Explanation of the Book of Prayer-05
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The Shaykh :"And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bulugh al-Maram 2:64. Ibn 'Adi narrated it and graded it weak. Al-Bayhaqi has a similar report from 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) as his own statement." This is the duty of the mu'adhdhin: that he has the right over the adhan, meaning he is responsible for the adhan. He watches the sun, he watches the twilight, he watches the dawn, and he calls the adhan according to what came in the Sunnah. If the imam wanted to call the adhan, the mu'adhdhin can prevent him because he has the right over the adhan. The imam has the right over the iqamah, meaning the iqamah belongs to the imam. So if the mu'adhdhin sees that the imam has delayed by about five minutes or so, and he calls the iqamah, we say: This is not permissible, because this is encroaching on the imam's right and usurping it. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have them call the iqamah until he was present. In fact, he was delayed one night for the 'Isha' prayer, and they were throwing pebbles at his door, saying: "O Messenger of Allah, the prayer!" If anyone had had the right to call the iqamah, what would have happened? They would have called it. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), if they had called it, would not have been angry with them, because he was the most broad-chested of people. And it will come, if Allah wills, that when he was delayed regarding the treaty with Banu 'Amir ibn 'Awf, and he came and found them praying, he said: So the summary now is: the mu'adhdhin is responsible for what? The student: The adhan.
The Shaykh : And the imam is responsible for the iqamah. So, which one has the greater responsibility and is more difficult? The mu'adhdhin. The mu'adhdhin has the greater responsibility and it is more difficult, especially in the first 'Asr. The first 'Asr has no clocks, so you find him watching for the dawn from the end of the night, and you find him watching the twilight as it approaches... he watches the twilight, and at the zenith likewise, and at 'Asr likewise. So the mu'adhdhin's work is more difficult than the imam's. For this reason, the adhan is better than the imamah. Meaning, if it were said: Which is better, the mu'adhdhin or the imam, in terms of rank in reward? We would say: The mu'adhdhin, because he has a much greater responsibility than the imam. Did you understand, everyone? Now, you might say: If the adhan is better than the imamah, why did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) not take it upon himself, nor Abu Bakr, nor 'Umar, nor 'Uthman, nor 'Ali? Why did the Rightly Guided Caliphs turn away from it? The answer is: Because they were occupied with the caliphate and managing the people, so they did not have the time to watch for the dawn, or watch for the setting of the twilight, or watch for the zenith of the sun, or watch for the entry of the 'Asr time. They were occupied, so they did not take upon themselves the adhan. And there is no doubt that the adhan is better than the imamah. Now, which has the greater responsibility? The mu'adhdhin has the greater responsibility from one angle, because the people's prayer in their homes, their abstention in their fasting, and their breaking of their fasting depend on his adhan. So a great responsibility rests on him. It is said that a man spoke to his wife at night, and she refused to speak to him. She said: "I am boycotting you, so-and-so." He said: "Never." He said to her: "If the dawn adhan is called before you speak to me, you are divorced three times." And the triple divorce at that time meant the woman was separated, meaning the ruling that the triple divorce is one did not become widespread in fatwas after the Companions except in the era of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). He said: "If the dawn adhan is called before you speak to me, you are divorced three times." So she resolved not to speak to him. Yes, there is no power nor strength except with Allah. What can we do? So he went to Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him). Imam Abu Hanifah was intelligent and had jurisprudence. He said to him: "Go to the mu'adhdhin of the neighborhood and have him call the adhan, and he will solve the problem." So he went to him and informed him of the case and that it was difficult. So he called the adhan while the man was with his wife. She said: "Praise be to Allah who has freed me from you." Why? Because he called the adhan before he spoke. He said: "Praise be to Allah who has returned you to me." This adhan was before the dawn, a mistake, an adhan before the dawn. Look, now rulings like this depend on the adhan. So the mu'adhdhin's responsibility is truly great. The imam's responsibility is great from the side of his leading the people. He must learn the rulings of prayer and the rulings of imamah, and he must make his prayer in the manner of the prayer of whom? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6008 And this requires that he know how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray, and that he act as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to act. So from this side, he has the greater responsibility. We hear some imams praying with the people, but they do not settle in the ruku' or in rising from it, or in the sujud or in rising from the two prostrations, and this is a great danger, a great danger, especially if there are elderly people or weak people in the mosque. Each of them has a responsibility, but the mu'adhdhin's work is more difficult. For this reason, it came in the authentic hadith: .
