Where Should the Adhān Be Given Before the Friday Sermon?
Source: Fatāwā ‘Ilmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Adhān, Page 249
Question:
Where should the Adhān be given before the sermon on Friday?
(Asked by: Ḥāfiẓ Shafīq Bāgh, Azad Kashmir)
The Adhān in the Time of the Prophet ﷺ
In an authentic narration from Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, transmitted by Ibn Abī Dhīb from al-Zuhrī from al-Sā’ib ibn Yazīd رضي الله عنه, it is stated:
“كَانَ النِّدَاءُ يَوْمَ الجُمُعَةِ أَوَّلُهُ إِذَا جَلَسَ الإِمَامُ عَلَى المِنْبَرِ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ…..الخ”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Vol. 1, p. 134, Ḥadīth 912)
❖ “(During the time of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ), the first call (Adhān) on the day of Jumu‘ah would be given when the Imām sat on the Minbar…”
This narration is also reported by Imām Ṭabarānī with the chain of Sulaimān al-Taymī from al-Zuhrī from al-Sā’ib, as follows:
“كَانَ النِّدَاءُ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ أَوَّلُهُ إِذَا جَلَسَ الْإِمَامُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا”
(al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr, Vol. 7, pp. 146–147, Ḥadīth 6646)
❖ “During the era of the Prophet ﷺ, Abū Bakr, and ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما, the Adhān for Jumu‘ah was given near the Minbar.”
Reliability of the Narrators
☑ Sulaimān al-Taymī is classified as ṯiqah ʿābid (trustworthy and devout)
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, Ḥadīth 2575)
☑ According to Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله, the accusation of tadlīs against him is incorrect
(al-Nukat ʿalā Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ, Vol. 2, pp. 637–638)
❖ However, based on authentic research, he was considered a mudallis
(Tārīkh Ibn Maʿīn, Riwāyah al-Dūrī, Ḥadīth 3600)
✔ This position has also been clarified in my book:
“al-Fatḥ al-Mubīn fī Taḥqīq Ṭabaqāt al-Mudallīsīn” (p. 42)
❖ Due to tadlīs, this narration is classified as weak (ḍaʿīf)
The Weak Narration: Adhān at the Door of the Mosque?
In Sunan Abī Dāwūd, there is a narration by Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq from al-Zuhrī from al-Sā’ib, stating:
“كان يؤذن بين يدي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا جلس على المنبر يوم الجمعة على باب المسجد…..الخ”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Ḥadīth 1088)
❖ “In front of the Prophet ﷺ, when he sat on the Minbar on the day of Jumu‘ah, the Adhān would be given at the door of the mosque.”
This narration is weak and rejected (munkar) for the following reasons:
① Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq is a ṣadūq (truthful) and ḥasan al-ḥadīth, but also notoriously known for tadlīs
② The narration is transmitted with ‘an (‘عن’), indicating tadlīs, which makes it weak
③ It contradicts the authentic narration in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī
❖ The Correct Position: Where Should the Adhān Be Given?
✔ The most authentic and correct position is that the Adhān for Jumu‘ah should be given near the Minbar,
not at the door of the mosque.
🗓 [Reference: Shahādat Magazine, December 2000]
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
