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 call the adhan, the sunnah way
- First have wudu; it's best to have no impurity at all.
- Stand outside the mosque, somewhere high up, facing the qiblah.
- Put your index fingers in your ears.
- Say 'Allahu Akbar' four times, loudly, as two pairs.
- Say 'I bear witness there is no god but Allah' twice, then 'I bear witness Muhammad is the messenger of Allah' twice.
- Turn your face to the right and say 'Come to prayer' twice.
- Turn your face to the left and say 'Come to success' twice.
- Say 'Allahu Akbar' twice, then finish with 'There is no god but Allah' once.
- Only for Fajr: after 'Come to success', without turning your face, say 'Prayer is better than sleep' twice.
- Say every part on its own, with a little pause, so whoever is listening has time to answer each line.
The sunnah way to call the adhan is to have wudu, stand somewhere high outside the mosque facing the qiblah, put your index fingers in your ears, and call out loudly and calmly, saying each line in pairs, turning right for 'Come to prayer' and left for 'Come to success', and adding 'Prayer is better than sleep' twice only for Fajr.
123456789| Point | Adhan | Iqamah |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Outside the mosque | Inside the mosque |
| When | A little before the prayer | Right before the prayer starts |
| Voice | Loud | Softer |
| 'Prayer is better than sleep' | Said in the Fajr adhan | Never said |
| 'The prayer has now begun' | Not said | Said in every prayer |
| Fingers in ears / turning face | Yes, for both | Not needed |
The iqamah is called inside the mosque, right before the prayer starts, in a softer and quicker voice, without fingers in the ears or turning the face. It never has 'Prayer is better than sleep', and it always has 'The prayer has now begun'.
123The sunnah method brings together everything already covered (the words, the purity, and the manner of standing and turning) into one continuous description.
The sunnah method of the adhan
- The mu'adhin purifies himself from both major and minor impurity, then stands outside the mosque on an elevated place, facing the qiblah.
- He places his index fingers in his ears and calls out loudly.
- He says 'Allahu Akbar' four times, in two pairs of two.
- He recites the two testimonies four times in total: the first ('there is no god but Allah') twice, then the second ('Muhammad is the messenger of Allah') twice.
- He turns his face to the right and says 'hayya ala's-salah' twice.
- He turns his face to the left and says 'hayya ala'l-falah' twice.
- He says 'Allahu Akbar' twice, then closes with 'la ilaha illa'llah' once.
- In the Fajr adhan only, after 'hayya ala'l-falah', he adds 'as-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm' twice, without turning his face.
- Every phrase is said separately, with pauses between them, giving the listener enough time to respond to each.
It is sunnah that the mu'adhin be in a state of purity, stand on an elevated place outside the mosque facing the qiblah, place his index fingers in his ears and call in a raised voice, giving each phrase in pairs and calmly with pauses, turning his face right for 'hayya ala's-salah' and left for 'hayya ala'l-falah', and adding 'as-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm' twice in the Fajr adhan without turning.
123456789| Point of difference | Adhan | Iqamah |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Outside the mosque | Inside the mosque |
| Timing | A short while before the prayer | Immediately before the prayer |
| Volume | Loud | Lower voice |
| 'As-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm' | Recited (Fajr only) | Not recited |
| 'Qad qamati's-salah' | Not recited | Recited, in every prayer |
| Fingers in the ears | Yes | Not needed |
| Turning the face right/left | Yes, on hayya ala's-salah and hayya ala'l-falah | Not needed |
The iqamah is given inside the mosque immediately before the prayer, in a lower voice and more quickly than the adhan, in pairs like the adhan but without the fingers in the ears or the turning of the face; 'as-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm' is never said in it, and 'qad qamati's-salah' is said in every prayer. The Prophet ﷺ told Bilal to give the adhan calmly and the iqamah quickly, and to wait for him before standing for the prayer.
123The sunnah method integrates the wording, the state of purity, the posture and the movements already treated separately into the single continuous act performed by the mu'adhin.
