What is the difference between Adhan and Iqamah?

The Adhan is the FIRST call — announced from the minaret or PA system to alert the community that prayer time has begun. The Iqamah is the SECOND, shorter call recited inside the mosque immediately before the imam begins the prayer. The Iqamah adds the phrase 'Qad qāmat-iṣ-ṣalāh' (the prayer is now established) and most other lines are said only once instead of twice.

Why does the Fajr Adhan have an extra line?

The phrase 'Aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun min an-nawm' — 'Prayer is better than sleep' — is added twice in the Fajr Adhan only. It was instituted during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Bilal ibn Rabah, the first muezzin of Islam, added it on Fajr when he saw people sleeping past dawn. The Prophet approved it, and it became Sunnah.

Who first called the Adhan?

Bilal ibn Rabah, a freed Abyssinian slave and one of the earliest converts to Islam, was chosen by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the first muezzin in Madinah in 1 AH (622 CE). He was chosen for his beautiful, powerful voice. The wording of the Adhan was revealed in a dream to Abdullah ibn Zayd, confirmed by the Prophet, and Bilal performed the first Adhan from the rooftop of the Prophet's mosque.

Is Adhan called Azan or Adhan?

Both are correct. 'Adhan' is the more accurate transliteration of the Arabic word أَذَان. 'Azan' is the Persian/Urdu/Turkish pronunciation, common in South Asia, Iran, and Turkey. They refer to the same thing — the Islamic call to prayer. English-speaking Muslims use both interchangeably.

What should I say when I hear the Adhan?

Repeat each phrase silently after the muezzin, EXCEPT when he says 'Ḥayyaʿalā-ṣ-ṣalāh' and 'Ḥayyaʿalā-l-falāḥ' — instead say 'Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh' (there is no power except with Allah). After the Adhan ends, send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then recite the du'a of the Adhan: 'Allāhumma rabba hādhihi-d-daʿwati-t-tāmmah...' — narrated in Bukhari, it earns the Prophet's intercession on the Day of Judgment.

Can women call the Adhan?

The classical scholarly consensus is that the Adhan is for men in public mosques. Women may recite it in women-only spaces or quietly for their own prayer if there is no man present, but it is not obligatory for them. The reasoning is the public nature of the call and the requirement of a loud, projected voice.

What is Adhan (Azan)? Meaning, Words, History, and the Iqamah

Adhan (أَذَان, also transliterated Azan) is the Islamic call to prayer recited aloud five times a day from every mosque in the world. It marks the start of each prayer's time window — Fajr at dawn, Dhuhr at midday, Asr in the afternoon, Maghrib at sunset, and Isha at nightfall. The Adhan has been recited in essentially the same wording for over 1,400 years, since the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ instituted it in Madinah in 1 AH (622 CE).

The word adhan comes from the Arabic root ʾ-dh-nmeaning "to listen" or "to announce." The person who calls the Adhan is called the muezzin (مُؤَذِّن), and the first muezzin of Islam was Bilal ibn Rabah, chosen by the Prophet ﷺ for his strong, beautiful voice.

The complete words of the Adhan

The Adhan has 7 phrases (8 for Fajr). Most Sunni schools say the opening Allāhu Akbar four times; the Shia tradition says it twice. The full text in order:

Arabic	Transliteration	English	Repeats
ٱللَّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ	Allāhu Akbar	God is the Greatest	×4 (Sunni) / ×2 (Shia)
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ	Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa-llāh	I bear witness that there is no god but Allah	×2
أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ	Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu-llāh	I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah	×2
حَيَّ عَلَى ٱلصَّلَاةِ	Ḥayyaʿalā-ṣ-ṣalāh	Hasten to the prayer	×2
حَيَّ عَلَى ٱلْفَلَاحِ	Ḥayyaʿalā-l-falāḥ	Hasten to success	×2
ٱلصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ ٱلنَّوْمِ	Aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun min an-nawm	Prayer is better than sleep	×2 (Fajr only)
ٱللَّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ	Allāhu Akbar	God is the Greatest	×2
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ	Lā ilāha illa-llāh	There is no god but Allah	×1

The whole Adhan takes about 90 seconds to recite at a normal pace. A skilled muezzin elongates certain vowels musically — this is called tarteel — and may take two to three minutes for a particularly beautiful rendition. In Mecca and Madinah the Adhan is broadcast worldwide and individual muezzins are widely beloved for their voices.

The history: how the Adhan came to be

When the Prophet ﷺ and the early Muslims emigrated from Mecca to Madinah in 622 CE (1 AH), they built the first mosque (Masjid an-Nabawi) and faced a practical problem: how would the growing community know when it was time to gather for prayer? Christians used a bell. Jews used a horn (shofar). The Companions proposed both, plus a fire to be lit on a high place. The Prophet ﷺ disliked all of these as they imitated other religions.

A Companion named Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Tha'labathen had a dream in which a man taught him the words of the Adhan. He told the Prophet ﷺ, who confirmed: "It is a true vision, insha'Allah." Umar ibn al-Khattab also independently had the same dream. The Prophet ﷺ then told Bilal ibn Rabah to learn the words and call them from a rooftop — Bilal had the loudest, most beautiful voice among them. (Hadith: Abu Dawud 499, classed sahih.)

