Will you give information about listening to the adhan, repeating the words of the adhan and showing respect to the adhan?

Will you give information about listening to the adhan, repeating the words of the adhan and showing respect to the adhan?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Lexically, the adhan (call to prayer) means, “to know and announce something, to declare.” 1  In the following verse in the chapter at-Tawbah, “And an announcement from Allah and His Messenger, to the people (assembled) on the day of the Great Pilgrimage …” the word adhan is used in this sense. 2  Religiously, it means a divine declaration that announces the times of fard prayers, consisting of some words determined by religious evidence.3

In terms of its meaning and content, the adhan is a call for both oneness, Islam and prayer. That is, through the adhan, on the one hand, people are called to the prayer; on the other hand, the fundamentals that form the basic principles of Islam are announced. The existence and oneness of Allah, the fact that there is no god but Him, that Muhammad is His messenger, that the real salvation is in worshipping Allah, and especially that the most comprehensive kind of worshipping is salah (prayer) are explained through the adhan.  In other words, the fundamentals of Islam regarding its creed and applications are summarized in the adhan concisely. From this point of view, the adhan is the foundation of Islam. Acting upon that principle, Mehmet Akif, the Turkish poet, said, “Those adhans, whose declarations are the foundation of the religion, / must be called out on my country eternally.”

If it is taken into consideration that the times of fard prayers are determined based on the position of the Earth compared to the sun and the Earth’s rotation around its own axis, it will be seen and heard that the adhans, which are called five times a day in every country that Muslims live, go on uninterruptedly and that the divine message is heard all over the world at each moment of the day. In his poem, “The adhan  of Muhammad” Yahya Kemal states that the world is too small for the adhan and that the sounds of the adhan rising from hundreds of thousands of minarets covers the sky with holy light:

You are a glorious command, o the adhan of Muhammad
The world is not large enough for your sound o the adhan of Muhammad

The sky becomes full of holy light when the soul of Muhammad,
Blossoms from hundreds of thousands of minarets

The death should not have made Sultan Selim I bow down
The fame of Muhammad should have conquered the world

All of the spirits see the Allahu Akbar
When the language of Muhammad is echoed in the heaven

Let this poem be a gift of the beautiful statement of Muhammad
For the grave of my mother in Skopje

This divine sound “on the one hand, hits our ears and calls us to celestiality and on the other hand, it echoes in the depths of the skies and exceeds the gates of the sky as it is stated in the verse, ‘To Him mount up (all) Words of Purity.’ (Fatir, 10) and reaches beyond and beyond it. Through the fascination of those sounds almost everybody assumes a different stance and starts to watch the sky and beyond it meaningfully with a new feeling and perception. Almost every place that those sounds reach becomes a circumambulation place for spiritual beings. A safety and tranquility comes down to the earth together with the spiritual beings; meanwhile, the evil spirits have their tails between their legs and try to find a place to hide. A great noise is heard in the world and in the sky; some run toward it; some run away from it. The bats become disturbed; the pigeons start to accompany it. Hearts become enthusiastic; souls gulp in despair.  Probably, the inhabitants of the sky start to envy the inhabitants of the earth.”4  The Messenger of Allah expresses the reaction of the satans when the adhan is called as follows: “When the adhan is pronounced, Satan takes to his heels and passes wind with noise during his flight in order not to hear the adhan. When the adhan is completed, he comes back and again takes to his heels when the iqama is pronounced and after its completion, he returns again till he whispers into the heart of the person (to divert his attention from his prayer) and makes him remember things which he does not recall to his mind before the prayer and that causes him to forget how much he has prayed.”5

As a poet said,

The adhans! Dismiss all satans from our country!
Let the trace of prayerlessness be effaced from our tradition!..

After this general introduction about the adhan, we can explain the origin of the adhan and other issues that we should know about the adhan. How did the adhan start? How should we show respect to the adhan and how should we listen to the adhan? What should be done while the adhan is being called and after it?

