Correct Placement of “Al-Ṣalātu Khayrun Mina al-Nawm” in the Fajr Adhān
Source: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām
Question:
Should the words “Al-Ṣalātu Khayrun Mina al-Nawm” be said in the first adhān of Fajr or in the second?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
These words should be said in the first adhān, as proven by the authentic ḥadīth:
«فَاِذَا أَذَّنْتَ أَذَانَ الصُّبْحِ الْأَوَّلِ فَقُلْ: الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ النَّوْمِ»
(Musnad Aḥmad 3/408)
Translation: “When you give the first adhān of Fajr, say: ‘Prayer is better than sleep.’”
Meaning of “First Adhān” in the Ḥadīth
In this context, “first adhān” means the main adhān of Fajr given after the actual time of Fajr begins.
The “second adhān” here refers to the iqāmah, because in Sharīʿah the term adhān can also refer to iqāmah, as in the Prophet’s ﷺ statement:
«بَيْنَ كُلِّ أَذَانَيْنِ صَلَاةٌ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 627; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 838)
Meaning: “Between every two adhāns there is a prayer.” — here two adhāns means adhān and iqāmah.
Clarification on Pre-Fajr Adhān
The adhān given before Fajr time begins (as Bilāl رضي الله عنه used to do) is not the Fajr prayer adhān; it is meant to wake people, remind them for suḥūr, and signal those in night prayer to conclude.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«إِنَّ بِلَالًا يُؤَذِّنُ بِلَيْلٍ لِيُوقِظَ نَائِمَكُمْ وَيَرْجِعَ قَائِمَكُمْ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 621; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1092)
Summary Ruling
- “Al-Ṣalātu Khayrun Mina al-Nawm” belongs in the main Fajr adhān after Fajr time begins, not in the iqāmah, and not in the pre-Fajr wake-up adhān.
- The word “khayr” (better) in this phrase is not restricted to voluntary acts; in the Qur’ān it is also used for obligatory acts like ṣalāh and jihād.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
