Chapter on the Number of Phrases in the Adhan and Iqamah, and Their Description

Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub from Ali ibn Ibrahim from Muhammad ibn Isa ibn ‘Ubayd from Yunus from Aban ibn Uthman from Isma‘il al-Ju‘fi who said: I heard (Imam) Abu Ja‘far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, say: “The Adhan and the Iqamah are thirty-five phrases.” Then He عليه السلام counted them with His عليه السلام hand, one by one: “The Adhan is eighteen phrases, and the Iqamah is seventeen phrases.”

Al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Nadr from Abdullah ibn Sinan who said: I asked Abu Abdillah عليه السلام about the Adhan. Imam عليه السلام said: “You say, ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadur Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadur Rasulullah, Hayya alas-salah, Hayya alas-salah, Hayya alal-falah, Hayya alal-falah, Hayya ala khayril-amal, Hayya ala khayril-amal, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah La ilaha illallah.’” (Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the Greatest, Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the Greatest. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah سبحانه وتعالى, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah سبحانه وتعالى. I bear witness that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم is the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, I bear witness that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم is the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Come to prayer, come to prayer. Come to success, come to success. Come to the best of deeds, come to the best of deeds. Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the Greatest, Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah سبحانه وتعالى, there is no god but Allah سبحانه وتعالى.)

Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Mahbub from Ali ibn al-Sindi from Ibn Abi Umayr from Ibn Udhaynah from Zurarah and al-Fudhayl ibn Yasar: (Imam) Abu Ja‘far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said: “When the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, was taken on the night journey and reached the Bayt al-Ma‘mur, the time of prayer came, so Jibra’il عليه السلام, peace be upon him, gave the Adhan and the Iqamah. Then the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, stepped forward, and the angels and the prophets lined up behind the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family.” He (ibn Yasar) said: “So we (Zurarah and al-Fudhayl ibn Yasar) said to Him عليه السلام, “How did He صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم give the Adhan?” Imam عليه السلام said: “‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar; Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah; Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah; Hayya ‘ala al-salah, Hayya ‘ala al-salah; Hayya ‘ala al-falah, Hayya ‘ala al-falah; Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal, Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal; Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar; La ilaha illallah, La ilaha illallah.’ And the Iqamah is like it, except that in it is: ‘Qad qamatis-salah, qad qamatis-salah’ placed between ‘Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal, Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal’ and ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.’ So the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family, instructed Bilal with it, and he (Bilal) continued to call it until Allah سبحانه وتعالى took the soul of His Messenger, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family.”

And from him, from Ahmad ibn al-Hasan from Fadhala from Sayf ibn Umayrah from Abu Bakr al-Hadrami from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, and from Kulayb al-Asadi: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام recited the Adhan to both of them (Abu Bakr al-Hadrami and Kulayb al-Asadi), and Imam عليه السلام said: “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar; Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah; Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah; Hayya ‘ala al-salah, Hayya ‘ala al-salah; Hayya ‘ala al-falah, Hayya ‘ala al-falah; Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal, Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal; Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar; La ilaha illallah, La ilaha illallah. And the Iqamah is likewise.”

Al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Fadhala from Hammad ibn Uthman from Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar from al-Mu‘alla ibn Khunays who said: I heard Abu Abdillah عليه السلام performing the Adhan, and Imam عليه السلام said: “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar; Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah; Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah; Hayya ‘ala al-salah, Hayya ‘ala al-salah; Hayya ‘ala al-falah, Hayya ‘ala al-falah”, until He عليه السلام completed the Adhan. Imam عليه السلام said at the end of it: “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar; La ilaha illallah, La ilaha illallah.”

Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub from Muhammad ibn Isma‘il from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Hammad ibn Isa from Zurarah: (Imam) Abu Ja‘far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said: “O Zurarah, you begin the Adhan with four Takbirs and you end it with two Takbirs and two declarations of ‘La ilaha illallah’.”

As for what was narrated by al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Fadhala from Mu‘awiyah ibn Wahb: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: “The Adhan is in pairs, two by two, and the Iqamah is single, one by one.”

And what was narrated by Sa‘d from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Safwan ibn Yahya from Abdullah ibn Sinan: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: “The Iqamah is once, once, except for the statement ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar’, for it is said twice.”

What was narrated by Sa‘d ibn Abdullah from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Fadhala ibn Ayyub from al-‘Ala’ ibn Razin from Abu ‘Ubaydah al-Hadhdha’ who said: I (al-Hadhdha’) saw (Imam) Abu Ja‘far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, saying the Takbir one by one in the Adhan, so I said to Him عليه السلام: “Why are you saying the Takbir one by one?” Imam عليه السلام said: “There is no harm in it if you are in a hurry.”