Looking for methods of calling to prayer

Before the adhan was adopted as the method of announcing the time of prayers, Muslims gathered in the Mosque of the Prophet and waited for the time of the prayer. Sometimes, when they arrived, the prayer had already been performed. It was necessary to find a solution to it. One day, the Prophet called his Companions and consulted them about what to do in order to call Muslims to the prayer. Some people said, “Let us plant a flag when it is time for the prayer! Those who see it should inform the others.”6  However, the Messenger of Allah did not like the idea. Someone offered to blow a horn or to ring a gong. Our Prophet did not accept any of those offers. The Companions found it appropriate to ring a gong. Hazrat Umar undertook to buy two pieces of wood that was necessary for the gong. However, that method was not applied. Some people suggested lighting a fire on a high place; but the Messenger of Allah did not accept it because he said it was the application of the fireworshippers. It was impossible for the Islamic community to resemble fireworshippers or another community in terms of its internal or external structure. It was impossible for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them”7, to accept those suggestions.

The quest went on. Everybody was searching. They could not find what they were looking for but they went on searching.8  They knew that each search was a practical prayer (dua). What they expected had not been notified to the Prophet yet. The offers that they made were imitations of others. An imitation reminds the imitated things. The rituals belonging to the original form of the imitation reminds the meaning and meaningless things. What is more, “It is necessary to oppose the nations that continue to be in the wrong way in terms of religious signs.”9  Therefore, the methods that were offered were not accepted. Besides, it was impossible to obtain something good with imitation. Imitation could not be the way leading to the truth. Therefore, it was necessary to find such a way to call to Muslims to prayer that it should surround the humankind with its beauty, impressiveness and universality. The believer should understand it and be filled with belief; the unbeliever should understand at least something from it. It should attribute the eyes and hearts to Allah. It should free the minds from everything except worshipping Allah. It should prepare the hearts for the prayer. It should address the conscience of people and make them stick to the mosque. People should weep while listening to it. They should gain consciousness while weeping. They should be filled with awe and enthusiasm while praying in the presence of Allah. Otherwise, people could have been called to prayer by any of the methods offered like, gongs, horns, etc.

“Divine wisdom necessitated that the adhan should not be only a means of announcement but also one of the signs of the religion, that it should have a reminding property for heedless people and that it should mean that those who accepted it surrendered to the religion of Allah. Therefore, it was obligatory for the adhan to contain the statements of mentioning Allah, kalima ash-shahadah and calling to prayer. Thus, the adhan had a content that made what was meant by it clear.” 10

Eventually, the quest, verbal and practical prayers were soon accepted by Allah. The adhan was taught to Abdullah b. Zayd through a true dream during the waiting and searching period. 11  Besides, Islamic scholars stated that the 58th verse of the chapter al-Maida indicated that the adhan became definite not only through a dream but also a verse of the Quran.12 The following is stated in that verse: “O ye who believe! Take not for friends and protectors those who take your religion for a mockery or sport,― whether among those who received the Scripture before you, or among those who reject Faith; but fear ye Allah if ye have Faith (indeed). When ye proclaim your call to prayer they take it (but) as mockery and sport.” That verse is a base for the adhan.  It also shows that it is regarded unbelief to mock the adhan.13  Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had seen the same dream as Abdullah b. Zayd. The dreams of the Companions regarding the adhan was a divine grant and grace. It was a holy coincidence. The Messenger of Allah said, “This dream is true, inshaallah”, confirming the grant. This question may come to one’s mind: “What is the wisdom behind the legislation of the adhan like that?”  We can answer it as follows: There may be many wisdoms that we may not know, but one of them may be this: Since the adhan also elevates the personality of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), the divine wisdom may have wanted it to be legitimate through the tongue of another Muslim. We cannot question the divine wisdom or His absolute will due to such a decision. Allah knows best how to inform His slaves about the truth. “...Allah carries out all that He wills.” (al-Hajj, 18)

The first adhan in Madinah

While the quest for the adhan continued, the Companions reminded one another when the time for the prayer approached by calling out, “as-salah, as-salah“ (the prayer, the prayer) in the streets. However, it was not a sufficient application. Therefore, it was obvious that there was a need for a permanent sign, statement and effective way of announcement. The suggestions like ringing a gong, blowing a horn, lighting a fire or planting a flag were not approved as we have mentioned above.

