What is the meaning of the hadith, "The mu'adhdhin has authority over the adhan, and the imam has authority over the iqamah"?
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The questioner : ... The mu'adhdhin has authority over the adhan, and the imam has authority over the iqamah. We ask you to clarify this, meaning...
The Shaykh : No, there is no such distinction between the adhan and the iqamah. In any case, the mu'adhdhin does not call the adhan or the iqamah except with the imam's permission. In some books of the Sunnah, a hadith is narrated that is well-known among people but has a weak chain of narration: "Whoever calls the adhan, he is the one who calls the iqamah". They narrate it as "Whoever calls the adhan, let him call the iqamah". This specific wording has no basis, but it is narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud and others as "Whoever calls the adhan, he is the one who calls the iqamah". However, its chain of narration is weak and cannot serve as a proof. Therefore, the imam may order whomever he wishes to call the iqamah. If he wishes, he may order the mu'adhdhin himself, and if he wishes, he may order someone else.
The questioner : And if he wishes, let him call the iqamah himself.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : And if he wishes, let him call the iqamah himself.
The Shaykh : And if he wishes, he calls the iqamah himself. There is nothing that is forbidden for him to do in this regard. Yes, that is correct.
Another questioner: ...
The Shaykh : There is a narration attributed to 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in books of jurisprudence, which we have not found in books of hadith: "If it were not for the caliphate, I would have called the adhan". This means the caliphate; if it were not for his preoccupation with the caliphate, he would have called the adhan. Because, look at this phrase itself, regardless of whether it is authentic or not, it indicates the importance of the adhan... the issue of the adhan and that there is responsibility involved in the adhan. One must monitor the times, because in that era, as we all know, there were no clocks, no science of astronomy, or anything else. Rather, they knew the times of prayer by the astronomy that Allah placed in the sky. The situation has reversed now; you see that the mu'adhdhins have become ignorant. If they were in the desert or wilderness, they would not know how to call the adhan for the Fajr, Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, or 'Isha' prayers.
Another questioner: We work, and we hear the adhan from our neighbors...
Another questioner: Also, because it is possible...
The Shaykh : Ah, but of course...
The questioner : Ah, ah...
The Shaykh : Without a doubt, it is a responsibility that is not matched by any other responsibility. Yes, it is...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : It is the great imamate.
The Shaykh : No, there is no such distinction between the adhan and the iqamah. In any case, the mu'adhdhin does not call the adhan or the iqamah except with the imam's permission. In some books of the Sunnah, a hadith is narrated that is well-known among people but has a weak chain of narration: "Whoever calls the adhan, he is the one who calls the iqamah". They narrate it as "Whoever calls the adhan, let him call the iqamah". This specific wording has no basis, but it is narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud and others as "Whoever calls the adhan, he is the one who calls the iqamah". However, its chain of narration is weak and cannot serve as a proof. Therefore, the imam may order whomever he wishes to call the iqamah. If he wishes, he may order the mu'adhdhin himself, and if he wishes, he may order someone else.
The questioner : And if he wishes, let him call the iqamah himself.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : And if he wishes, let him call the iqamah himself.
The Shaykh : And if he wishes, he calls the iqamah himself. There is nothing that is forbidden for him to do in this regard. Yes, that is correct.
Another questioner: ...
The Shaykh : There is a narration attributed to 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in books of jurisprudence, which we have not found in books of hadith: "If it were not for the caliphate, I would have called the adhan". This means the caliphate; if it were not for his preoccupation with the caliphate, he would have called the adhan. Because, look at this phrase itself, regardless of whether it is authentic or not, it indicates the importance of the adhan... the issue of the adhan and that there is responsibility involved in the adhan. One must monitor the times, because in that era, as we all know, there were no clocks, no science of astronomy, or anything else. Rather, they knew the times of prayer by the astronomy that Allah placed in the sky. The situation has reversed now; you see that the mu'adhdhins have become ignorant. If they were in the desert or wilderness, they would not know how to call the adhan for the Fajr, Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, or 'Isha' prayers.
Another questioner: We work, and we hear the adhan from our neighbors...
Another questioner: Also, because it is possible...
The Shaykh : Ah, but of course...
The questioner : Ah, ah...
The Shaykh : Without a doubt, it is a responsibility that is not matched by any other responsibility. Yes, it is...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : It is the great imamate.