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.
Calling the adhan for each of the five daily prayers is a strong sunnah for men, something the Prophet ﷺ always kept up. It does not matter if the prayer is being prayed on time or made up later, and it does not matter if you are praying alone or with others.
The basic rules
- The adhan is a strong sunnah for the five daily prayers.
- The iqamah is also a sunnah for the five daily prayers.
- Prayers that are not obligatory, like the funeral prayer or Witr, do not get an adhan or an iqamah.
- For the Friday prayer, it is sunnah to call the adhan twice.
The adhan can only be called after the prayer's time has already started. An adhan called before the time, for Fajr or any other prayer, does not count.
12The words of the adhan must be said in Arabic, exactly as they have come down from the Prophet ﷺ.
1The person calling the adhan must be a man.
The person calling the adhan must be of sound mind, not a young child who does not understand, and not someone mentally unwell.
The adhan is a confirmed sunnah (sunnah muakkadah) for men, for each of the five daily obligatory prayers, whether prayed on time or as qadha (made up), and whether prayed alone or in congregation.
| Prayer | Adhan | Iqamah |
|---|---|---|
| The five daily fard prayers | Sunnah muakkadah, for men | Sunnah, for the fard prayer |
| Jumuah (Friday prayer) | Sunnah, called twice | Sunnah |
| Non-obligatory prayers (e.g. the funeral prayer, Witr) | Not called | Not called |
Four conditions must all be met for the adhan to be valid.
The adhan is given only once the prayer's time has entered. An adhan given before the time, whether for Fajr or any other prayer, is invalid.
12The words of the adhan must be in Arabic, as narrated from the Prophet ﷺ.
1The mu'adhin (the one calling the adhan) must be male.
The mu'adhin must be of sound mind, not an immature child who lacks understanding, nor someone mentally unwell.
The adhan is sunnah muakkadah upon men for each of the five daily fard prayers, whether performed adā'an (on time) or qadhā'an (as a make-up), and whether performed individually or in jamaʿah. The iqamah carries the same sunnah status for the fard prayer. Neither is prescribed for a prayer that is not fard: the funeral prayer and Witr are given as examples, Witr being wajib rather than fard. For Jumuʿah specifically, it is sunnah to call the adhan twice.
| Prayer | Adhan | Iqamah |
|---|---|---|
| The five daily fard prayers | Sunnah muakkadah, upon men | Sunnah |
| Jumuʿah | Sunnah, called twice | Sunnah |
| Non-fard prayers (e.g. janazah, Witr) | Not prescribed | Not prescribed |
Four conditions govern the validity (sihhah) of the adhan; the absence of any one of them means the adhan must be repeated.
Dukhūl al-waqt: the adhan is valid only once the prayer's time has genuinely entered. One given before the time, for Fajr as for any other prayer, is invalid and does not fulfil the sunnah.
12The wording must be the Arabic transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ; a translation or paraphrase in another language does not constitute a valid adhan.
1The mu'adhin must be male; a woman's call does not fulfil the sunnah of adhan (her position is treated separately under who may or may not call it).
The mu'adhin must possess ʿaql, sound understanding, excluding a ghayr mumayyiz (a child too young to discriminate) and one of unsound mind.
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 141 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Adhan 81. Rules of Adhan and Iqamah
- It is a confirmed Sunnah for men to call Adhan for the five daily obligatory prayers, whether the prayer is performed on time or as Qadha (missed prayers), individually or in congregation.
- Iqamah is also Sunnah for the obligatory prayers.
- Adhan and Iqamah are not required for non-obligatory prayers, whether it is for prayers like Janazah (funeral) or Witr.
- It is a Sunnah to call Adhan twice for the Friday prayer.
Rulings of Adhan 82. Conditions for Adhan to be Valid
- Adhan should only be given after the time for the prayer has entered. If it is given before the time, it is invalid (whether it is Fajr or any other prayer).
- The words of Adhan must be in Arabic, as narrated from the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
- The person calling Adhan (Mu'adhin) must be a man.
- The Mu'adhin must be of sound mind (not an immature child or mentally ill person).
Related
- 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.
- 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 conditions for the Eid prayers The Eid prayer shares its conditions with the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah), but differs on the sermon, the calls to prayer (adhan and iqamah), and where it may be held.