The Adhaan: its ruling and its virtues & the reward for the Mu`adhdhin is greater than that of the Imaam:
بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد
[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen (5/25-31) of Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله]
Chapter: The Merits of Adhaan:
Narrated Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه: Allaah’s
Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
لَوْ يَعْلَمُ النَّاسُ مَا فِي النِّدَاءِ
وَالصَّفِّ الأَوَّلِ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يَجِدُوا إِلاَّ أَنْ يَسْتَهِمُوا عَلَيْهِ لاَسْتَهَمُوا،
وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِي التَّهْجِيرِ لاَسْتَبَقُوا إِلَيْهِ، وَلَوْ
يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِي الْعَتَمَةِ وَالصُّبْحِ لأَتَوْهُمَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا
“If the people knew what
is the reward of making the call (for the prayer) and (of being in) the first
row (in the prayer), and if they found no other way to get this privilege
except by casting lots, they would certainly cast lots for it. If they knew the
reward of the noon prayer, they would race for it, and if they knew the reward
of the morning (i.e. Fajr) and `Ishaa’ prayers, they would present themselves
for the prayer even if they had to crawl to reach there.” [Saheeh
al-Bukhaaree (615, 652, 653, 654, 2689) and Saheeh Muslim (437)]
Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله said:
The author
(Imaam al-Nawawee) رحمه
الله said in his book “Riyaadh al-Saaliheen”: “Chapter: The Adhaan”
meaning its merits and what has been mentioned regarding it. The Adhaan is the signpost
and the call for the Salaah; i.e. the time for the Salaah has entered. The
Adhaan is when the caller calls to inform the people that the time for Salaah
has approached. (The time of the Adhaan differs when the days are longer or
shorter. When the days are longer in summer, the Adhaan for the prayers are
delayed, except for Fajr. And in the winter, the days get shorter so the Adhaan
is rushed.) Whatever (the season is), the Adhaan is given only when the time
for Salaah has approached; due to the saying of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم:
وَإِذَا حَضَرَتِ
الصَّلاَةُ فَلْيُؤَذِّنْ لَكُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ
“and when the stated time for the Salaah becomes due, then one
of you should pronounce its call (i.e. the Adhan)” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (628, 631, 685, 819, 4302, 6008, 7246) and
Saheeh Muslim (674)]
The Adhaan -
which is legislated - is for made calling for the five compulsory prayers and its
obligation came in the second year of the Hijrah, after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم migrated to Madeenah (from Makkah). The
Adhaan was legislated when the Companions were discussing on how to inform (the
people) that the time for Salaah has come. Some of them said: We should light a
big fire so that the people can know that the time for Salaah has approached.
Others suggested that they should use a bell to announce the approaching of the
time. The bell was the means by which the Christians used to call the people
for their prayers. Some others said that they should blow the trumpet like the
horns used by Jews. All this was disliked by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Then a man
rushed to the Prophet صلى
الله عليه وسلم
from among the Sahaabah, and he was `Abdullaah Ibn Zaid رضي الله عنه. He saw in his dream a man carrying in his
hand a bell. He (Zaid) said to him: Will you sell that (to me)? The man asked
him: What are you planning to do with it? He (Zaid) said: So that I can use it
to inform the people of the Salaah timings. The man said: Shall I not guide you
that which is better than this. He said: Sure. The man recited to him the call
of Adhaan and the Iqaamah. So next day when Zaid woke up he came to the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم and informed him of what he saw. The Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “This is a true dream.” Then he صلى الله عليه وسلم taught it to Bilaal رضي الله عنه. So Bilaal called it out and what is now
famously known as the Adhaan.
[Translator’s Note: Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله then mentioned about the ruling of the first
Adhaan for Jumu`ah of `Uthmaan رضي الله عنه, which you can read it here.]
Another
issue is regarding the statement in the Adhaan:
الصلاة خير من النوم
As-Salaatu khairum-min an-naum
The Salaah is better than sleep
Some of the latter-day
(scholars) were of the opinion that it should be said in the first Ahdaan (that
is given in the night), which precedes the (actual) Adhaan of Fajr. But they
made a big mistake in their analogy, because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم commanded Bilaal رضي الله عنه to say it in the Morning Prayer by saying: “When
you give the first Adhaan for Fajr (meaning the actual Adhaan when the time has
approached), then say: ‘The Salaah is better than sleep.’”*
[Translator’s Note: The Hadeeth on the
authority of Bilaal رضي
الله عنه with these wordings is mentioned in Sunan Ibn Maajah (715) but it graded
as “Dha`eef” by Shaikh al-Albaanee. What is authentic is the Hadeeth reported
from Abu Mahdhoora رضي
الله عنه
that the Prophet صلى
الله عليه وسلم taught him to say this in the Fajr prayer. [Sunan Abu Dawood (500)
and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee] Also it is authentically reported that
Bilaal رضي الله عنه came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to call him for the Fajr
prayer, and was told: "He is sleeping." So he (Bilaal) said: “As-Salaatu
khairum-min an-naum, As-Salaatu khairum-min an-naum” (The prayer is better than
sleep, the prayer is better than sleep). These words were approved of (by the
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم) in the Adhaan for the Fajr, and that is how
it remained. [Sunan Ibn Maajah (716) and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]]
It is well
known that the Adhaan for a (particular) prayer is not made except when the time for prayer has already entered
due to the saying of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم:
وَإِذَا حَضَرَتِ
الصَّلاَةُ فَلْيُؤَذِّنْ لَكُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ
“and when the stated time for the Salaah becomes due, then one
of you should pronounce its call (i.e. the Adhaan)” [Already referenced above]
So he صلى الله عليه وسلم named it as “the first
Adhaan” in comparison to the Iqaamah, because the Iqaamah is the second Adhaan.
