Is It Permissible to Prolong the Adhan? Ruling and Evidences

◈ Is It Permissible for the Mu’adhdhin to Prolong the Adhān? Explanation and Evidences ◈
Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 317

❖ Question​

Is a mu’adhdhin (caller to prayer) allowed to give a lengthy adhān?

❖ Answer​

Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!

✿ Ruling on Lengthening the Adhān​

✔ It is permissible and recommended to give the adhān with moderate prolongation, but it is impermissible to unnecessarily extend it excessively.

❖ Why Excessive Length is Prohibited​

① If the adhān is stretched unnecessarily for 5 to 10 minutes:

• Listeners become bored or irritated
• People may stop responding to the adhān
• They lose out on the reward of repeating the adhān
• The mu’adhdhin becomes blameworthy for causing this deprivation

② If the words are dragged without need:

• It can cause distortion of letters and meanings
• Such verbal alteration (taḥrīf) is a violation of Sharīʿah

Therefore, only a moderate, clear, and deliberate recitation is encouraged — not excessive elongation.

✿ Supporting Ḥadīth​

From Jābir (رضي الله عنه):


«يَا بِلَالُ، إِذَا أَذَّنْتَ فَتَرَسَّلْ فِي أَذَانِكَ، وَإِذَا أَقَمْتَ فَاحْدُرْ»
“O Bilāl! When you give the adhān, deliver it slowly and clearly; and when you give the iqāmah, say it quickly and smoothly.”
(Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī)

❖ Status of This Ḥadīth​

✿ This ḥadīth is weak (ḍaʿīf).

• Imām al-Tirmidhī said:
  “We only know this narration from ʿAbd al-Munʿim, and the chain is unknown (majhūl).”
• Another narrator, ʿAmr ibn Wāqid, is also weak:
  
  • Imām al-Dāraqutnī: “He is matrūk (abandoned).”
  • Imām Ibn ʿAdī: “His narrations are written down with awareness of their weakness.”

❖ Additional Weak Narrations​

This ḥadīth has two other supporting chains, but both are also weak:


➊ From Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) — reported by Abū al-Shaykh
➋ From Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (رضي الله عنه) — narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn Aḥmad

✿ Meaning Supported by General Principles​

Even though all chains are weak, the meaning of the ḥadīth is supported by the objectives of adhān:


✔ The adhān is intended to announce the time of prayer to those not yet present, so:

• It should be clear, deliberate, and calm
• Each phrase should be distinct, so it's heard and understood

✔ The iqāmah, by contrast, is for those already present:

• Therefore, it should be read quickly, without unnecessary pauses

➡ This concept is supported by practice and logic, which is why Imām al-Ḥākim also leaned toward authenticating the meaning of this narration
(See: Taqrīb al-Ruwāt, Sharḥ al-Mishkāt, Vol. 1, p. 114)

❖ Summary of the Ruling​

It is permissible and recommended to:

• Lengthen the adhān moderately, for clarity and benefit
• Pause between phrases, ensuring clarity and attention

It is impermissible to:

• Overextend the adhān without need
• Drag words in a way that causes:
  
  • Loss of meaning
  • Deformation of letters
  • Boredom among listeners
  • Neglect in responding to the adhān

⚠ Possible Negative Outcomes of Unnecessary Length​

◈ Listeners stop responding, missing out on rewards
◈ Distortion of words and meaning occurs
◈ Riyā’ (showing off) may arise from melodious elongation


ھٰذَا مَا عِنْدِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