Can the Imam Give the Adhan?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
Can the Imam himself give the Adhan?
❖ Answer:
Yes, it is valid and correct for the Imam to give the Adhan.
Evidence
❀ Sayyiduna ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA) said:
لَوْ أَطَقْتُ الْأَذَانَ مَعَ الْخِلِّيفى لَأَذَنْتُ.
“If along with the responsibilities of the caliphate I had the ability, I would certainly give the Adhan.”
(al-Ṣalāh by Abū Nuʿaym: 193; Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 2334, chain authentic)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله) said:
إسناد جيد قوي.
“The chain of this narration is good and strong.”
(Kitāb al-Aḥkām al-Kabīr: 1/195)
This shows that the Imam may also give the Adhan, since ʿUmar (RA) himself used to lead the prayer in Masjid al-Nabawi and had the desire to call the Adhan, but due to the responsibilities of the caliphate he could not.
Furthermore, Adhan is an act of righteousness legislated for every Muslim. There is no evidence prohibiting the Imam from giving the Adhan.
Scholarly Consensus
❀ Imam al-Nawawī (رحمه الله, 676H) quoting from Qāḍī Abū Ṭayyib (رحمه الله) stated:
أجمع المسلمون على جواز كون المؤذن إماما واستحبابه .
“The Muslims are unanimous on the permissibility of the mu’adhdhin also being the Imam, and on its recommendation.”
(al-Majmūʿ: 3/80)
Weak Contrary Report
There is no reliable evidence against this consensus.
❀ A narration from Sayyiduna Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh (RA) states:
نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يكون الإمام مؤذنا
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade that the Imam should also be the mu’adhdhin.”
(al-Sunan al-Kubrā al-Bayhaqī: 1/433)
But its chain is very weak:
① Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAmr ibn Najīḥ Abū Isḥāq al-Kūfī is weak.
② Jaʿfar ibn Ziyād is also weak.
❀ Ḥāfiẓ al-Bayhaqī (رحمه الله) said:
هذا حديث إسناده ضعيف بمرة .
“This Hadith has a chain that is extremely weak.”
Conclusion:It is permissible and correct for the Imam to give the Adhan. In fact, there is consensus on its permissibility, and the narration opposing it is very weak.
