Some mu'adhhdhins delay the adhan by half an hour from its scheduled time due to sleep or work; what is the ruling on this?
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The questioner : Some mu'adhhdhins delay the adhan by about half an hour from the scheduled time of the adhan due to sleep or work; what is the ruling on this?
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for one who takes on a job to be sincere in it and to fulfill what is required of him, especially a job that involves the actions of others, such as the adhan, for example. It is obligatory for the mu'adhhdhins to perform their work in the best possible way to the extent of their ability, because they call to prayer for themselves and for others.
It is not permissible for a mu'adhdhin to intentionally delay the adhan by half an hour after the time has entered, because by doing so he causes people to miss the virtue of the first part of the time. Perhaps the adhan is for the Fajr prayer, and there are people fasting, so their eating is delayed until his adhan after the dawn has appeared, or their iftar is delayed if it is the adhan for Maghrib, until this man calls after a time has passed since the sunset. My advice to my brothers the mu'adhhdhins is to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and to perfect their work.
As for the excuse that sometimes befalls a person, such as being overcome by sleep, this may be excused. In this case, if he fears that there will be confusion in his adhan, and the mu'adhhdhins around him have already made the people of his neighborhood hear the call, then he does not need to call to prayer in this situation, because of the confusion in his adhan on one hand, and the schadenfreude and backbiting that would befall him on the other. May Allah have mercy on a person who keeps backbiting away from himself.
However, if the people of the neighborhood do not hear the mu'adhhdhins, then he should call to prayer even if he has been delayed by a third of an hour or half an hour. We are speaking now about the person who has an excuse, not about the person whose delay is habitual. Because if one's delay is habitual, meaning that he does not care about the adhan and is late, then that is forbidden for him. And if he is unable to perform the adhan except in this manner, let him leave the adhan to someone else.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for one who takes on a job to be sincere in it and to fulfill what is required of him, especially a job that involves the actions of others, such as the adhan, for example. It is obligatory for the mu'adhhdhins to perform their work in the best possible way to the extent of their ability, because they call to prayer for themselves and for others.
It is not permissible for a mu'adhdhin to intentionally delay the adhan by half an hour after the time has entered, because by doing so he causes people to miss the virtue of the first part of the time. Perhaps the adhan is for the Fajr prayer, and there are people fasting, so their eating is delayed until his adhan after the dawn has appeared, or their iftar is delayed if it is the adhan for Maghrib, until this man calls after a time has passed since the sunset. My advice to my brothers the mu'adhhdhins is to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and to perfect their work.
As for the excuse that sometimes befalls a person, such as being overcome by sleep, this may be excused. In this case, if he fears that there will be confusion in his adhan, and the mu'adhhdhins around him have already made the people of his neighborhood hear the call, then he does not need to call to prayer in this situation, because of the confusion in his adhan on one hand, and the schadenfreude and backbiting that would befall him on the other. May Allah have mercy on a person who keeps backbiting away from himself.
However, if the people of the neighborhood do not hear the mu'adhhdhins, then he should call to prayer even if he has been delayed by a third of an hour or half an hour. We are speaking now about the person who has an excuse, not about the person whose delay is habitual. Because if one's delay is habitual, meaning that he does not care about the adhan and is late, then that is forbidden for him. And if he is unable to perform the adhan except in this manner, let him leave the adhan to someone else.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.