Islamic Articles The Adhan (The Call to Prayer)

Other Types of Adhan

Apart from reciting the Adhan to call people for five regular prayers, there are other types of Adhan. Here are those:

One Additional Adhan is recited well before the Jumma Prayers. This is the same Adhan, which is recited for five regular daily prayers. But this Adhan is in addition to the normal Dhuhar Prayers. After this Adhan, the Imam delivers a speech, followed by a regular Adhan. After this regular Adhan, the Imam delivers Khutba, and the Jumma Prayer is offered. The tradition of this additional Adhan is most probably derived from verse number 9 of Surah Al-Jumu’ah.

Translation

O believers! When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then proceed ˹diligently˺ to the remembrance of Allah and leave off ˹your˺ business. That is best for you, if only you knew.

It is believed that this additional Adhan is recited to call the people for Jumma Congregation in the light of the referred verse of the Quran.

After every regular Adhan, which is recited five times a day, Iqamat is recited just before the start of the Salah (Namaz). The words of the Iqamat are also the same as of the regular Adhan. However, it comprises two additional lines before the last two lines. These are “Qad qamati-s-Salah, Qad qamati-s-Salah” Translation (Prayer is ready, Prayer is ready). Immediately after this Iqamat, the Imam starts the prayers.

Another type of Adhan is that which is recited near the ears of the newborn baby. The words of this Adhan are the same as those of the regular Adhan. Traditionally, regular Adhan is recited in one ear of the newborn, whereas Iqamat is recited in his other ear.

It is also worth mentioning here that there are some Prayers where no Adhan is recited. These are the Funeral Prayers (Namaz-e-Janaza) and the special prayers offered on the Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha.

Timings of Adhan

Adhan timings are not fixed, as these are linked with the actual timings of a particular prayer. Since the Prayer times keep changing throughout the year, with the change in sunrise and sunset timings, the Adhan timings also change accordingly.

However, as per tradition, Adhan is recited for the following different prayers:

Adhan for Fajr (dawn prayer) is normally recited 30 minutes before Collective Prayer (Namaz Ba-Jamat) in a particular Masjid.
It is recited 15-20 minutes before the time of Dhuhar (midday prayer), Asr (afternoon prayer), and Isha Prayer (night prayer) in that particular Masjid.
For Maghrib (evening or sunset prayer), Adhan is recited just a few minutes before the start of prayer in that Masjid.
Jumma Prayers is somewhat a special occasion in Muslim Culture. Traditionally, the Imam delivers a speech in the local language, highlighting the teachings of Islam, before the actual Juma Prayer. The additional Adhan is therefore recited well before the scheduled time of Juma Prayer. After this motivational speech, regular Adhan is recited, after which the Imam delivers Khutba.

Adhan – From Minarets to Loudspeakers

In the earlier days of Islamic history, Adhan used to be recited on the rooftop of the Masjid so that a maximum number of people could hear the voice of the Moazzen. Later on, with the addition of Minarets in the Mosques, Moazzen used to go on top of the Minarets to recite Adhan, with a view that his voice may also reach the far-off people.

However, after the invention of electrical sound systems, the tradition of reciting Adhan on the rooftop or Minarets almost vanished. The loudspeakers replaced it. The first such sound system was believed to be used in 1936. Since then, the Adhan is recited using the latest sound systems, including loudspeakers.

Conclusion

Adhan is a sort of announcement or reminder for the people that the time of prayer is approaching, so they need to rush to the place of worship (Masjid). This is also an act of following the Sunnah, as it was started on the orders of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, during the early days of Islam in Medina.

So, every Mosque has appointed a specific person to carry out this religious duty, invariably five times a day. This person is referred to as Moazzen, the reciter of the Adhan. The first Moazzen in Islamic history was Hazart Bilal رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ, to whom Prophet Muhammad ﷺ assigned this duty.​