The Sunnah of repeating the Iqamah
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ : إِذَا سَمِعْتُمُ النِّدَاءَ فَقُولُوا مِثْلَ ما يَقُولُ
Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri (radi Allahu anhu) narrated Allah’s Messenger (sallAllahu alayhi wa salam) said: “When you hear the summons, say the same words as he is saying.”[1]
Scholarly discussions for this issue:
- It’s Sunnah to repeat after the Athan and the Iqamah. This is view from the majority of the scholars, including the four imams.[2]
- Imam Al-Haramain Abdul Malik Al-Juwaynee (478H) said: “It’s Sunnah to repeat after Athan and the Iqamah”[3]
- Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali said: The wording for the above hadeeth includes the Athan and the Iqamah. Both of these are the calls to prayer which come from the Mu’athin.[4]
- It is sunnah for the person who hears the Iqamah to say the same words he says. This is because the Iqamah is the second call to prayer. Therefore he responds to it the same way he responds to the Athan. When he hears ,” Haya ala Salah, Haya Alal falah, he says, “ La Hawla wala Quwatta illah billaah. When the Mu’athin says, ” Qad Qammatis Salah, He should say the exact same words and avoid saying, ” Aqeemaha Allahu wa Adeemaha- [May Allah establish it and cause it to continue.] Reason being, the words for this are from an unauthentic hadeeth. Moreover what’s authentic is the hadeeth, “When you hear the call to prayer, say the same words he’s saying.” This hadeeth covers the Athan and Iqamah, so both are called the call to prayer. Then after the Mu’athin finishes, he should say, ““Allahumma rabba hazihi ad-d’awati-t-taammati was-salati al-qaa-imati….. to the end of this supplication. We aren’t aware of anything authentically reported which should be said between the Iqamah and Takbir.[5]
Translated and compiled by
Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle Sr.
Doha, Qatar 1434 ©
[1] Collected by Bukhari (611) and Muslim (383)
[2] Naylul Ma’rib fee Tahtheeb sharh Ummdahtul Talib by Abdullah Al-Bassam and Al-Mughni Ibn Quddamah
[3] Nihiyah Al-Matlab, Vol 2/pg 55
[4] Fathul Bari
[5] al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah lil-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wal-Iftaa