also lead the prayer.
- If someone sneezes during the adhan, it is disliked to say 'alhamdulillah' for it, or to respond to it.
- If there isn't enough time left to pray, the adhan can be skipped.
- If the muadhin faints, loses his voice, or forgets partway through, and no one can remind him, it is best to just start the adhan again.
- There should be a gap between the adhan and the iqamah: the adhan near the start of the prayer's time and the iqamah roughly in the middle of it. For Maghrib, the gap only needs to be as long as reciting three short verses, or one long one.
- If a lot of time passes after the iqamah before everyone lines up, it should be called again. If it's only a short wait, there's no need.
Adhan given outside the five daily prayers
- It is recommended to give the adhan in the right ear of a newborn child, and the iqamah in the left ear.
- Where a person is suffering distress, epilepsy, or has been burned, giving the adhan in their ear is of benefit.
- Where a traveller is lost with no one to guide him, or a place shows visible disturbance from jinn or other harm, giving the adhan there is preferable.
It is disliked to perform an obligatory prayer in the mosque without an adhan and iqamah having been given.
It is severely disliked to leave the mosque after the adhan without praying there.
123It is disliked for the same person to give the adhan in one mosque and then perform the prayer in another mosque before an adhan has been given there.
If someone sneezes during the adhan, it is not permissible [makruh] to say 'al-hamdu lillah' for it or to respond to the sneeze.
If the mu'adhin faints, loses his voice, or forgets partway through, and no one is able to remind him, it is recommended that the adhan be repeated in full.
Adhan given on occasions other than the five daily prayers
- It is mustahabb to give the adhan in a newborn's right ear and the iqamah in his left ear.
- For one suffering distress, epilepsy (sarʿ), or burns, giving the adhan in the ear is of benefit.
- For a traveller lost with no guide, or a place showing visible disturbance from jinn or other harm, giving the adhan there is preferable.
Performing a fard prayer in the mosque without a preceding adhan and iqamah is makruh.
Leaving the mosque after the adhan without praying there is severely makruh.
123It is makruh for the same person to give the adhan in one mosque and then pray in another mosque before an adhan has been given there.
Saying 'al-hamdu lillah' on sneezing during the adhan, or responding to another's sneeze at that time, is not permissible, rendered here as makruh, since the source's own usage elsewhere equates 'not permissible' with makruh tahrimi rather than a stronger prohibition (flagged for confirmation).
Where the mu'adhin faints, loses his voice, or forgets midway, with no one present able to prompt him, repeating the adhan in full is mustahabb in each of these cases.
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 379 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Adhan 91. Adhan and Iqamah at Other Occasions
- It is recommended to give the Adhan in the right ear and Iqamah in the left ear of a newborn child.
- If a person is suffering from distress, epilepsy, or has been burned, it is beneficial to perform the Adhan in their ears.
- If a traveler gets lost and there is no one to guide, or if there are visible jinn or disturbances in a place that cause harm, it is better to perform the Adhan.
Rulings of Adhan 92. Miscellaneous Rulings Regarding Adhan and Iqamah
- It is disliked (makruh) to perform the obligatory prayer in the mosque without Adhan and Iqamah.
- It is severely disliked (makruh) to leave the mosque after the Adhan without praying.
- The intention is not a condition for Adhan and Iqamah, but it is a means of reward.
- It is disliked for the same person to give the Adhan in one mosque and then perform the prayer before giving the Adhan in another mosque.
- The person who gives the Adhan has the right to also give the Iqamah, though another person may give the Iqamah with permission or in the absence of the one who gave the Adhan. However, it is disliked for someone else to give the Iqamah while the original person is present, especially if they are displeased.
- If louder sound is needed, multiple Mu'adhins may give the Adhan.
- It is permissible for the person who gave the Adhan and Iqamah to lead the prayer.
- If someone sneezes during the Adhan, Saying "الحمد لله" or responding to the sneeze is not permissible.
- If there is insufficient time for the prayer, the Adhan can be skipped.
- If the Mu'adhin faints, loses his voice, or forgets the Adhan, and there is no one to remind him, it is recommended to repeat the Adhan in all these situations.
- There should be a break between the Adhan and Iqamah, such that the Adhan is given at the beginning of the time and the Iqamah at the middle of the time, except for Maghrib, where a break should be made equivalent to reciting three short verses or one long verse.
- If a significant amount of time passes after the Iqamah and the congregation has not yet started, the Iqamah should be repeated. However, if only a short time has passed, there is no need to repeat it.
Related
- 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.
- Disliked ways of giving the call to prayer (adhan), and who may not give it The acts that make a call to prayer (adhan) disliked, whose adhan does not count at all, and whose adhan counts but should ideally be repeated.
- The rules of the call to prayer (adhan) on Friday Why Friday has two calls to prayer, when each is given, and why trading is not allowed once the first one is heard.
- 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.