❖ Can a Woman Call the Adhan?
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
✦ Scholarly Opinions on Women Giving Adhan
Imam Nawawi (رحمه الله) has documented three scholarly views regarding this issue:
➊ Iqamah is recommended for women, but Adhan is not.
This view states that Adhan is meant to announce the time of prayer, which inherently requires a loud and public voice. Since a woman raising her voice publicly may lead to temptation (fitnah), Adhan is not recommended for women. However, saying the Iqamah softly in private settings is considered mustahabb (recommended).
Hazrat Ibn Umar (رضی اللہ عنہما) used to say:
"وليس على النساء آذان و أما أن الإقامة تستحب"
"Adhan is not obligatory for women, but Iqamah is recommended."
➋ Neither Adhan nor Iqamah is valid for women.
This viewpoint argues that since Adhan is not prescribed for women due to the public nature of the call, Iqamah too follows suit and is likewise not valid.
➌ Both Adhan and Iqamah are recommended for women.
This opinion is supported by the practice of Hazrat Aisha (رضی اللہ عنہا):
"آنـهـا كــانــت تـؤذن و تقيم"
"She used to give the Adhan and also say the Iqamah."
[Al-Majmoo‘ 3/146–147]
✦ Views of Renowned Scholars
❖ Ibn Hazm (رحمه الله):
Women are not obligated to give Adhan or Iqamah, but if they do so, it is permissible and better.
The reasoning is that the command of Adhan was given to those upon whom congregational prayer is obligatory, as in the hadith:
"فليؤذن لكم أحدكم وليو مكم أكبر كم"
And this command does not include women.
Still, both Adhan and Iqamah are forms of dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and uttering them at their proper times is commendable.
He further narrates from Ibn Jurayj through Ata that:
"A woman may say the Iqamah for herself,"
and Imam Tawus (رحمه الله) stated that:
"Hazrat Aisha (رضی اللہ عنہا) used to say both the Adhan and the Iqamah."
[Al-Muhalla 3/129]
❖ Shawkani (رحمه الله):
The apparent ruling is that women are similar to men in this matter because they are “Shaqaa’iq al-Rijaal” (counterparts of men), and the ruling for men also applies to them.
No authentic evidence exists to exempt them from this command. Existing narrations lack reliability due to weak narrators, hence cannot be used as proof.
If sound evidence is found that excludes women, that is acceptable; otherwise, they share the ruling with men.
[As-Sayl al-Jarrar 1/197–198]
❖ Ibn Baz (رحمه الله):
Among the scholarly opinions, the most correct is that:
"It is not prescribed for women to give the Adhan."
[Al-Fatawa al-Islamiyyah 1/326]
✦ Practical Application & Precaution
✔ It is clearly impermissible for women to give the Adhan in mosques like men, or in places where their voice may be heard by non-mahram men.
✔ However, if there is a private gathering of only women, and there is no risk of their voice reaching non-mahram men, then a woman may give the Adhan in a soft voice, as demonstrated by the practice of:
"أنها كانت تؤذن وتقيم"
"She (Aisha رضي الله عنها) used to give the Adhan and say the Iqamah."
[Al-Bayhaqi 1/408, Al-Hakim 1/203, ‘Abd al-Razzaq 3/126, Ibn Abi Shaybah 1/223]
❖ Albani (رحمه الله):
Reports like these and similar ones are valid for practical implementation.
[Tamam al-Minnah, p. 154]
✔ Conclusion:
◈ Majority of scholars agree that Adhan is not obligatory upon women.
◈ In private women's gatherings, Adhan and Iqamah may be performed softly without raising the voice publicly.
◈ Hazrat Aisha (رضی اللہ عنہا)’s practice is often cited as precedent for permissibility within limits.
◈ In public or mixed settings, women should refrain from giving the Adhan to avoid fitnah.
والله أعلم