The student: Shaykh, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Regarding... the difference between the mu'adhdhin asking for a wage, and Allah the Exalted said.
The Shaykh : .
The student: Yes, and now... for example, the endowments, they did not intend the adhan, but they intended to mean that he is an intermediary for the adhan to this man.
The Mu'adhdhin has more right to [determine the time to] announce the Adhan and the Imam has more right to [determine when to] pronounce the Iqamah.
المؤذن أملك بالأذان والإمام أملك بالإقامةYou have done well and you have hit the mark
أحسنتم وأصبتمThe Shaykh : And the imam is responsible for the iqamah. So, which one has the greater responsibility and is more difficult? The mu'adhdhin. The mu'adhdhin has the greater responsibility and it is more difficult, especially in the first 'Asr. The first 'Asr has no clocks, so you find him watching for the dawn from the end of the night, and you find him watching the twilight as it approaches... he watches the twilight, and at the zenith likewise, and at 'Asr likewise. So the mu'adhdhin's work is more difficult than the imam's. For this reason, the adhan is better than the imamah. Meaning, if it were said: Which is better, the mu'adhdhin or the imam, in terms of rank in reward? We would say: The mu'adhdhin, because he has a much greater responsibility than the imam. Did you understand, everyone? Now, you might say: If the adhan is better than the imamah, why did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) not take it upon himself, nor Abu Bakr, nor 'Umar, nor 'Uthman, nor 'Ali? Why did the Rightly Guided Caliphs turn away from it? The answer is: Because they were occupied with the caliphate and managing the people, so they did not have the time to watch for the dawn, or watch for the setting of the twilight, or watch for the zenith of the sun, or watch for the entry of the 'Asr time. They were occupied, so they did not take upon themselves the adhan. And there is no doubt that the adhan is better than the imamah. Now, which has the greater responsibility? The mu'adhdhin has the greater responsibility from one angle, because the people's prayer in their homes, their abstention in their fasting, and their breaking of their fasting depend on his adhan. So a great responsibility rests on him. It is said that a man spoke to his wife at night, and she refused to speak to him. She said: "I am boycotting you, so-and-so." He said: "Never." He said to her: "If the dawn adhan is called before you speak to me, you are divorced three times." And the triple divorce at that time meant the woman was separated, meaning the ruling that the triple divorce is one did not become widespread in fatwas after the Companions except in the era of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). He said: "If the dawn adhan is called before you speak to me, you are divorced three times." So she resolved not to speak to him. Yes, there is no power nor strength except with Allah. What can we do? So he went to Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him). Imam Abu Hanifah was intelligent and had jurisprudence. He said to him: "Go to the mu'adhdhin of the neighborhood and have him call the adhan, and he will solve the problem." So he went to him and informed him of the case and that it was difficult. So he called the adhan while the man was with his wife. She said: "Praise be to Allah who has freed me from you." Why? Because he called the adhan before he spoke. He said: "Praise be to Allah who has returned you to me." This adhan was before the dawn, a mistake, an adhan before the dawn. Look, now rulings like this depend on the adhan. So the mu'adhdhin's responsibility is truly great. The imam's responsibility is great from the side of his leading the people. He must learn the rulings of prayer and the rulings of imamah, and he must make his prayer in the manner of the prayer of whom? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
offer your prayers in the way you saw me offering my prayers
صلوا كما رأيتموني أصليThe people with the longest necks on the Day of Resurrection are the mu'adhdhins
أطول الناس أعناقا يوم القيامة المؤذنونThe student: Shaykh, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Regarding... the difference between the mu'adhdhin asking for a wage, and Allah the Exalted said.
The Shaykh :
Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornment
من كان يريد الحياة الدنيا وزينتهاThe student: Yes, and now... for example, the endowments, they did not intend the adhan, but they intended to mean that he is an intermediary for the adhan to this man.