Supplicating between Adhan and the Iqaamah and other rulings
Fatwa No: 484981

Question

here in switzerland/germany there is no adhan. Can I recite the adhan by myself when the time of prayer comes so that I can try to get some of the reward of repeating after the adhan? if do so can I make the dua between adhan and iqama and how long would I have to d o it. Jazakumullahukhayran

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is legislated for you to recite the Call to Prayer (Adhan), even if you are alone. The Sunnah indicates the permissibility of reciting Adhan when one is alone. In Saheeh al-Bukhari and other sources, it is narrated from 'Abdullah ibn Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Sa'sa'ah al-Ansari that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said to him, ‘I see that you love sheep and the wilderness. So when you are with your sheep in the wilderness and it is time for prayer, then recite the Call to Prayer and raise your voice in the call. ‘Verily, nothing, whether jinn or humans, hears the voice of the Caller but will testify for him on the Day of Judgment.’ Abu Sa'eed said, ‘I heard this from the Messenger of Allah .

It is also legislated for you to supplicate between the Call to Prayer (Adhan) and the Iqaamah, based on the general evidence from various hadeeths encouraging supplication during this time. An example is the hadeeth: ‘The supplication made between Adhan and the Iqaamah is not rejected.’ [An-Nasaa'i]

There is no specific time during which you must perform the prayer. If you pray alone, you can pray after the Call to Prayer (Adhan), supplicating, and performing the Sunnah prayers. The jurists have spoken about the extent of the duration (time gap) between Adhan and Iqaamah in congregational prayer. The Encyclopedia of Jurisprudence reads: “The jurists have stated that it is recommended to separate Adhan and Iqaamah by praying, sitting, or any suitable period of time that allows the congregation to gather, except for the Maghrib prayer, while observing the recommended time for prayer.

And they (referring to the jurists) dislike performing Iqaamah after the Call to Prayer (Adhan) without this interval. This is based on what has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah that he said to Bilal : ‘Leave a time interval between your Call to Prayer and Iqaamah, allowing time for the one performing ablution to fulfill his need at ease and for the eater to finish his meal at ease.

In another narration, it is mentioned: “Let there be between your Call to Prayer and Iqaamah the time it takes for the eater to finish his meal, the drinker to finish his drink, and the one relieving himself to attend to his needs.

The purpose of the Call to Prayer (Adhan) is to inform people of the commencement of the prayer time so that they can prepare for prayer with ritual purity (tahaarah), attend the mosque, and be present for the congregational prayer. The immediate connection (without a time interval) between the Adhan and Iqaamah negates this purpose, causing many Muslims to miss the congregational prayer.

Allah knows best.

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