The Ruling on Mispronunciation and Elongation in the Adhan

Q: It is observed that many mu'adhdhins elongate the adhan. What is the ruling on that?


A: The mu'adhdhin should protect the adhan from mispronunciation and melodic embellishment. Mispronunciation is when one disrupts the grammatical case, such as saying: "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" with the lam of "Messenger" opened (fathah). Rather, the lam of "Messenger of Allah" must be closed (dammah); because "Messenger of Allah" is the predicate of "that" and is in the nominative case. If the (lam) is put in the accusative case, that is a prohibited mispronunciation, even if it does not actually disrupt the meaning and does not prevent the validity of the adhan; because the mu'adhdhin's intention is to announce that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah; and because some Arabs put the two objects in the accusative case, but that is a mispronunciation according to most Arabs. As for melodic embellishment: it is the lengthening and elongation, and it is disliked in the adhan and the iqamah.