The sunnah method of the adhan
- The mu'adhin, having purified himself of both hadath akbar and hadath asghar, stands outside the mosque on an elevated place, facing the qiblah.
- He places his index fingers in his ears and calls out in a raised voice.
- He pronounces 'Allahu Akbar' four times, as two pairs of two.
- He recites the shahadatan four times: the first shahadah ('la ilaha illa'llah') twice, in two separate calls, then the second shahadah ('Muhammadan rasulu'llah') twice, in two separate calls.
- He turns his face to the right and calls 'hayya ala's-salah' twice, in two calls.
- He turns his face to the left and calls 'hayya ala'l-falah' twice, in two calls.
- He says 'Allahu Akbar' twice, as a single call, then concludes with 'la ilaha illa'llah' once.
- For the Fajr adhan specifically, after 'hayya ala'l-falah', he adds 'as-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm' twice, in two calls, without turning the face.
- The phrases of the adhan are pronounced separately and with pauses (tarsil), allowing the listener sufficient time to respond to each in turn.
The sunnah method of the adhan is that the mu'adhin, purified of hadath akbar and asghar, stands on an elevated place outside the mosque facing the qiblah, places his index fingers in his ears and calls in a raised voice, delivering the kalimat in pairs and with pauses (tarassul), turning right for hayya ala's-salah and left for hayya ala'l-falah, and in Fajr adding as-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm twice after hayya ala'l-falah without turning. Purity and standing are described as sunnah, and the Prophet ﷺ ordered Bilal to place his fingers in his ears and to call calmly.
123456789| Point of difference | Adhan | Iqamah |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Outside the mosque | Inside the mosque |
| Timing relative to the prayer | Shortly before | Immediately before |
| Volume | Raised (jahr) | Lowered |
| 'As-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm' | Recited, Fajr only | Not recited at all |
| 'Qad qamati's-salah' | Not recited | Recited in every prayer, in place of the Fajr addition |
| Fingers placed in the ears | Sunnah | Not required |
| Turning the face right/left on hayya ala's-salah / hayya ala'l-falah | Sunnah | Not required |
Aside from these differences, the wording and order of the iqamah's fifteen shared words follow the same method as the adhan.
The iqamah is given inside the mosque immediately before the prayer, in a lowered voice and with hadr (quickly) rather than tarassul, in pairs as the adhan is, but without the fingers in the ears or the turning of the face; as-salatu khayrun mina'n-nawm is not recited in it, and qad qamati's-salah is recited in every prayer. This follows the Prophet's ﷺ instruction to Bilal to give the adhan calmly and the iqamah quickly, and the practice of sitting a while between the two.
123This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 294 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Adhan 84. The Sunnah Method of Adhan and Iqamah
- The Sunnah method of giving Adhan is as follows: The Mu'adhdhin, after purifying himself from both major and minor impurities, should stand outside the mosque on an elevated place facing the Qiblah. He should place his index fingers in his ears and call out the Adhan in a loud voice. First, he saysاللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ four times, in two pairs of two. Then he recites the Shahadah (testimonies) four times, Saying the first Shahadah (أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ) twice in two calls and the second Shahadah (أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ) twice in two calls. Next, he turns his face to the right and says حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ twice in two calls, then turns his face to the left and saysحَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ twice in two calls. Finally, he says اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ twice in one call and concludes the Adhan with لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ once. For the Fajr Adhan, after حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ, he adds الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ twice in two calls without turning his face. The phrases of the Adhan should be pronounced separately and with pauses, allowing the listener enough time to respond.
- The method of Iqamah is similar to that of Adhan, with a few differences. Adhan is given outside the mosque, while Iqamah is given inside. Adhan is called a short while before the obligatory prayer, whereas Iqamah is given right before it. Adhan is called in a loud voice, while Iqamah is in a lower voice. In Iqamah, الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ is not recited; instead, قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاةُ is said in every prayer. Additionally, during Iqamah, there is no need to place fingers in the ears or to turn the face to the right and left when Saying حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ and حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاحِ.
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