The adhÁn
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allahu akbar
God is greater than being described.
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّه
Ash'hadu an la ilaaha ill'Allah
I testify that there is no god - deity - but Allah
أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
Ash'hadu anna Muhammadar Rasul'Allah
I testify that Muhammad ibn Abdellah(Peace be upon him and his progeny) is His messenger
حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ
Hayya alas salaat
Hasten to prayer
حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاح
Hayya alal falaah
Hasten to success
حَيَّ عَلَى خَيْرِ الْعَمَل
Hayya ala khairil amal
Hasten to the best of deeds
اللَّهُ أَكْبَر
Allahu akbar
God is greater than being described.
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّه
La ilaaha ill'Allah
There is no deity but Allah
The iqÁmah
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allahu akbar
God is greater than being described.
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّه
Ash'hadu an la ilaaha ill'Allah
I testify that there is no god - deity - but Allah.
أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
Ash'hadu anna Muhammadar Rasul'Allah
I testify that Muhammad ibn Abdellah(Peace be upon him and his progeny) is His messenger
حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ
Hayya alas salaat
Hasten to prayer
حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاح
Hayya alal falaah
Hasten to success
حَيَّ عَلَى خَيْرِ الْعَمَل
Hayya ala khairil amal
Hasten to the best of deeds
قَدْ قَامَتِ الصَّلَاة
Qad qaamatis salaat
Indeed prayer has been established
اللَّهُ أَكْبَر
Allahu akbar
God is greater than being described
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّه
La ilaaha ill'Allah
There is no deity but Allah
1590. Chewing food for a child or a bird, tasting the food or any similar act in which the food does not usually reach the throat, will not invalidate one’s fast, even if the food accidentally reaches the throat. However, if a person knows in advance or attains satisfaction that it will reach his throat, it will invalidate his fast and he will have to perform its qaÃÁ. In the event that it does in fact reach the throat, paying the kaffÁrah will also become obligatory on him.
1591. A person cannot break his fast due to weakness. However, should the weakness be to such a degree that it would be unbearable—in the common understanding—for the person, then there is no harm in breaking it.
929. There should not be major intervals between the sentences of adhÁn and iqÁmah. If the interval between two sentences is greater than what is deemed normal, one should start again from the beginning.
930. It is forbidden to pronounce the adhÁn or iqÁmah by turning the vocal cord of the throat in such a manner that the voice produced from the throat is deemed ghinÁ, the type of singing that is common in gatherings of vanity (lahw). If it is not deemed ghinÁ, it is makrÙh.
1592. Intercourse renders a fast invalid, even if penetration be only to the point of circumcision, and even if it is not accompanied with ejaculation. As for intercourse with someone other than a woman, wherein ejaculation does not occur, this ruling is based on precaution.
931. There are two obligatory prayers for which the adhÁn has not been canonically prescribed:
1. The ‘aÒr prayer at Arafat on the day of ‘Arafat, the 9th of Dhu al-Íijjah
2. The ‘ishÁ prayer on the night of ‘Ðd al-aÃÎÁ for one who is present in Mash‘ar al-ÍarÁm
The adhÁn is not canonically prescribed in the aforementioned prayers when there is no interval between it and the preceding prayer, or the interval between them is so minimal that it is commonly understood that the prayers have been combined.
1593. If the penetration does not reach the point of circumcision, and ejaculation does not occur either, the fast will not be invalidated.
932. If adhÁn or iqÁmah has been pronounced for a congregational prayer, one attending the congregational prayer should not individually pronounce them for his own prayer.
1594. If a person engages in intercourse intentionally, and has the intention of penetrating past the point of circumcision, but later doubts whether he penetrated to the point of circumcision or not, his fast will nonetheless be invalid and he will have to fast its qaÃÁ. Obligatory precaution dictates that the person should avoid the acts which invalidate his fast for the rest of the day. However, paying the kaffÁrah is not obligatory on him.
933. If a person goes to a mosque for congregational prayer and arrives after the congregational prayer is over, he cannot pronounce the adhÁn or iqÁmah for his prayer as long as the rows of the congregation have not broken up, and the people have not dispersed, given the conditions that shall be mentioned in the following article.
1595. If a person forgets that he is fasting, and engages in intercourse, or is forced to have intercourse, his fast is not invalidated. However, if he remembers in the midst of intercourse, or regains his volition thereat, he should immediately come out of the state of intercourse. Should he fail to do so, his fast will be invalidated.
1596. If a person who is fasting engages in masturbation—meaning that he engages in an act other than intercourse which causes semen to be emitted from him—his fast will be rendered invalid.
1597. If semen is emitted from a person non-volitionally, his fast in not invalidated.
1598. If a person who is fasting knows that should he sleep, he will experience a nocturnal ejaculation, it is permitted for him to sleep. In the event that he does ejaculate, his fast will not become void. The recommended precaution is that he should avoid going to sleep, especially in the case wherein the lack of sleep will not cause him any hardship.
