Back to search

Is it Islamically permissible for the call to commence prayer (iqamah) to be in the form of the adhan, with the addition of "Qad qāmat as-salāh" (the prayer has indeed begun) twice, and is this method from the madhhab of Imam Abu Hanifah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Two forms of iqama (call to commence prayer) have been reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:

1. The iqama of Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him (11 words): In this form, the phrases of the iqama are recited once, except for the takbir (Allahu Akbar) at the beginning and end, and the phrase " قد قامت الصلاة" (the prayer has commenced), all of which are recited twice. This is the view of the Shafi'is and Hanbalis, and also the view of the Malikis, except that they recite "قد قامت الصلاة" once. 2. The iqama of Abu Mahdhurah, may Allah be pleased with him (17 words): In this form, the phrases of the iqama are exactly like those of the adhan (call to prayer), with the addition of "قد قامت الصلاة" recited twice. This is the view of the Hanafis and also one view among the Shafi'is.

Everything confirmed from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is a sunnah (prophetic tradition) and should be acted upon. The most complete approach is for the mu'adhin (caller to prayer) to perform one form sometimes and the other form at other times. Both forms are correct, and it is not permissible to condemn someone who acts upon either of them.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy