Adhan: The Islamic Call to Prayer

What is the adhan?

The adhan is the Islamic call to prayer. It is recited aloud, in Arabic, to let Muslims know that the time for one of the five daily prayers has begun and to invite them to come and pray, usually at the mosque. The word comes from an Arabic root meaning to announce or to inform.

The person who gives the call is called the muezzin (mu'adhdhin in Arabic). He stands, faces the qiblah, the direction of Makkah, and recites the words in a clear, steady voice. Many mosques use a microphone, and people also hear the adhan through apps and prayer clocks.

The adhan is not the prayer itself. It is the announcement that the prayer time has come. A shorter second call, the iqamah, is made when the congregation is ready to begin.

What does the adhan mean?

The adhan is a short summary of the core of Islamic belief, followed by an invitation. It declares the greatness of Allah, states that there is no god but Allah, bears witness that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is His Messenger, and then calls people to prayer and to success. The word falah, translated here as success, also carries the sense of salvation and lasting wellbeing.

Because it begins and ends with the greatness and oneness of Allah, many Muslims describe the adhan as a reminder to put worship first, whatever else is happening in the day.

The words of the adhan

The table below gives the standard form of the adhan in Arabic, with transliteration, the English meaning and the number of times each line is usually recited. This is the form followed by most Sunni Muslims, and small differences exist between schools of thought.

The extra line in the Fajr adhan

At the dawn prayer, Fajr, the muezzin adds a line after hayya 'ala-l-falah: as-salatu khayrun minan-nawm (الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ), meaning prayer is better than sleep. It is said twice, and most scholars treat it as part of the Fajr adhan only.

How the adhan began

The adhan was introduced in Madinah after the Hijra, when the early community needed a way to gather for prayer. According to a report narrated by Abdullah ibn Zayd in Sunan Abi Dawud, the words were taught after he described a dream and the Prophet, peace be upon him, approved them.

Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of the Prophet known for his clear voice, is remembered as the first muezzin of Islam.

What to say when you hear the adhan

Many Muslims stop what they are doing, listen quietly and repeat each line after the muezzin. At hayya 'ala-s-salah and hayya 'ala-l-falah they say la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, meaning there is no power or strength except with Allah. This practice is reported in Sahih Muslim from Umar ibn al-Khattab.

After the adhan ends, Muslims send blessings on the Prophet and make a short dua taught in Sahih al-Bukhari from Jabir ibn Abdullah: Allahumma rabba hadhihi-d-da'wati-t-tammah, wa-s-salati-l-qa'imah, ati Muhammadani-l-wasilata wa-l-fadilah, wab'athhu maqaman mahmudani-lladhi wa'adtah. In meaning, it asks Allah to grant the Prophet the highest station in Paradise.

Adhan and iqamah

The iqamah is the second call, made just before the congregational prayer begins to tell people to stand in rows. It uses nearly the same words as the adhan, with the added line qad qamati-s-salah, meaning the prayer has begun, said after hayya 'ala-l-falah. It is usually recited more quickly, and some schools repeat the lines a different number of times.

Differences between schools

The wording in the table is the form most commonly used, but schools of fiqh differ on details such as how many times lines are repeated. The Maliki school, for example, has the muezzin repeat the two testimonies quietly before saying them aloud. Shia Muslims recite a slightly different form that adds hayya 'ala khayri-l-'amal, meaning come to the best of deeds.

The words of the adhan

Adhan FAQ