Adhan and iqama: the call to prayer

The adhan was instituted in Medina, after the Prophet's emigration (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), following the consultation reported from Abdallah ibn Zayd, to whom the formulas were shown in a dream and whom Bilal was charged to proclaim; the scholars judge that nothing similar is authentic for Mecca (al-Bukhari 615, Muslim 437). The Prophet said:

If people knew what lies in the call and the first row, and then found no other way but to draw lots for it, they would draw lots.al-Bukhari 615, Muslim 437

The formulas of the adhan and iqama

The jurists agree: several adhan formulas reached us from the Prophet and all are licit. The scholars' preference goes to the formula Bilal used constantly with him, in residence as in travel. At dawn, one adds: "prayer is better than sleep"; the majority of jurists limit this addition to fajr alone.

The iqama

Abdallah ibn Zayd reports that the one who taught him the adhan waited a while, then stood and said the same thing, except that he said: "the prayer is definitely standing" (reported by Abu Dawud). Abu Mahdhura learned from the Prophet an iqama of seventeen words (reported by Abu Dawud): the schools vary on the exact count of the formulas, but all repeat the content of the adhan with this announcement of the beginning.

After the call to prayer

Whoever hears the adhan repeats the formulas after the muezzin, then prays upon the Prophet and invokes for him the highest station:

Whoever prays upon me when he hears the call will receive my intercession on the Day of Resurrection.Muslim 384

Practical note on the adhan and iqama

The muezzin calls at the beginning of the time; the iqama is given just before starting. Silence between the two is not imposed: it is a privileged moment for supplication, between the adhan and the iqama.