Prayer

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The <i>mu'adhdhin</i> will receive forgiveness to the extent to which his voice reaches, and every moist and dry place will testify on his behalf; and he who attends prayer will have twenty-five prayers recorded for him and will have expiation for sins committed between every two times of prayer.” Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Nasa’i transmitted up to “every moist and dry place will testify on his behalf,” adding “and he will have a reward equal to that of those who pray.”

‘Uthman b. Abul ‘As said that he asked God's Messenger to make him his people’s <i>imam</i> and that he replied, “You are their <i>imam</i>, but do according to what the weakest of them is capable of, and employ a <i>mu’adhdhin</i> who does not accept payment for his <i>adhan</i>.” Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Nasa'i transmitted it.

Umm Salama said:

God’s Messenger taught me to say when the <i>adhan</i> for the sunset prayer was called, “O God, this is the time when Your night comes on, Your day retires, and the voices of Your summoners are heard, so forgive me.” Abu Dawud transmitted it, as did Baihaqi in <i>ad-Da'awat al-kabir</i>.

Abu Umama, or one of the companions of God’s Messenger, said that Bilal began the <i>iqama</i>, and when he said, “The time for prayer has come,” God’s Messenger said, “May God establish it and cause it to continue!” During the whole of the <i>iqama</i> he made such responses as are found in ‘Umar’s tradition about the <i>adhan</i>. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Anas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “A supplication made between the <i>adhan</i> and the <i>iqama</i> is not rejected.” Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Sahl b. Sa'd reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Two things are not rejected, or are seldom rejected:

a supplication when the call to prayer is made, and in stress when people are locked in battle.” A version has “and when rain is falling”. Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it, but Darimi did not mention “and when rain is falling”.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr told of a man who said, “Messenger of God, the <i>mu'adhdhins</i> excel us.”* To him God’s Messenger replied, ‘Say the same words as they say, and when you come to the end, if you make any petition it will be granted to you.” * This most probably means that they get a greater reward. The reply suggests how that may be counterbalanced. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Jabir said that he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say, “When the devil hears the summons to prayer he goes off till he is as far away as ar-Rauha’.” The transmitter said that ar-Rauha’ is thirty-six miles from Medina. Muslim transmitted it.

‘Alqama b. Abu Waqqas said:

I was with <i>Mu'awiyah</i> when his <i>mu’adhdhin</i> called the <i>adhan</i>, and Mu'awiya repeated the <i>mu’adhdhin’s</i> words, but when he said, “Come to prayer, he said, “There is no might and no power except in God,” and when he said, “Come to salvation,” he said, “There is no might and no power except in God the High, the Mighty.” After that he repeated the <i>mu’adhdhin’s</i> words, then said, “I heard God’s Messenger say that.” Ahmad transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said:

We were with God’s Messenger when Bilal got up and made the call to prayer. When he finished, God’s Messenger said, “If anyone says the same as this sincerely, he will enter paradise.” Nasa’i transmitted it.

‘A’isha said that when the Prophet (ﷺ) heard the <i>mu’adhdhin</i> uttering the testimony, he said, “I too, I too.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone calls the <i>adhan</i> for twelve years, paradise is guaranteed to him; sixty blessings will be recorded for him for every day’s calling of the <i>adhan</i> and thirty blessings for every <i>iqama</i>.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.

He said, “We used to receive command to make a supplication when the call to the sunset prayer was being made.” Baihaqi transmitted it in <i>ad-Da'awal al-kabir</i>.

Ibn ‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Bilal summons to prayer when it is still night, so eat and drink till Ibn Umm Maktum makes the summons.” He added that Ibn Umm Maktum was a blind man who did not make the summons till someone said to him, “The morning has come, the morning has come.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Samura b. Jundub reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Do not let Bilal’s <i>adhan</i> or the false dawn prevent you from taking your morning meal [in Ramadan], but only the dawn which is widely spread in the horizon.” Muslim transmitted it, but the wording is Tirmidhi’s.

Malik b. al-Huwairith said that he and a cousin of his came to the Prophet, who said, “When you two are on a journey, you should call the <i>adhan</i> and repeat the <i>iqama</i>, then the older of you should act as <i>imam</i>.” This is how Bukhari transmitted it.

He also told of God's Messenger saying to them, “Pray as you have seen me prayer, and when the time for prayer comes one of you should call the <i>adhan</i> for you and the oldest of you should act as <i>imam</i>.”* * In this tradition the plural is used throughout; in the preceding the dual is used, two persons being referred to. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira said that when God’s Messenger returned from the expedition to Khaibar,[1] he travelled one night and stopped for rest only when he became sleepy. He told Bilal to remain on guard during the night, and he prayed as much as he could while God’s Messenger and his companions slept. When the time for dawn approached Bilal leaned on his camel facing in the direction from which the dawn should appear; but he was overcome by sleep while he was leaning on his camel, and neither God’s Messenger nor Bilal awoke, nor did any of his companions till the sun shone on them. God's Messenger was the first of them to awake, and being startled he called to Bilal, who said "He who took away my soul is the One who took away yours."[2] He said, "Lead the beasts on,” and when they had done so for some distance, God’s Messenger performed ablution, gave orders to Bilal who pronounced the <i>iqama</i>, and then led them in the Morning Prayer. When he finished the prayer he said, "If anyone forgets prayer he should say it when he remembers it, for God has said, ‘And observe the prayer for remembrance of me.’”[3] 1. In 7 AH. 2. This is probably to be connected with the thought in the Qur’an, 39:42, which speaks of God taking the souls of people during their sleep. 3. Al-Qur’an; 20:14 Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Qatada reported God’s Messenger as saying, "When the <i>iqama</i> is pronounced, do not get up till you see I have come out.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, "When the <i>iqama</i> has been pronounced for prayer, do not go running to it, but go walking in tranquility, and pray what you are in time for and complete what you have missed.” (Bukhari and Muslim.) A version by Muslim has, "for when one of you is making for prayer he is engaged in prayer.”