The Adhan: the voice that calls a billion souls to prayer.

There are few sounds more recognizable on this planet than the adhan. Five times a day, from minarets in Istanbul to speakers in Jakarta, from rooftops in Cairo to a smartphone in a quiet apartment in Toronto, the same Arabic words rise into the air. Allahu Akbar. The same call that Bilal first made from the top of the Ka'bah, almost fourteen centuries later, still pulls hearts toward the qibla. This article tells the story of how it was revealed, walks through every phrase with meaning, and gives the sunnah way of responding that the Prophet ﷺ taught.

The story of how the adhan was revealed

In the early Madinan period, after the Prophet ﷺ had built the first mosque, the Muslims faced a practical problem: how do you call the community to prayer? At first, people simply gathered when they saw the time approaching, but the community was growing and a more reliable method was needed.

The companions debated. Some suggested ringing a bell, the way the Christians of the time gathered for their services. Others suggested blowing a horn, the way the Jews did. A third group proposed lighting a great fire, the way the Zoroastrians signaled their assemblies. The Prophet ﷺ rejected each one. The bell, he said, was the practice of the Christians; the horn, of the Jews; the fire, of the Zoroastrians. The Muslims needed something of their own.

The discussion ended without a decision. That night, a companion named Abdullah ibn Zaid ibn Abd Rabbih (RA) went to sleep with the question on his mind. In his dream, a man walked past him carrying a bell. Abdullah asked the man if he could buy it, to use it to call the people to prayer. The man replied: "Shall I not show you something better?" Then he taught Abdullah the words of the adhan as we know them today, and after that, the words of the iqamah.

The next morning Abdullah went to the Prophet ﷺ and told him about the dream. The Prophet ﷺ confirmed it was a true vision from Allah, and said: "Stand with Bilal and teach him what you saw, for he has a more far-reaching voice than yours." Bilal then made the call, and as soon as Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) heard it, he rushed to the Prophet ﷺ saying: "By the One Who sent you with the truth, O Messenger of Allah, I saw the same thing he saw." The Prophet ﷺ said: "All praise is due to Allah." (Sunan Abi Dawud 498; Sahih al-Bukhari 604)

This is one of the rare cases in Islamic law where a ruling was established through a companion's dream, but only after it was confirmed by the Prophet ﷺ. Scholars note that this gives the adhan a special status: it is not just a sound but a revealed text, divinely chosen over the symbols of every other community.

Bilal ibn Rabah, the first muezzin

Bilal ibn Rabah (RA) was a freed Abyssinian slave who had endured brutal torture in Makkah for refusing to abandon his faith. His master, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, would lay him on the burning desert sand with a heavy rock on his chest and demand he renounce Allah. Bilal's only answer was a single word: "Ahad, Ahad" (One, One). Abu Bakr (RA) eventually bought his freedom.

When the Prophet ﷺ chose Bilal as the first muezzin, it was not because of lineage or status. Bilal had neither. It was because of his voice, his sincerity, and the depth of his iman. For the rest of the Prophet's ﷺ life, Bilal called the five daily adhans in Madinah. When the Prophet ﷺ passed away, Bilal could not bring himself to continue, his voice would break before he reached the end. He moved to Sham and only called the adhan a few more times in his life, once at the request of Umar in Jerusalem, and once when the grandsons of the Prophet asked him in Madinah, after which the entire city wept.

Bilal's call from the rooftop of the Ka'bah on the day of the conquest of Makkah was a turning point in history. A formerly enslaved Abyssinian stood above the holiest house on earth and called the people to the worship of one God. It was, in one moment, a statement about what Islam had come to do.

The full text of the adhan

The text below is the standard adhan as transmitted from the dream of Abdullah ibn Zaid (RA) and approved by the Prophet ﷺ. The number after each line is how many times it is said.

That is fifteen phrases in total. The adhan begins with the greatness of Allah, moves to the testimony of faith, calls people to prayer and to success, and ends again with the affirmation of Allah's oneness. It is, in essence, a compressed creed.

The extra phrase in the Fajr adhan

For the Fajr (dawn) prayer only, after "hayya 'alal-falah" and before the final "Allahu Akbar", the muezzin adds:

الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْم
As-salatu khayrun minan-nawm.
"Prayer is better than sleep." (× 2)

This is known as tathwib. It was added during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ as a gentle reminder, because Fajr is the only prayer where sleep is the main barrier. The wording was preserved in the practice of Bilal (RA) and is recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud 501 and Sunan al-Nasa'i 633.

How to respond to the muezzin

When you hear the adhan, the sunnah is to stop what you are doing (unless it would cause harm) and respond. The Prophet ﷺ said: "When you hear the muezzin, say what he says." (Sahih Muslim 383)

The response is to repeat each phrase after the muezzin, with one exception:

• For most phrases, you repeat them word for word.
• For "hayya 'ala s-salah" and "hayya 'alal-falah", instead of repeating, say: la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no power or might except with Allah). (Sahih Muslim 385)

The reason for the exception: the call "come to prayer" and "come to success" is something you cannot truly answer with your own strength, only by the help of Allah, so the response acknowledges that help.