Meanwhile, Abdullah b. Zayd, from Ansar, came to the Prophet one morning and told him about a dream he saw: “O Messenger of Allah! Last night, in my dream, a man wearing green clothes of two parts came to me holding a gong in his hand. He took me around. I said to him, ‘O slave of Allah! Will you sell me this gong?’ He said,
— What will you do with it?
— I will call people to prayer.
— Shall I teach you something better than it?
— Yes, please! What is it?.

He taught me the following words.

Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. (Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.)
Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. (Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.)
Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah. (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.)
Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah. (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.)
Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah. (I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.)
Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah. (I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.)
Hayya ala’s-Salah. (Hasten to the prayer.)
Hayya ala’s-Salah. (Hasten to the prayer.)
Hayya ala’l -Falah. (Hasten to the salvation.)
Hayya ala’l -Falah. (Hasten to the salvation.)
Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. (Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.)
Lailaha illallah. (There is no god but Allah.)”

After telling me them, he stepped back a little and told me to recite the following before the fard prayer: 
”Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. (Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.)
Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. (Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.)
Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah. (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.)
Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah. (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.)
Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah. (I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.)
Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah. (I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.)
Hayya ala’s-Salah. (Hasten to the prayer.)
Hayya ala’s-Salah. (Hasten to the prayer.)
Hayya ala’l -Falah. (Hasten to the salvation.)
Hayya ala’l -Falah. (Hasten to the salvation.)
Qadqamati’s-Salah. (The prayer has begun.)
Qadqamati’s-Salah. (The prayer has begun.)
Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. (Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.)
Lailaha illallah. (There is no god but Allah.)”

Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Inshallah, it is a true dream. Stand up with Bilal and teach him what you saw. Let Bilal recite the adhan because his voice is more sonorous than yours.” We stood up with Bilal. I started to teach him and he started to recite it. Hearing Bilal’s voice in his house, Hazrat Umar came there at once and said, “O Messenger of Allah! I swear by Allah who sent you with the truth that I saw the same dream last night.” Upon hearing it, the Prophet praised Allah and said, ‘Now, it has become sounder.’”14  Thus, the adhan was legislated as the method of calling to prayer.

Since then, the adhan has been recited with those holy words. The adhan has not been changed after the Messenger of Allah and it will never be changed. Our Prophet was informed about the adhan in the first Hijri century as soon as the construction of the Mosque of the Prophet finished by important people from his Companions like Abdullah b. Zayd and Hazrat Umar based on their true dreams and approved. No one can dare to change the adhan, which reached today without undergoing any change and which is the best and perfect call, after the words of the Prophet, ‘Now, it has become sounder.’ 

Therefore, Badiuzzaman states that the adhan is a mark of Islam pertaining to worship, that it cannot be replaced by anything, and that no matter what is used instead of it, the same wisdoms and benefits cannot be realized as follows with universal principles concisely: 

“Instances of wisdom or benefits cannot change those matters of ‘the marks of Islam’ which pertain to worship; their aspect of pertaining to worship preponderates and they may not be interfered with. They may not be changed, even for a hundred thousand benefits. Similarly, it may not be said that “the benefits of the Shari‘a are restricted to those that are known.” To suppose such a thing is wrong. Those benefits may rather be only one out of many instances of wisdom and purposes. For instance, someone may say: “The wisdom and purpose of the call to prayer is to summon Muslims to prayer; in which case, firing a rifle would be sufficient.” However, the foolish person does not know that it is only one benefit out of the thousands of the call to prayer. Even if the sound of a rifle shot provides that benefit, how, in the name of mankind, or in the name of the people of the town, can it take the place of the call to prayer, the means to proclaiming worship before Divine dominicality and the proclamation of Divine Unity, which is the greatest result of the creation of the universe and the result of mankind’s creation?  ?”15 Badiuzzaman states that the words of the adhan cannot be changed as follows: “The words of the Qur’an and of the glorifications of the Prophet are not lifeless garments; they are like the living skin of the body; indeed with the passage of time, they have become the skin. Garments are changed, but it would be harmful to the body if the skin were to be changed. Blessed words like those of the five daily prayers and the call to prayer have become the mark and sign of their usual meanings. And marks and signs cannot be changed” Therefore, “Nothing at all can be established in place of the sacred Divine words which are the protective cases of the essentials of religion, and nothing can take their place, and nothing can perform their duties.”16

