The adhan and the iqama

The adhan is the call to prayer. It is announced in mosques five times a day. The words are roughly the same everywhere, taught by the Prophet ﷺ to his companions in Madinah.

Here it is, short and in full.

• Allahu akbar (Allah is greater) — said four times.
• Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah (I bear witness there is no god but Allah) — twice.
• Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah (I bear witness Muhammad is the messenger of Allah) — twice.
• Hayya ala as-salah (Come to the prayer) — twice.
• Hayya ala al-falah (Come to success) — twice.
• Allahu akbar (Allah is greater) — twice.
• La ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but Allah) — once.

The Fajr adhan has one extra line, as-salatu khayrun min an-nawm (prayer is better than sleep), said twice after the come-to-success lines.

What you do when you hear it

A Muslim who hears the adhan is encouraged to repeat each line quietly after the caller, with two small variations. When the caller says come to the prayer or come to success, the listener says instead la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, meaning there is no power or strength except with Allah. When the adhan finishes, a short supplication is recited, asking Allah to grant the Prophet ﷺ the intercession and the elevated station.

You do not need to memorise this yet. In the first few weeks, hearing the adhan and stopping for a moment is enough.

The iqama

The iqama is a shorter, faster version of the adhan, called just before the congregation starts praying. It signals that the prayer is about to begin, rows should form, and everyone should be ready. At home you do not need the iqama. In a mosque you will hear both.

Listening to the adhan as a new Muslim

Many reverts say the first time they truly listened to the adhan, they cried. Especially the Fajr one, which rolls across sleeping cities while most people are still in bed. If you live somewhere with mosques audible from your home, pay attention to it for a week. If you live somewhere without them, phone apps play the adhan at the right time for your location. Barakah will add audio adhan in a later update; for now, set your prayer notifications in settings.