Is it obligatory for the mu'adhdhin to call the iqamah, or can any person call it?

Question : Is the person who calls the adhan the one who calls the iqamah, or can any person among those present call the iqamah for the prayer?

Answer : As for permissibility and sufficiency, it is permissible for any person to call the iqamah, and it is also sufficient for any person to call it. However, in terms of what is better, it is preferable that only the mu'adhdhin calls the iqamah, because this is the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). But there is a matter here that we should be aware of: the one responsible for the iqamah, meaning its timing, is the imam, and the one responsible for the adhan is the mu'adhdhin. This means the mu'adhdhin is responsible for monitoring the time and verifying its entry so that he calls the adhan, and the imam is responsible for the iqamah; he is the one who determines it if it has not been set in advance by the authorities. Accordingly, no person has the right to call the iqamah in the absence of the imam, even if the imam is about to arrive. The mu'adhdhin does not call the iqamah until he sees the imam. If it is his custom to wait for the imam to say "Call the iqamah," he waits until he says so, because the imam might enter the mosque and want to pray the rawatib prayer that precedes it. Some mu'adhdhins, when they see the imam entering with the mosque door, call the iqamah immediately, and then you find the imam going to a corner of the mosque to pray the rawatib. So we tell the mu'adhdhin: do not call the iqamah until the imam gives you permission. If the imam is delayed beyond his usual time, and he has already called the adhan for them but they are delayed in calling the iqamah, there is no harm in their calling it if the delay is according to the time allotted to them, such as five or ten minutes. If he has not given them permission to do so, they send a message to him.
They send a message to him, meaning they send someone to his house if it is nearby, just as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to go to the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he was delayed, saying, "The prayer, the prayer, O Messenger of Allah." If the house is far away and it is difficult for them to go to it, then in this case, there is no blame on them for calling the iqamah.