Muadhdhin and answering his call
Muadhdhin is the believer, witness and crier of the greatest truths of the universe that have not changed and will not change forever. What a muadhdhin does is great and its meaning is great. The greatness and loftiness of the cause dignifies the importance of its representatives. In our Prophet’s words, the muadhdhins, the translators of the truth, those who declare it to the universe in the best way will be revived as the tallest people on the Day of Judgment. In a sense, they have a height that cannot be reached today and tomorrow; they are lofty and superior people. Those who do not believe in Allah and those who believe in Allah but do not declare their belief and do not represent it through their words and actions cannot even be as tall as their heels.

Therefore, the secret of greatness is in the adhan, in understanding the meaning of it fully, in acting in accordance with the truths of the adhan. If the individual, the family and the community are not aware of the meaning of the adhan, that nation cannot know what greatness is. Their life is lost in the quest of greatness within smallness. They are destroyed by presuming smallness as greatness and ephemeral as eternal.   

Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “The muadhdhin 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 (the congregation of) prayer will have twenty-five prayers recorded for him and will have expiation for sins committed between every two times of prayer.”17 That the muadhdhin will be forgiven to the extent to which his voice reaches shows the vastness and abundance of Allah’s mercy. Or, it gives the glad tiding that all of the people that hear the voice of the muadhdhin and join the prayer will be forgiven. That hadith encourages people to become muadhdhins and to make the truths that the adhan contains heard by as many people as possible. It indicates the reaching of the adhan to every place that the sun rises and sets and the representation of those elevated truths in the adhan fully.

Here, the adhan opens a new door for us, both to the muadhdhin and to the listener, the door of forgiveness for the sins. The door of twenty-five times of thawabs for those who join the congregation for the prayer and worship enthusiastically in the mosque is opened. Is there a better door than the door which the adhan makes it open, and a sounder building than the building that the adhan calls us into?
Everything in the places that the voice of muadhdhin reaches hears the muadhdhin. They answer and follow the takbirs. They understand what the muadhdhin says, recognize it and revive it with tahlils. They witness its truth through their tongues. They appreciate the caller that calls to the only truth and the greatest reality. They accept his virtue. They accept his virtue and recognize and respect the people that accept that call by repeating the adhan that is recited. Those who listen to the adhan in awe and tranquility and repeat it are as lofty as the muadhdhin. Amr b. al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: “A man said: O Messenger of Allah ! Muadhdhins excel us. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: Say the same words as they say, and when you come to the end, make a petition and the same thawabs will be granted to you.’ dedi.”18 It is an easy worshipping with many thawabs, a very nice worshipping. It is a vast forgiveness and mercy that can be obtained easily. 

Respect to the adhan
The adhan is one of the signs of Islam. It is a symbol. It is the witnessing of the towns, like the Quran, the Kaaba, salah and hajj. It is an order of the Quran to support and respect the symbols of Islam: “…whoever holds in honor the Symbols of Allah, such (honor) should come truly from piety of heart.” (al-Hajj, 32) Therefore, to show respect to the symbols of Allah shows the taqwa in the heart of a person. Besides, one of the lexical meanings of the adhan is to “listen to something that is heard”19, that is to listen carefully. The lexical meaning of the word calls us to show respect to and give importance to the symbols of Allah.

How should we listen to the adhan? How should we show respect to the adhan? We will learn it from our Prophet, the Perfect Guide, from whom we learn everything. There is nobody that will show a deeper respect to the truth than him. He is a perfect guide in this sense, too. Our Prophet says, “When you hear the adhan say what the muadhdhin says.”20 Umm Habiba narrates the application of the Messenger of Allah as follows: “When the Prophet (pbuh) was with me, I heard the muadhdhin recite the adahan. When the muadhdhin kept silent, he would repeat what the muadhdhin recited.