Al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Ibn Abi Najran from Safwan ibn Mihran al-Jammal who said: I heard Abu Abdillah عليه السلام say: “The Adhan is in pairs, two by two, and the Iqamah is in pairs, two by two.”

And from him, from Fadhala from Husayn ibn Uthman from Ibn Muskan from Yazid, the client of al-Hakam, from someone who narrated to him from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, he said: I heard Him عليه السلام say: “For me to perform the Iqamah in pairs, two by two, is more beloved to me than to perform the Adhan and the Iqamah each as single statements, one by one.”

Al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn ‘Urwah from Burayd ibn Mu‘awiyah: (Imam) Abu Ja‘far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said: “The Adhan is shortened during travel just as the prayer is shortened, the Adhan is single, one by one, and the Iqamah is single, one by one.”

Sa‘d from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Ja‘far ibn Bashir from Nu‘man al-Razi who said: I heard Abu Abdillah عليه السلام say: “It suffices you in place of the Iqamah during travel to say each phrase once, once.”

As for what was narrated by Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Mahbub from Ahmad ibn al-Hasan from al-Husayn from Hammad ibn Isa from Shu‘ayb ibn Ya‘qub from Abu Basir: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: “The call (Adhan) and the repetition (Tathwib) in the Iqamah are from the Sunnah.”

And what was also narrated by him from Ahmad ibn al-Hasan from al-Husayn from Fadhala from al-‘Ala’ from Muhammad ibn Muslim: (Imam) Abu Ja‘far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said: “My father عليه السلام used to call out in His عليه السلام house; ‘Al-salatu khayrun min al-nawm’ (Prayer is better than sleep), and if you repeat that, there is no harm in it.”

Al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Fadhala and Hammad ibn Isa from Mu‘awiyah ibn Wahb who said: I asked Abu Abdillah عليه السلام about the ‘tathwib’ (‘Al-salatu khayrun min al-nawm’) that occurs between the Adhan and the Iqamah. Imam عليه السلام said: “We do not recognize it.”

Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Mahbub from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Abdullah ibn Najran from Hammad ibn Isa from Hariz from Zurarah who said: (Imam) Abu Ja‘far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said to me: “O Zurarah, you begin the Adhan with four Takbirs and you end it with two Takbirs and two declarations of ‘La ilaha illallah ‘. And if you wish, you may add in place of ‘tathwib’, after ‘Hayya ‘ala al-falah’, the phrase ‘Al-salatu khayrun min al-nawm’.”

Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub from Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ibn Mahbub from Ali ibn Abi Hamzah from Abu Basir: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: “If a mu’adhdhin were to repeat the testimony or ‘Hayya ‘ala al-salah’ or ‘Hayya ‘ala al-falah’ two times, three times, or more than that, if he is an imam who wishes to gather the people together for congregational prayer, then there is no harm in it.”

Al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Ibn Abi Umayr from ‘Umar ibn Udhaynah from al-Hasan ibn Shihab: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: “There must be a sitting between the Adhan and the Iqamah.”

And from him, from Sulayman ibn Ja‘far al-Ja‘fari who said: I heard Him عليه السلام say: “Separate between the Adhan and the Iqamah with a sitting or with two units of prayer.”

And from him, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad: He (Imam al-Ridha عليه السلام) said: “The sitting between the Adhan and the Iqamah is for all the prayers, if there is no prayer being performed before the Iqamah.”

Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Mahbub from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Yusuf from Sayf ibn Umayrah from one of our companions: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: “Between every two Adhans (between the Adhan and the Iqamah) there is a sitting, except for Maghrib, for between them is only a brief pause.”

Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub from al-Husayn ibn Muhammad from Abdullah ibn ‘Amir from Ali ibn Mahziyar from al-Husayn ibn Rashid from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad ibn Yaqtin, who raised it to them: (Imam عليه السلام) said: “When a man finishes the Adhan and sits, he says: ‘O Allah سبحانه وتعالى, make my heart righteous, and my sustenance flowing, and grant me a place and a settlement near the grave of the Messenger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, may Allah سبحانه وتعالى bless him and his family.’”

Sa‘d ibn Abdullah from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Muhammad ibn Isa ibn ‘Ubayd from Sa‘dan ibn Muslim from Ishaq al-Jariri: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: “Whoever sits between the Adhan of Maghrib and the Iqamah, it is as if he were covered in his own blood in the path of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.”

Al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Muhammad ibn Sinan from al-Hasan ibn al-Sarri: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: “The Adhan is to be recited with measured recitation (‘tartil’), and the Iqamah is to be recited quickly in a flowing manner (‘hadr’).”