As the Prophet صلى
الله عليه وسلم had said:
بين كل أذانين صلاة
“between each two Adhaans there is a prayer,” (meaning, between every Adhaan and Iqaamah there is a prayer) [Saheeh
al-Bukhaaree (624, 627) and Saheeh Muslim (838)]
And it is
reported in the Saheeh Muslim, from the Hadeeth of `Aaishah رضي الله عنها that she said:
فَإِذَا سَكَتَ
الْمُؤَذِّنُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْفَجْرُ وَجَاءَهُ
الْمُؤَذِّنُ قَامَ فَرَكَعَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ خَفِيفَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ اضْطَجَعَ عَلَى
شِقِّهِ الأَيْمَنِ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَهُ الْمُؤَذِّنُ لِلإِقَامَةِ
“And when the Mu’adhdhin had finished the call (for the) Fajr
prayer and he saw the dawn clearly and the Mu’adhdhin had come to him, he stood
up and prayed two short rak'ahs. Then he lay down on his right side till the Mu’adhdhin
came to him for Iqaamah.” [Saheeh Muslim (736), it is also reported in
Saheeh al-Bukhaaree with a slight different wordings (626, 994)]
This is
clear that by “the first Adhaan for Fajr” it is meant the Adhaan which is called
after the time has entered. As for the Adhaan which is given out in the last
part of the night, then this is not for Fajr; but rather it is the Adhaan for
waking up those who are sleeping and bring back those who are offering night
prayers so that they can have their Suhoor if it was the month of Ramadhaan.
Giving the
Adhaan is among the best deeds (a person can do), and it is better than leading
the prayer; meaning: the reward of the Mu’adhdhin is greater than the reward
for the Imaam. This is because the Mu’adhdhin proclaims loudly the Greatness of
Allaah and the Tawheed of Allaah, and bears witness to the Messengership of the
Messenger of Allaah and moreover, he calls the people to the prayer and success
five times throughout the day and the night. But the Imaam does not do that.
The Mu’adhdhin – no one hears his voice either the tress, stones or any other
living creature – except that it will bear witness to him on the Day of
Judgment. Therefore, the status of calling out the Adhaan is higher in the
Sharee`ah than status of leading the prayers.
Question: So if someone says: If it is like this, then why did the Messenger
صلى الله عليه وسلم not called out the
Adhaan nor did the Righteous Khulafaa’?
The scholars answered: This is because the
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Righteous Khulafaa’ were busy in
dealing with the affairs of the people, since they were the leaders (and responsible)
for taking care of the affairs of the Ummah. As for the Adhaan during the time
of the Prophet صلى
الله عليه وسلم,
then it was not like the one in our time. Nowadays, if a person wants to call
the Adhaan, then he does nothing more than to look at the watch to determine if
the time for prayer has entered or not. But during the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, they had to keep track of the Sun and follow
the shadows till they knew when the Sun has passed the zenith and they would
also keep track till they knew that it has set. Then they also had to keep
track of the twilight and then the Fajr. So this is subjected to great
difficulty (if a person were to manage the affairs of the Ummah as well as keep
track of prayer timings).
Therefore the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
and the Righteous Khulafaa’ did not called the Adhaan, not because its status
was lower than that of leading the prayer, but because they were busy with the
responsibilities they had upon them. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
clearly mentioned the virtue of calling the Adhaan when he said:
“If the people knew what the
reward of making the call (for the prayer) is… and if they found no other way
to get this privilege except by casting lots, they would certainly cast lots
for it.”
Subhaan-Allaah! The meaning of this is that if the people
knew about its virtues and reward, they would have casted lots to determine
whose turn it was to give the Adhaan. But nowadays, people, unfortunately, do
not like to give the Adhaan. If it is said to one of them: Give the Adhaan. He
will respond back: You give the Adhaan. Therefore, if you are traveling, then you
should try to be the Mu’adhdhin. But it is also known that a group has its
Ameer (leader) either while traveling or on a trip. So if the Ameer appoints a
person to give the Adhaan, then others should not step forward and give the
Adhaan (while the Mu`adhdhin is present), because now a proper Mu`adhdhin has
been appointed. Similarly, if the Ameer appoints someone as an Imaam to lead the
prayer, then no one should step forward to lead the prayer in his presence.
This is because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
وَلاَ تَؤُمَّنَّ الرَّجُلَ فِي أَهْلِهِ
وَلاَ فِي سُلْطَانِهِ وَلاَ تَجْلِسْ عَلَى تَكْرِمَتِهِ فِي بَيْتِهِ إِلاَّ
أَنْ يَأْذَنَ لَكَ أَوْ بِإِذْنِهِ
“No man must lead another
in prayer in latter's house or where (the latter) has authority, or sit in his
place of honor in his house, except that he gives you permission or with his
permission.” [Saheeh Muslim (673)]
Allaah guide us all to that which is good and correct.
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