In a hadith reported from Hazrat Unar, Paradise is promised in return for it:

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated: When the muadhdhin says, ‘Allahu akbar Allahu akbar’ whoever of you says, ‘Allahu akbar Allahu akbar’ sincerely, and when the muadhdhin says: ‘Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah’, he says, ‘Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah’ ; and when the muadhdhin says: ‘Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah’, he says, ‘Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah’; and when the muadhdhin says: ‘Hayya ala’s-salah’, he says, ‘La hawla wala quwwata illa billah’ (There is no power and no strength except with Allah); and when the muadhdhin says: ‘Hayya ala’l-falah’, he says, ‘La hawla wala quwwata illa billah’; and when the muadhdhin says: ‘Allahu akbar Allahu akbar’, he says, ‘Allahu akbar Allahu akbar’; and when the muadhdhin says: ‘La ilaha illallah’, he says, ‘La ilaha illallah’, he enters Paradise.”22

Our Prophet wanted us to remain at the disposal when we heard that lofty truth, those elevated voices and takbirs. In this sense, the adhan is like the command of “Attention!” As soon as the first word of the adhan, Allah, is heard, everyone should be alert and get ready. Everyone should avoid inappropriate attitudes and acts. The adhan should be listened to in tranquility and awe. The one that is speaking at that moment is Allah and the truth. Everybody should listen to Allah. Everybody should keep quiet, only the adhan should speak and people should speak with the adhan. We should be inside the adhan and the adhan should be inside us. In this sense, the adhan is a warning for us to keep away from useless things, and a lesson of dignity and continuous dhikr.

As soon as our Prophet heard the adhan, he would listen to it with his ears and heart, repeat what he heard and prayed. He would answer the call and fulfilled his duty of slavery. He would not only repeat those words; he would also go to the place where the adhan called. This is what the real respect to the adhan and answering the call is.

When the adhan is recited, when the greatest truth in the universe speaks, everybody should be silent, everything should stop, everything and everybody should be filled with takbirs and shahadahs. All of the praise and thanks belong to Him only. Everybody should be together with that One being. Even those who read the Quran should stop and listen to the adhan. People should not greet each other when the adhan is recited; those who want to perform prayers should not start the prayer. The adhan is greeting and prayer (dua). It is the moment of praying (dua). The believer should join it. The adhan is attention, the moment of attention. Everybody should follow it carefully because the adhan is the time when the prayers are definitely answered. It is an opportunity for being pardoned. If the believer pays attention, follows, keeps silent and begs with the tongue of his heart, he will gain.

He who misses that moment of attention and revival, may miss many things. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states: “The gates of the sky are opened for the following five things: when the Quran is recited, when the enemy is faced, when it rains, when an oppressed person prays Allah and when the adhan is recited.”23

The time when the iqama is recited is also a moment of grace like that. “When the adhan is recited, the gates of the sky are opened and the prayers are answered. When the iqama is recited, no prayer is refused.”24

The value of the time when the iqama is recited for the prayer is expressed as follows in a hadith: “The gates of the sky are opened and prayers are answered in the following four situations: when the enemy is faced in the way of Allah, when it rains, when the iqama is recited for the prayer and when the Kaaba is seen.”25

In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) attracts our attention to the value of the time between the adhan and the iqama: “Be alert! The prayer between the adhan and the iqama is not rejected. Therefore pray at those times.”26  In another narration of the same hadiths, the following addition exists: “Thereupon, the Companions asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What shall we ask from Allah when we pray at those times?”  The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered: “Ask for pardoning and health in the world and in the hereafter.”27 Its wisdom is, “the divine mercy comes down and surrounds everywhere; the person who prays is in a situation to present full surrendering to deserve the divine mercy.”28  Therefore, one must never speak between the adhan and the iqama. Do not greet anyone, then and do not say even “yarhamukallah” to someone who sneezes. Do not even say it silently. In some sources, it is stated that coughing is regarded like talking.29

When the adhan is recited, the muadhdhin is answered with takbirs and kalmia ash-shahadas as it is mentioned in the hadtih above.30 When “Hayya ala’s Salah” and “Hayya ala’l Falah” are recited, “La hawla wala quwwata illa billah” is uttered. That is, there is no power and no strength except with Allah. Otherwise, it would be meaningless and inappropriate to repeat those orders of the muadhdhin because to repeat an order exactly is regarded as mocking. Therefore, we are advised to utter that sentence when the muaddhin recites the orders “Hasten to the prayer and salvation”. Here, we can associate the meaning of that sentence with the order in the adhan as follows: “It is possible to be protected from rebelling Allah only by His help and power.”31 “It is the most superior goodness and greatest fortune to reach our goal with that great worshipping. However, the one who can eliminate the barriers and who can give us strength for worshipping is only our Lord. Therefore, we ask his help for it.”32

