The Ruling on the Adhan Before the Time Enters

Question:
Your Eminence the Shaykh! Some people call the adhan before the time has entered, as a precaution, especially in the Fajr of Ramadan?

Answer:
It is obligatory that the adhan not be called after the time has entered unless there is a first mu'adhdhin. If one person calls the adhan before the time, as is the case now, and another calls it after the time, there is no harm. One person calls the adhan at the end of the night so that the people who are praying the witr and those who are preparing will be alerted, and then another calls the adhan after the dawn appears. This is how Bilal used to call the adhan at night, and then Abu Mahdhurah would call the adhan after the dawn appeared, and then Ibn Umm Maktum would call the adhan after the dawn appeared. This is permissible. However, calling the adhan before the dawn is not allowed. The Sunnah is that the adhan, and it is obligatory that it be, after the time has entered, after the time has begun, except specifically for the Fajr. It is permissible to call the adhan once before the time to alert the people so that the one who is standing [in prayer] may return and the one who is sleeping may be woken up. Then, after the dawn appears, the adhan prescribed by the Shari'ah is called, which alerts to the entry of the time for prayer. This is what Ibn Umm Maktum did in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and what Bilal did before the dawn, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This indicates that there is no harm in there being two adhans for the Fajr: one before the Fajr to alert the people so that the one who is standing may return and the one who is sleeping may be woken up, and the second adhan is after the dawn appears, specifically for the Fajr. Yes.