Bilal became the muezzin of the Prophet's Mosque for the rest of the Prophet's life. After the Prophet ﷺ passed away, Bilal could not bring himself to call the Adhan again — the words "Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlu-llāh" were too heavy. He moved to Damascus, and only returned to give the Adhan one more time at the Prophet's grave, on the request of Umar — making thousands of people weep.

Adhan vs Iqamah: what's the difference?

The Adhan is the public call: it tells the community that prayer time has begun and they should head to the mosque. The Iqamah (إقامة) is the shorter, quieter call given INSIDE the mosque immediately before the imam begins the congregational prayer. It signals the rows to straighten and the prayer to start.

The Iqamah uses the same phrases as the Adhan, but each phrase is said ONCE instead of twice, and it adds one new line after "Ḥayyaʿalā-l-falāḥ":

قَدْ قَامَتِ ٱلصَّلَاةُ — Qad qāmat-iṣ-ṣalāh— "The prayer is now established" (said twice).

The Hanafi school is slightly different — they repeat most lines twice in the Iqamah as well. All schools agree on the addition of "Qad qāmat-iṣ-ṣalāh."

What to say and do when you hear the Adhan

There are three Sunnah acts when you hear the Adhan, whether you're inside or outside, in person or via livestream:

Repeat each phrase silentlyafter the muezzin — except for the two calls "Ḥayyaʿalā-ṣ-ṣalāh" and "Ḥayyaʿalā-l-falāḥ." For those, say instead: Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh("There is no power except with Allah").
Send salah on the Prophet ﷺ after the Adhan ends: Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammad...
Recite the du'a of the Adhan, which earns the Prophet's intercession (Bukhari 614):
Allāhumma rabba hādhihi-d-daʿwati-t-tāmmah wa-ṣ-ṣalāti-l-qāʾimah, āti Muḥammadan al-wasīlata wal-faḍīlah, wabʿathhu maqāman maḥmūdan alladhī waʿadtah.
"O Allah, Lord of this complete call and the prayer to be established, grant Muhammad al-Wasilah and the highest rank, and raise him to the praised station You have promised him."

How are the times of the Adhan determined?

The Adhan is called when the prayer's time window begins, calculated from the sun's position. Fajr begins at true dawn (Subh Sadiq), Dhuhr at the sun's zenith, Asr when an object's shadow equals its height, Maghrib at sunset, and Isha when twilight fully disappears. Different calculation methods (ISNA, MWL, Umm Al-Qura, Karachi) vary by 5–20 minutes depending on the angle used for Fajr/Isha twilight. See our guide to calculation methods for details.

You can view the live Adhan time for any city using our Azan Time tool (auto-detects your location), or browse prayer times for any of 4,900+ cities worldwide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Adhan and Iqamah?: The Adhan is the FIRST call — announced from the minaret or PA system to alert the community that prayer time has begun. The Iqamah is the SECOND, shorter call recited inside the mosque immediately before the imam begins the prayer. The Iqamah adds the phrase 'Qad qāmat-iṣ-ṣalāh' (the prayer is now established) and most other lines are said only once instead of twice.
Why does the Fajr Adhan have an extra line?: The phrase 'Aṣ-ṣalātu khayrun min an-nawm' — 'Prayer is better than sleep' — is added twice in the Fajr Adhan only. It was instituted during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Bilal ibn Rabah, the first muezzin of Islam, added it on Fajr when he saw people sleeping past dawn. The Prophet approved it, and it became Sunnah.
Who first called the Adhan?: Bilal ibn Rabah, a freed Abyssinian slave and one of the earliest converts to Islam, was chosen by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the first muezzin in Madinah in 1 AH (622 CE). He was chosen for his beautiful, powerful voice. The wording of the Adhan was revealed in a dream to Abdullah ibn Zayd, confirmed by the Prophet, and Bilal performed the first Adhan from the rooftop of the Prophet's mosque.
Is Adhan called Azan or Adhan?: Both are correct. 'Adhan' is the more accurate transliteration of the Arabic word أَذَان. 'Azan' is the Persian/Urdu/Turkish pronunciation, common in South Asia, Iran, and Turkey. They refer to the same thing — the Islamic call to prayer. English-speaking Muslims use both interchangeably.
What should I say when I hear the Adhan?: Repeat each phrase silently after the muezzin, EXCEPT when he says 'Ḥayyaʿalā-ṣ-ṣalāh' and 'Ḥayyaʿalā-l-falāḥ' — instead say 'Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh' (there is no power except with Allah). After the Adhan ends, send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then recite the du'a of the Adhan: 'Allāhumma rabba hādhihi-d-daʿwati-t-tāmmah...' — narrated in Bukhari, it earns the Prophet's intercession on the Day of Judgment.
Can women call the Adhan?: The classical scholarly consensus is that the Adhan is for men in public mosques. Women may recite it in women-only spaces or quietly for their own prayer if there is no man present, but it is not obligatory for them. The reasoning is the public nature of the call and the requirement of a loud, projected voice.