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Must the Athan and Iqama be recited for every obligatory prayer when praying alone, and does this include women?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed regarding the ruling on the adhan (call to prayer) and iqamah (second call to prayer) for a person praying alone. The preponderant opinion is that it is recommended for him to perform the adhan and iqamah due to the general virtue of the adhan, and because Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, performed the adhan and iqamah in a mosque where prayer had already been performed. It is better for someone praying alone in a mosque not to vocalize the adhan loudly so as not to mislead people. As for the traveler and the shepherd, it is recommended for them to perform the adhan and iqamah according to the majority of scholars. As for women, neither adhan nor iqamah is obligatory for them according to the majority of scholars, and there is no harm if they perform them. The Shafi'is recommend the iqamah for them but not the adhan. The best is for them to perform the adhan and iqamah without raising their voices.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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