Explanation of the author's statement: "… Chapter on the Adhan and Iqamah …".

The Shaykh :"Chapter on the Adhan and Iqamah" The chapter on the Adhan and Iqamah is titled for two issues, but they are two interconnected issues. One of them is the Adhan, and the other is the Iqamah. So, what is the Adhan and what is the Iqamah? Linguistically, the Adhan means announcement. This is derived from the saying of Allah the Exalted: and His saying: This is announcement in the linguistic sense. In the Shari'ah, it is a specific type of announcement. This is the general rule in Shari'ah definitions: they are more specific than the linguistic meanings. This is the norm, though the situation can sometimes be the reverse. For example, Iman (faith) linguistically means belief, but in the Shari'ah, it is broader than belief. Is that not so? Iman in the language means belief, but in the Shari'ah, it is belief along with actions of the tongue and actions of the limbs. However, the general rule, the general rule, is that Shari'ah meanings are more specific than linguistic meanings. For this reason, you will find that Shari'ah definitions contain restrictions and conditions that are not present in linguistic definitions. So, Salah (prayer) linguistically means supplication, but in the Shari'ah, it is intentional. The Adhan linguistically means announcement, but in the Shari'ah, it is worshiping Allah the Mighty and Majestic by announcing the prayer with a specific dhikr (remembrance). Worshiping Allah the Exalted by announcing the prayer with a specific dhikr. This is more appropriate than saying "announcement of the entry of the time," because the Adhan follows the prayer. For this reason, when it was prescribed to separate the Adhan from the Zuhr prayer, it was prescribed to delay the Adhan, as established in Sahih al-Bukhari. Based on this, we say that the definition of the Adhan is: worshiping Allah the Exalted by announcing the prayer with a specific dhikr. Our saying "worshiping Allah" indicates that it is an act of worship, and it is indeed so. The Adhan is an obligatory act of worship because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it, and because Allah the Exalted referred to it in the Qur'an by saying: This is general, and His saying: So, it is an act of worship. As for the Iqamah, it is the verbal noun of "aqama" (to establish). To establish something means to make it upright. In the Shari'ah, it is worshiping Allah the Exalted by standing for the prayer, not for the prayer itself, but by standing for the prayer with a specific dhikr. The difference between it and the Adhan is that the Adhan is an announcement of the prayer to prepare for it and get ready for it, while the Iqamah is an announcement of the prayer to enter into it and begin the prayer. This is the difference between them. The difference between them will also be mentioned later, if Allah wills, in that the description of the Adhan differs from the description of the Iqamah. Our saying that the Adhan and Iqamah are acts of worship means that there is reward in them, because every act of worship that includes its two conditions—sincerity and following the Prophet—contains reward. In the prayer, there is the Iqamah of the Adhan, the Iqamah itself, and the Imam. The scholars differed on which is better. The correct view is that the Adhan is better. The Adhan is better than being an Imam because there are hadiths indicating its virtue. But if someone says, "Being an Imam is tied to Shari'ah attributes, such as and it is known that the one who recites the Qur'an best is better, so they paired it with the best, which is evidence of its superiority," we answer by saying: We do not say that there is no virtue in being an Imam. Being an Imam is a Shari'ah authority with virtue. But we say that the Adhan is better than being an Imam because of the announcement of the remembrance of Allah the Exalted and alerting people in general. The Imam is only an Imam for whom? For those behind him only. But the Mu'adhdhin (caller to prayer) is an Imam for everyone who hears him. Everyone who hears him follows him and stands to pray, for example. And because the Adhan is more difficult than being an Imam. The Adhan is more difficult because the Mu'adhdhin is always occupied with determining the time and preparing for it, especially in the past when there were no clocks. If someone says, "If the Adhan is better as you claim, why did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs not call the Adhan? They were Imams, not Mu'adhdhins." The answer is that they were occupied with the more important matter over the less important one. The Imam is concerned with all the people and needs to be free for them. If he had freed himself to watch the time, he would have been occupied with that and neglected the important matters of the Muslims. So, the leaving of the Adhan by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Rightly Guided Caliphs was not out of disdain for it or its scarcity, but because of their preoccupation with what is more important. Come here, Salim. But their preoccupation with what is more important. Is this clear? Good. As for the ruling on the Adhan and Iqamah.