Revive a Sunnah

In the name of Allah

Revive a Sunnah: Calling the Adhan when Praying Alone

'Uqbah ibn Amir said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) say:

"Your Rabb is amazed with a shepherd high in the mountains who calls the Adhan for the salah and prays. Allah Says: 'Look at my slave, he calls the Adhan and Iqamah for salah and fears me. I have forgiven my slave and admitted him to paradise.'"

[Sunan Abu Da'wud, 1205' An-Nasa’i, 666 and ibn Hibban, 260 - Graded as saheeh by Al-Albani]

1. Al-Albani (rahimahullah) said: "Among the issues of Fiqh taken from this hadeeth is that it is Sunnah to call the Adhan for the person praying alone. This is the way An-Nisa’i titled it in his Sunnan. Additionally there are other narrations which mention the Iqamah as well, like the hadeeth about the man who prayed incorrectly. Therefore, it not suitable to ignore calling the Adhan and Iqamah when praying alone." (Silsilah as-Saheehah, 41)

2. Muhammad Adam Al-Ethiopi (hafidhahullaah) said: "'Amazed' is an Attribute of Allah that the Prophet (sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) affirmed for Allah in the hadeeth. This attribute is affirmed to Allah in a manner that befits His Majesty. This is similar to all the other attributes that are attributed to Allah in His book (i.e Pleased, Loves, Laughs, Descends, Above His throne and others). Each and every single one of these attributes are confirmed to Allah in a manner which befits His Majesty. We must not affirm these attributes of Allah in resemblance of the creation; Reason being, if that was the case, we would say His Amazement is like ours, Allah being Pleased with someone is the same way when we are pleased and so forth. So when we affirm Allah’s Attributes the way He has affirmed them for Himself, we do not understand these attributes for Him similar to His creation. He says, "There isn’t anything like him. He is the All Hearing and All Seeing." [Ash-Shura: 11]

(He continues...)

- When a person calls the Adhan alone every Jinn, human and everything else that hears it will bear witness for him on the Day of Resurrection. [An-Nisa’i, 645]

- When a person calls the Adhan and Iqamah and prays alone, the Angels join him in prayer. [Al-Bayhaqi in Sunan al-Kubra, 1/406]

- Allah says: "Look at my slave…" - This is said to the Angels to get them to be amazed as well.

- It is legislated to call the Adhan for the person who’s praying alone even if no one hears it. Furthermore this hadeeth refutes those people who say the adhan is only called for the congregation.

- The Adhan is a reason to have past sins forgiven and enter Jannah.

- This hadeeth affirms Allah’s Attribute "Amazed".

- The superiority of performing worship alone away from the people.

- "A shepherd high in the mountains…" refers to a person who stays away from the affairs of the people. Also it carries the meaning during the times of Fitnah. He flees away from the people during the Fitnah with his religion.

[Taken from 'Sharh Sunan An-Nisa’i' of Shaykh Muhammad Adam Al-Ethiopi - vol 8, 111-112]