Every prayer with the exception of the two Eid prayers and funeral prayers is preceded by an Azaan. The Muezzin i.e., the person who calls out the Azaan should be an adult Muslim male. It is preferred that he should perform the
Wuzu before calling the Azaan and stand on a raised platform with his face towards the Qiblah. Inserting the tips of his forefingers in his ears, he should give the Azaan in a loud and clear voice pronouncing the words correctly and distinctly. The words of the Azaan are as under:
1. "Allah is Great." (4 times)
2. "I do bear witness that there is no god except Allah." (Twice)
3. "I do bear witness that Muhammad is the apostle ef Allah." (Twice)
4. "Come to prayer." (Twice; turning the face to the right)
5. "Come to success." (Twice; turning face to the left)
6. Allan 1s Great. " (Twice)
7. "There iS no God except Allah." (Once)
the Azaan for the Fajr prayers, after saying the following words are included:
"Prayer is better than sleep." (Twice)
Except when
1. A person is saying his prayers.
2. The Imam is delivering the Khutba.
3. A person is answering the call of nature.
All those who hear the Azaan should repeat in a low voice, the words of the Muezzin. When he hears
Come to prayer
Come to success
the listener should say:
The strength to shun evil and to do good deeds is only from Allah."
When he hears
he should say
"You have spoken the truth and said a good thing."
When the Azaan is over, the listener should pray in the following words:
O Allah! Lord of this perfect call and the prayer to be ofered presently, grant Muhammad the way of approach unto Thee and also eminence and raise him unto the glorious station Thou hast promised him and bestow his intercession on us on the Day of Judgement. Verily Thou never go back on Thy word."
The words of the Azaan in the order in which they are pronounced have come down to us unchanged from A.H. I, when the Azaan was said for the first time in the presence of the Holy Prophet PBUH.
Importance of Azan
The Azan is not only an announcement of the time of prayer, but also of the great principles of the Islamic faith and of the significence underlying them. It is an announcement, made five times daily, or the unity of Allah and of the Prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad, Which are the two fundamental principles of Islam.
The announcement also carries the real significence of the unity of Allah which is contained in the words Allahu Akbar or "Allah is the Greatest, so that man must bow only before Him.
The words "Come to Prayer' followed by 'Come to Success' signify that by coming to prayer real success and self-development is attained.
lqamat - Announcement for Congregational Service
When the congregational prayers are about to start, people stand up and form rows and the Muezzin recites the Iqamat. The words of the lqamat are the same as those of Azan but with the difference that they are recited only once and not repeated. The person reciting the lqamat does not insert the tips of his fore fingers in his ears nor does he turn his face to the right or the left while reciting:
"Come to prayer"
"Come to success"
After which he says
"Prayer has indeed begun." (Twice)
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