Explanation of the Book of the Adhan-01a
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The reciter: 'Imran ibn Maysarah narrated to us, 'Abd al-Warith narrated to us, Khalid al-Hadhdha' narrated to us from Abu Qilabah from Anas, who said: They mentioned the fire and the bell, and they mentioned the Jews and the Christians, so [the Prophet] ordered Bilal to make the adhan even-numbered and the iqamah odd-numbered.
The Shaykh : This is in explaining the beginning of the adhan: why it was prescribed and when? The adhan was prescribed in the second year of the Hijrah when the people had increased, so they consulted on what to do to announce the time of prayer. They mentioned the fire, they mentioned the bell, and they mentioned the horn, but they disliked that because the fire is for the Zoroastrians, the bell is for the Christians, and the horn is for the Jews. They said it is not possible, and they were correct in this rejection because there is no good in these signs. So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, guided them to this form, which is good, and it is a magnification of Allah, a declaration of His oneness, a testimony to His uniqueness, a testimony to His Messenger’s prophethood, and a call to prayer and to success. One of the Companions, 'Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn 'Abd Rabbah, was shown it in a dream and brought it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and related the dream to him. He said:. When 'Umar heard about the adhan, he came, I think dragging his cloak, saying: O Messenger of Allah, I have seen this, meaning in a dream. So it became, praise be to Allah, a prescribed practice from that time until this day. And his saying: “So he ordered Bilal” contains a great omission regarding the story, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to 'Abdullah ibn Zayd: Sunan Ibn Majah 706. So he entrusted it to him and he began to call the adhan with it. And his saying: “To make the adhan even-numbered and the iqamah odd-numbered,” this is not to be taken at its apparent meaning, because if it were so, he would say: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Hurry to prayer, Hurry to prayer, Hurry to success, Hurry to success, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, There is no god but Allah, There is no god but Allah. This is the apparent meaning of making the adhan even-numbered, because if we take the word “even-numbered” literally, it would be obligatory for all its phrases to be even. Likewise, making the iqamah odd-numbered would mean the iqamah is: Allah is the Greatest, I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Hurry to prayer, Hurry to success, The prayer has begun, Allah is the Greatest, There is no god but Allah. So how many phrases would that be?
The student: Eight phrases.
The Shaykh : Eight phrases, but this is not what is intended. The intended meaning of this general statement is what the Sunnah has detailed from another aspect, which is as you know today. Yes, we will complete the hadith because it is related.
The Shaykh : This is in explaining the beginning of the adhan: why it was prescribed and when? The adhan was prescribed in the second year of the Hijrah when the people had increased, so they consulted on what to do to announce the time of prayer. They mentioned the fire, they mentioned the bell, and they mentioned the horn, but they disliked that because the fire is for the Zoroastrians, the bell is for the Christians, and the horn is for the Jews. They said it is not possible, and they were correct in this rejection because there is no good in these signs. So Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, guided them to this form, which is good, and it is a magnification of Allah, a declaration of His oneness, a testimony to His uniqueness, a testimony to His Messenger’s prophethood, and a call to prayer and to success. One of the Companions, 'Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn 'Abd Rabbah, was shown it in a dream and brought it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and related the dream to him. He said:
It is truly a true dream.
إنها لرؤيا حقGo out with Bilal to the mosque and teach it to him, for he has a louder voice than you.
ألقه على بلال فإنه أندى صوتا منكThe student: Eight phrases.
The Shaykh : Eight phrases, but this is not what is intended. The intended meaning of this general statement is what the Sunnah has detailed from another aspect, which is as you know today. Yes, we will complete the hadith because it is related.