The iqama recited before the fard prayer is like that, too. Those who listened to the adhan and went to the mosque should accompany the iqama, too. It is very important to listen to those holy words and to meditate on the deep meaning in terms of getting ready for the fard and concentrating. A. Qadir explains how the adhan and the iqama prepare man for worshipping in his article named “Salah” as follows: “Walking toward the mosque, meditating on the way, the first tension and tuning realized by wudu (ablution) are all regarded as efforts for the concentration. The adhan is like a call for the admission to the private room, an internal voice from the depths of our spirit that prepares us for the concentration and plectrum that goes up and down on our feelings. Although our ears are accustomed to it because it is recited every day, and although our simple logic feels monotony, the adhan always appears like the moon behind the hills between us and the far away places; it roars like thunders and makes our eyes looking down on the ground look at the sky; a brand new divine melody that drizzles like fountains and exuberates like waterfalls starts. As soon as it starts, it pours the most beautiful, impressive and reviving music of the world into our spirits.” Therefore, “the living consciences that always renew themselves and remain fresh in terms of their heart and spiritual lives feel the sweetness and freshness that the adhan was first sent down to the earth from the sky at each adhan time and they listen to the call of the prophets in the sounds that rise from the minarets. They reach the takbir, tahlil and shahadah choir of the angels in their hearts and they virtually hear the reviving breaths of Jibril and the life-giving breaths of Israfil.  When the tension and satisfaction outside the salah is completed through the adhan, before entering the real vastness of closeness with fard, with the first supererogatory that is regarded as the part in which the gentle divine mercy winds surround the spirits, and the iqama the concentration that is deepened step by step is checked again. The orientation and dignity belonging to the divine presence is checked again and the journey toward the prayer starts as if going to the Miraj. The voices, words and actions that hit our hearts, alarm our humane aspects and direct us toward our eternal mihrab (altar) are like an operation of tuning in order to find the real tunes of our hearts in the strings of the conscience.”33

Yes, the internal preparation of the believers while entering the presence of Allah is very important. The iqama that is recited is the last preparation. Therefore, when the muadhdhin recites “Qadqamati’s-Salah” that is, “the prayer is starting”, it is advised to say “aqamahallahu wa adamahâ”; that is, “May Allah enable us to perform our prayer in awe and properly and to maintain it like that.”

According to what is reported from Abu Umama or another Companion, “When Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) said ‘Qadqamati’s-Salah’, while reciting the iqama, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, ‘May Allah enable him to perform his prayer properly and maintain it!”34 It is advised to say “Sadaqta wa bararta” that is, “you told the truth and you said it well” when the muadhdhin says  “as-salatu khayrun mina’n-nawm” that is, “the prayer is better than the sleep” in the adhan of the morning prayer. 

Prayer (dua) after the adhan
When the adhan is recited, one should repeat what the muadhdhin says. The repetition should not be a dry and mechanical repetition. It should be in the form of a belief renewing operation that originates from the deep belief in the heart and that always feeds on consciousness.  As the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) orders: “Renew your belief with kalima at-tawhid: ‘Lailaha illallah’ that is, ‘There is no god but Allah’.”35, man always needs to be renewed. Man suffers from forgetfulness; he always needs remembrance.  He needs to hold His lofty name in high esteem. He needs to mention His name in his heart. He needs to make His book a guide for him. He always needs to mention His name. It is our Miraj to feel that hunger.

The repetition of the words in the adhan should be carried out in a spiritual enthusiasm and joy like that. It is the real expression of both respect and love to the adhan and the truth in it. The repetition of the sentences in the adhan paves the way for strengthening our belief and developing the truths related to belief in us. The prayer (dua) that is sunnah to read after the adhan is as follows: “I witness that there is no god but Allah that he has no partners and that Muhammad (pbuh) is His slave and messenger. I am content with Allah as my Lord, with Muhammad as my Messenger and with Islam as my religion.36 O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and of the established prayer, grant Muhammad the wasilah and superiority, and raise him up to a praiseworthy position which You have promised him.”

