Abu Mahdhura said that God's Messenger himself taught him how to make the call to prayer, telling him to say, “God is most great. God is most great. God is most great. God is most great. I testify that there is no god but God. I testify that there is no god but God. I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger. I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger”; then to repeat, “I testify that there is no god but God. I testify that there is no god but God. I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger. I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger. Come to prayer. Come to prayer. Come to salvation. Come to salvation. God is most great. God is most great. There is no god but God.” Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said that in the time of God's Messenger the phrases in the adhan were uttered twice each and in the iqama once each, except for saying, ‘‘The time for prayer has come. The time for prayer has come.” Abu Dawud, Nasai and Darimi transmitted it.

Abu Mahdhura said that the Prophet (ﷺ) taught him the adhan as consisting of nineteen words, and the iqama as consisting of seventeen words. Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, Darimi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

He also said: When I asked God’s Messenger to teach me the sunna relating to the adhan he wiped the forepart of his head and said: You must say, “God is most great. God is most great. God is most great. God is most great,” raising your voice while saying these words. Then you must say, “I testify that there is no god but God. I testify that there is no god but God. I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger. I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger,” lowering your voice while saying these words. Then you must raise your voice in making the testimony, “I testify that there is no god but God. I testify that there is no god but God. I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger. I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger. Come to prayer. Come to prayer. Come to salvation. Come to salvation”; and if it is the Morning Prayer you must say, “Prayer is better than sleep. Prayer is better than sleep. God’s is most great. God is most great. There is no god but God.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Bilal said, “God’s Messenger told me not to make the call to prayer twice for any of the prayers but the dawn prayer.” Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Tirmidhi said that Abu Isra’il the transmitter is not considered by traditionists to be strong.

Jabir stated that God’s Messenger said to Bilal, “When you call the adhan speak deliberately, when you utter the iqama speak quickly, and leave between your adhan and your iqama time for one who eats to finish his food and one who drinks to finish his drink, and one who needs to relieve himself to do so. And do not get up to pray* till you see me do so.” * This sentence is addressed not only to Bilal, as the plural is used. Tirmidhi transmitted it and said, “I know it only from the tradition of ‘Abd al-Mun‘im, and it is an unknown isnad”

Ziyad b. al-Harith as-Suda’i said: God's Messenger ordered me to call the adhan for the dawn prayer and I did so. Then Bilal wanted to utter the iqama, but God’s Messenger said to him, “The man of Suda' has called the adhan, and he who calls the adhan utters the iqama.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Zaid b. “Abd Rabbihi said: When God’s Messenger ordered a bell to be made so that it might be struck to gather the people for prayer, a man carrying a bell in his hand appeared to me while I was asleep, and I said, “Servant of God, will you sell the bell ?” When he asked what I would do with it and I replied that we would use it to call people to prayer, he said, “Shall I not guide you to something better than that?" I replied, “Certainly”; so he told me to say, “God is most great ...” and similarly in the iqama. When I told God’s Messenger in the morning what I had seen he said, “It is a genuine vision, if God will; so get up along with Bilal, and when you have taught him what you have seen let him use it in making the call to prayer, for he has a stronger voice than you have. So I got up along with Bilal and began to teach it to him, and he used it in making the call to prayer. ‘Umar b, al-Khattab heard that when he was in his house, and he came out trailing his cloak and said, “Messenger of God, by Him who has sent you with the truth, I have seen the same kind of thing as has been revealed," to which God’s Messenger replied, “To God be the praise!” Abu Dawud, Darimi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, but Ibn Majah did not mention the iqama. Tirmidhi said that this is a sahih, tradition, but that it did not make the story of the bell explicit.

Abu Bakra said, “I went out with the Prophet (ﷺ) to the Morning Prayer, and he called every man he passed to prayer, or shook him with his foot.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Malik heard that the mu'adhdhin came to ‘Umar to call him to the Morning Prayer. Finding him asleep, he said, “Prayer is better than sleep," and ‘Umar commanded him to include it in the call to Morning Prayer. He transmitted it in al-Muwatta’.

‘Abd ar-Rahman b Sa'd b. 'Ammar b. Sa‘d, the mu’adhdhin* of God’s Messenger, said that his father told him from his father from his grandfather that God’s Messenger commanded Bilal to put his fingers in his ears, saying that it made the voice louder. * The mu’adhdhin here mentioned was Sa‘d, great-grandfather of ‘Abd ar-Rahman. Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Mu‘awiya said that he heard God's Messenger say, “The mu’adhdhins will have the longest necks on the day of resurrection.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported God’s Messenger as saying, “All jinn, men, or any other creatures who hear the voice of the mu’adhdhin as far away as it is possible to hear it will testify on his behalf on the day of resurrection.” Bukhari transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As reported God's Messenger as saying, “When you hear the mu’adhdhin repeat what he says, then invoke a blessing on me, for everyone who invokes one blessing on me will receive ten blessings from God. Then ask God to give me the wasila, which is a rank in paradise fitting for only one of God’s servants, and I hope that I may be the one. If anyone asks that I be given the wasila, he will be assured of my intercession.” Muslim transmitted it.

‘Umar reported God’s Messenger as saying: When the mu’adhdhin says, “God is most great, God is most great,” and one of you makes the response, “God is most great, God is most great”; then says, “I testify that there is no god but God,” and he makes the response, “I testify that there is no god but God”; then says, “I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger,” and he makes the response, “I testify that Muhammad is God’s Messenger”; then says, “Come to prayer,” and he makes the response, “There is no might and no power except in God”; then says, “Come to salvation,” and he makes the response, “There is no might and no power except in God”; then says, “God is most great, God is most great,” and he makes the response, “God is most great, God is most great”; then says, “There is no god but God,” and he makes the response, “There is no god but God”; if he says this from his heart, he will enter paradise. Muslim transmitted it.

Anas said that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to attack the enemy at dawn, and he would sometimes hear the adhan, so if he heard an adhan he stopped, but otherwise he attacked. Once on hearing a man say, “God is most great, God is most great,” God’s Messenger said, “You follow Islam.” Then hearing him say, “There is no god but God,” he said, “You have come forth from hell.” They looked at him and found that he was a goatherd. Muslim transmitted it.

Sa‘d b. Abu Waqqas reported God’s Messenger as saying: If anyone says when he hears the mu’adhdhin, “I testify that there is no god but God alone who has no partner and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; I am satisfied with God as Lord, with Muhammad as Messenger, and with Islam as religion,” his sins will be forgiven him. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The imam is responsible and the mu'adhdhin is trusted. O God, guide the imams and forgive the mu'adhdhins.” Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Shafi’i transmitted it, and in another version by Shafi’i the wording of al-Masabih is used.

Ibn ‘Abbas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone makes the call to prayer for seven years seeking to please God, freedom from hell will be recorded for him.” Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

‘Uqba b. ‘Amir reported God’s Messenger as saying: God is pleased with a shepherd on the top of a rock on a mountain who makes the call to prayer and prays. God says, “Look at this servant of Mine who makes the call to prayer, observes the prayer and fears Me. I forgive My servant and will cause him to enter paradise.” Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.