1599. If a person who is fasting wakes up when ejaculation is taking place, he does not have to stop it.
934. If a person wishes to offer a prayer individually or with another congregation, in a place where a group of people are offering congregational prayer, or have just finished offering it but their rows have not yet broken up, the injunction for the adhÁn and iqÁmah is lifted from him given the following six conditions (this exemption is an omission, meaning that the adhÁn and iqÁmah should not be pronounced):
1. The congregational prayer should be in a mosque. Therefore, if it is not in a mosque, the injunction for the adhÁn and iqÁmah is not lifted.
2. The (other) congregation should have pronounced the adhÁn and iqÁmah for their prayer.
3. The congregational prayer should not be invalid.
4. The prayer of the person and that of the congregation should be in the same place. Therefore if the congregation is inside the premises of the mosque, while he intends to pray on the roof top, the injunction for the adhÁn or iqÁmah is not lifted from him.
5. Both the congregational and individual prayer should be with the intention of adÁ.
6. The person’s prayer and that of the congregation should share a common time. For example, both should be offering the Ûuhr prayer or the ‘aÒr prayer, or he should be offering Ûuhr while the congregation is offering ‘aÒr or vice versa.
935. If the person doubts the third condition in the aforementioned article, i.e. he doubts the validity of the prayer, the adhÁn and iqÁmah is annulled in his case. However, if he doubts whether the rows of the congregation have broken up or not, or doubts the realization of the other four conditions, and he is aware of the previous state, he must act according to it. For example, if a person doubts whether the rows of the congregation have broken up or not, due to the darkness of the night, he should assume they are intact. Another example is if he doubts whether the adhÁn or iqÁmah has been pronounced for the congregational prayer or not, he should as assume that they were not pronounced, and should pronounce them with the intention of performing a recommended act. In a case where the previous state is unknown, he may pronounce the adhÁn and iqÁmah with the intention of rajÁ’.
936. It is recommended for a person who hears the adhÁn to repeat each sentence he hears. However, in the case of the iqÁmah, the sentences, حيَّ عَلَى الصَّلاة “hasten to prayer” up till the sentence, “hasten to the best of deeds” should be repeated with the intention of rajÁ’. It is recommended to repeat the rest with the intention of it being dhikr.
937. If a person hears another pronouncing the adhÁn and iqÁmah, regardless of whether he repeated it with him or not, it is not necessary for him to pronounce them as long as a major interval has not elapsed between the adhÁn (and iqÁmah) and the prayer he intends to offer.
938. The adhÁn a man hears from a woman does not cause it to be annulled in his case, regardless of whether he listened to it with the intention of deriving pleasure or not.
1600. If a person who is fasting experiences a nocturnal ejaculation, he is permitted to urinate and perform istibrÁ‘, even if he knows that by doing so the semen that has remained within urethra may be emitted as well.
939. The adhÁn and iqÁmah for congregational prayer should be pronounced by a man. However, it is sufficient for a woman to pronounce them for a congregational prayer that is comprised solely of women.
940. The iqÁmah should be pronounced after the adhÁn, and if it is pronounced prior to the adhÁn, it is not valid. Additionally, the following conditions are sanctioned in the iqÁmah: pronouncing it whilst standing, and being in the state of ÔahÁrah from Îadath (through wuÃÙ, ghusl or tayammum).
1601. If a person who is fasting experiences a nocturnal ejaculation, and knows that some seminal fluid has remained within the urethra, which will be emitted after he performs ghusl if he does not urinate prior to performing ghusl, then obligatory precaution will dictate that he urinate prior to performing ghusl..
941. If the sentences of the adhÁn or iqÁmah are not pronounced in their proper sequence—for example, if one pronounces the sentence حَيَّ عَلَى الفَلاحِ before حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلاة—he should repeat the adhÁn from where the sequence was disturbed.
1602. If a person who knows that intentionally causing semen to be ejaculated invalidates one’s fast, proceeds to—for example—engage in foreplay with his wife with the intention of ejaculating, his fast will be invalidated even if he does not eventually ejaculate. He will have to fast its qaÃÁ, and based on obligatory precaution he should refrain from committing all the acts which invalidate a fast for the rest of the day.
942. There should not be a large passage of time between the adhÁn and iqÁmah. If the passage of time between the two is such that the pronounced adhÁn is no longer considered the adhÁn for the iqÁmah concerned, it is recommended to repeat both. It is similarly recommended to repeat them if the passage of time between them and the prayer is such that it is no longer deemed the adhÁn and iqÁmah for the prayer concerned..
1603. If a person who is fasting engages—for example—in foreplay with his wife, without the intention of ejaculating, his fast will be in order even if he accidentally ejaculates, as long as he was initially confident that he would not ejaculate. However, if he was not confident of it, and incidentally ejaculates, his fast will be rendered void.
943. The adhÁn and iqÁmah should be pronounced in correct Arabic. If therefore, they are pronounced in erroneous Arabic, or if a letter is pronounced in place of another, or if one pronounces its English translation, it is not valid.