”It becomes incumbent upon me to intercede for the person who prays like that after the adhan on the Day of Resurrection.”
Abdullah b. Amr ibnu’l-As reports the following hadith from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) about the importance of that prayer: “When you hear the muadhdhin, repeat what he says. Then pray for me because whoever says one salah for me, Allah shows him mercy him ten times. Then, ask from Allah wasilah for me because wasilah is a station in Paradise. Only one servant of Allah deserves it. I expect that I will be that person. It becomes incumbent upon me to intercede for the person who asks wasilah for me.”38

Yes, that luminous statement encourages us to pray when the gates of the sky are opened with mercy. It calls us to wash under the rain of mercy. There is a heavenly table; it invites us to eat at that table. Yes, “The praiseworthy position of the Prophet is like a divine table. The grants, abundance and bounties that are distributed come from that table. The salawat recited for the Prophet (pbuh) is like accepting the invitation to that table. When a person utters salawat and qualifies the Prophet with an attribute, he should think whit what that attribute is connected and should be encouraged to utter salawat again and again.” 39

The minutes that come several times every day and the seconds that we cannot catch are the times that do not belong to us. The moments that we cannot evaluate and the opportunities that we cannot make use of cannot be ours. The times that do not gain us anything regarding the truth are not ours. How can those valuable times at which we do not wash our spirits and hearts and do not wash away the evil belong to us? Can they gain us anything although they are valuable in nature?