For the Fajr "as-salatu khayrun minan-nawm", some scholars say to repeat it, others say to respond with "sadaqta wa bararta" (you have spoken truth and righteousness). Both are reported.

The dua after the adhan

Once the muezzin finishes, three things are sunnah:

1. Send salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ said: "When you hear the muezzin, repeat what he says, then send salawat upon me, for whoever sends one salawat upon me, Allah sends ten upon him in return." (Sahih Muslim 384)

2. Recite the dua after the adhan. Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari 614:

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ هَذِهِ الدَّعْوَةِ التَّامَّةِ وَالصَّلاَةِ الْقَائِمَةِ آتِ مُحَمَّداً الْوَسِيلَةَ وَالْفَضِيلَةَ وَابْعَثْهُ مَقَاماً مَحْمُوداً الَّذِي وَعَدْتَه

Allahumma Rabba hadhihi d-da'watit-tammah, was-salatil-qa'imah, ati Muhammadan al-wasilata wal-fadeelah, wab'ath-hu maqaman mahmoodan alladhi wa'adtah.

"O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and the prayer to be established, grant Muhammad the means [al-wasilah] and the high station, and raise him to the praised station that You have promised him."

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever says this after hearing the adhan, my intercession is permitted for him on the Day of Resurrection." (Bukhari 614)

3. Ask Allah for what you need. The time between the adhan and the iqamah is a moment when dua is not rejected. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The dua between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejected, so make dua." (Sunan Abi Dawud 521, sahih). Sit quietly for a minute, send salawat, recite the dua above, and then ask for whatever you need.

The sunnah of the muezzin

If you are the one calling the adhan, the established sunnahs are:

• Be in a state of wudu. Recommended, not strictly required.
• Face the qibla while calling.
• Stand on a high place (minaret, rooftop), if available.
• Place the index fingers in the ears. Bilal would do this. It helps project the voice.
• Turn the face right at "hayya 'ala s-salah" (× 2) and left at "hayya 'alal-falah" (× 2), without moving the feet.
• Raise the voice as much as you are able, without straining.
• Recite calmly, with pauses between phrases. The adhan should not be rushed like the iqamah.

Adhan in unusual situations

Newborn baby. When a child is born, it is recommended to softly recite the adhan into the right ear and the iqamah into the left ear, so that the first words the child hears are the testimony of faith. The Prophet ﷺ did this when his grandson al-Hasan ibn Ali was born (Sunan Abi Dawud 5105).

Traveling and praying alone. Even if you are by yourself in the middle of nowhere, calling a quiet adhan and iqamah before your prayer is sunnah and brings reward. The Prophet ﷺ told a shepherd: "When you are with your sheep and you call the adhan and raise your voice, no jinn, human, or anything else hears it until the Day of Judgment except that it will bear witness for you." (Sahih al-Bukhari 609)

Distress, fire, or attack. Some scholars mention calling the adhan as a way of seeking Allah's help in moments of crisis, though this is a minor and contested practice.

Modern questions: loudspeakers, recordings, women

Loudspeakers. Scholars across all four madhhabs have allowed the use of loudspeakers, since the goal of the adhan is to be heard, and the technology serves that goal directly. The Permanent Committee of Saudi Arabia, al-Azhar, and modern Hanafi scholars all permit it. Some local communities limit the volume out of consideration for non-Muslim neighbors.

Recorded adhan. A recording (like the one FivePrayer plays in your home or office) is not a substitute for a live adhan in a mosque, but it is a reminder, a tool to help you remember the prayer time. It carries the words but not the legal status of the muezzin's call. Listening to a recording and responding is still rewarded, since the sunnah is tied to hearing the words.

Women calling adhan. The majority opinion across madhhabs is that women do not call the public adhan, since the muezzin is meant for a congregation of men in the masjid. In a household of women only, the Hanafi and Maliki views differ slightly: some allow a quiet adhan among women, others say the iqamah alone is sufficient. There is no obligation either way.

FAQ

What does "Allahu Akbar" actually mean?

It is an elative form: not just "Allah is great" but "Allah is greater". Greater than anything you are about to leave behind to come pray. Greater than your phone, your job, your worries. The adhan opens with this because the first step of prayer is putting Allah above everything else.

What does "hayya 'alal-falah" mean exactly?

Literally "come to falah". Falah is one of the deepest words in the Qur'an: it means success, but a success that includes prosperity in this life and the ultimate success of paradise. The call is not just to a prayer, it is to a way of life that ends well.

Why do Shia adhans sound different?

Shia adhan adds the phrase "ash-hadu anna 'Aliyyan waliyyu llah" after the shahadah. Sunnis do not consider this part of the original adhan revealed in Abdullah ibn Zaid's dream. The core text, however, is the same.

Is the adhan a form of worship by itself?

Yes. Calling the adhan is highly rewarded, even apart from the prayer it announces. The Prophet ﷺ said: "If people knew the reward of calling the adhan and praying in the first row, and could find no other way except by drawing lots for it, they would draw lots." (Sahih al-Bukhari 615)

Can the adhan be in a language other than Arabic?

No, by unanimous consensus of the four madhhabs. The adhan is a fixed ritual text, like surahs in salah, and must be in Arabic to be valid. Translations are helpful for understanding, but the call itself is in the language it was revealed in.