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Is the Adhan obligatory for worshippers in a Musalla, given that they hear the Adhan from other mosques?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Arabic word "Adhan" linguistically means: informing. Islamically, it refers to an act of worship to Allah by informing others of the time for the obligatory prayer using specific phrases. It is a communal obligation (fard kifaya) according to Ahmad, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Ibn Uthaymeen, and this is the preponderant opinion. The evidence for its obligation from the Sunnah is the hadith of Malik ibn Al-Huwayrith: «When the time for prayer comes, one of you should pronounce the Adhan for you, and the oldest among you should lead you in prayer.» If a sufficient number of people perform it, the sin is lifted from the rest. The Adhan and Iqamah are prescribed for travelers, and one must observe them whether at home or traveling. If one enters into prayer without Adhan or Iqamah due to forgetfulness or ignorance, their prayer is valid. If someone pronounces the Adhan in a neighborhood such that all its inhabitants can hear it, it suffices for them. It is also prescribed for the people of each mosque to pronounce the Adhan based on the general evidence.

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

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