FOOTNOTES
1- Firuzabadi, Qamus, II, p. 1545; Ibn Faris el-Maqayis fi’l-Lugha, p. 65
2- The word adhan is mentioned in four forms in the Quran. We have mentioned one above. For the others, see: Yusuf, 70; al-Araf, 70; al-Hajj, 27.
3- Jurjani, Ta’rifat, p. 16
4- See Abdullah Qadir, S. NUR, p. 205-207, İstanbul 2003
5- Bukhari, Adhan 4, Amal fi’s-Salat 18, Sahw 6, Bad’u’I-Khalq 11; Muslim, Salat 19, Masajid 83; Abu Dawud, Salat 31; Muwatta, Nida 6; Nasai, Adhan 30.
6- Abu Dawud, Salah, 27
7- Munawi, Fayzu’l-Qadîr, VI, p. 104
8- For narrations regarding the issue, see, Bukhari, Adhan, 1; Muslim, Salah,1; Tirmidhi, Salat,
139; Ibn Majah, Adhan, 1; Nasai, Bad’u’l-Adhan, 1; Abu Dawud, Salah, 27
9- Shah Waliyyullah Dahlawi, Hujjatullahi’l-Baligha, (İslâm Düşünce Rehberi, Trns.,
M. Erdoğan) I, p. 538.
10- Shah Veliyyullah Dahlawi, I, p. 538
11- It is stated that eight days before Abdullah b. Zayd saw that dream Jibril (pbuh) brought the adhan to the Messenger of Allah and that the adhan was revealed to our Prophet during the Miraj. Those narrations are weak. According to sound narrations, the adhan became legitimate with the dreams of the Companions, Abdullah b. Zayd and Hazrat Umar and the approval of the Messenger of Allah.  (See İbrahim Canan, Hadis Ansiklopedisi, VII, p. 495) If revelation is in question here, “the revelation may have taken place at that time. Then, the adhan becomes definite through not only a true dream but also revelation.” (See Wahba Zuhayli, I, p. 534 )
12- See Fakhraddin ar-Razi, (al-Maida, 58)
13- Kur’ân-ı Hakîm ve Açıklamalı Meali, (al-Maida, 58)
14- Abu Dawud, Salat 28; Tirmidhi, Salat 139
15- Said Nursi, Mektûbat, (29.Mektup. 9.Nükte) p. 537-538.
16- For more explanation, see Mektûbat, (26. Mektup, 8. Mesele) p. 508.
17- Abu Dawud, Salat 31; Nasai, Adhan 14; Ibn Majah, Adhan 5.
18- Abu Davut, Salah 36.
19- Firuzabadi, Basair, II, p. 149
20- Bukhari, Adhan 7; Muslim, Salat 10; Tirmidhi, Salat 154; Ibn Majah, Adhan 4.
21- As-Saati, al-Fathu’r-Rabbani li tartibi Musnad-il-Imam Ahmad, III, p. 29, Daru
Ihyai’t-Turath, Beirut
22- Muslim, Salat 12; Abu Dawud, Salat 36.
23- At that moment, the prayer is accepted, however, it is necessary to pay attention to the conditions of the acceptance of prayer. For the issue and similar narrations, see M. Muhammad Khattab as-Subki,
al-Manhalu’l-adhbu’l-mawrud Sharhu Sunan-i Abi Dawud, IV, p. 187, Daru Ihyai’t-Turath, Beirut
24- Kanzu’l-Ummal, II, p. 108; The first part of this hadith is reported in Musnad from Jabir b. Abdullah and the second part from Anas b. Malik separately. See as-Saati, al-Fathu’r-Rabbani, III, p. 12-13
25- Kanzu’l-Ummal, II, p. 110
26- Kanzu’l-Ummal, II, p. 108
27- Kanz’l-Ummal, II, p. 108; This hadith is also reported in Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud Sunan with this part only: “The prayer between the adhan and the iqama is not rejected”. Tirmidhi, Salah, 158; Abu Dawud, Salah, 9; as-Saati, al-Fathu’r-Rabbani, III, p. 12; Tirmidhi regards the hadith as hasan.
28- Shah Veliyyullah Dahlawi, I,p. 540
29- Ibn Abidin, Raddu’l-Mukhtar Ala’d-Du’rri’l-Mukhtar (Trns. Ahmet Davudoğlu ) II, p, 77, Şamil Yay. İstanbul 1982
30- It is mustahab (recommended) to say “salla’llahu alayka Ya Rasulallah” that is, “May Allah forgive you and show you mercy o Messenger of Allah after the first “Ashhadu anna Muhammadan RasuIullah” and “Qarrat ayni bika ya Rasulallah” that is, “I became happy with you, my eyes rejoiced with you o Messenger of Allah” after the second one. If the person who says so puts his thumbs on his eyes and says, “Allahumma matti’ni bi’s-sam’i wa’l-basar” that is, “O Allah! Give me your bounties by making me see and hear”, our Prophet (pbuh) becomes his guide in Paradise. In Kitabu’l-Firdaws, the following is stated: “before the phrase ‘his thumbs’, “if a person who hears the sentence Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah  says, ‘Allahumma matti’ni bi’s-sam’i wa’l-basar’, I will be his leader and put him in the ranks of Paradise”. See Ibn Abidin, ibid, 1/398
31- Wahba Zuhayli, al-Fiqhu’l-Islami, I, p. 553; For similar meanings, see Muhammad Khattab as-Subki, IV, p. 202
32- Hüseyin Cisrî Efendi, Risale-i Hamidiyye, p. 107
33- A. Qaidr S. NUR, p. 75-76
34- Abu Dawud, Salat 39
35- Munawi, Fayzu’l-Qadîr, III, p. 345
36- That part of the prayer is stated as follows in the hadith that Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “If a person who hears the muadhdhin says, ‘I witness that there is no god but Allah that he has no partners and that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. I am content with Allah as my Lord, with Muhammad as my Messenger and with Islam as my religion”, his sins are forgiven.” (Muslim, Salat 13; Abu Dawud, Salat 36; Tirmidhi, Salat 156 ; Ibn Majah, Adhan 4; Nasai, Adhan 38)
37- Bukhari, Adhan 8; Abu Dawud, Salat 28; Tirmidhi, Salat 157; Nasai, Adhan 38; Ibn Majah, Adhan 4
38- Muslim, Salat 11; Abu Dawud, Salat 36; Nasai, Adhan 33; Tirmidhi, Salat 154; Ibn Majah, Adhan 4. The first sentence of the hadith is also reported in Bukhari. Bukhari, Adhan 7
39- Said Nursî, Mesnevi, p. 1313
Dr. Selman Kuzu

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