The call to prayer (adhan)

The adhan is, in language, an announcement; in the law, the announcement of the time of an obligatory prayer with fixed, transmitted words in a prescribed form. ¹

The iqama is the announcement of standing to prayer in fixed words; tathwib is the return to announcing after announcing — the added "prayer is better than sleep" twice in the dawn call by agreement, or the added hay'ala phrases between adhan and iqama per the Hanafis. ¹

The jurists agree the adhan is one of Islam's distinguishing public rites — if a town's people agreed to abandon it they would be fought — but differ on its ruling: a communal obligation (fard kifaya) for the Hanbalis in residence and the Malikis for town residents, and a Shafi'i view; an emphatic sunna per the Hanafis and the sounder Shafi'i view. ^{1 2}

The Sheikh says that at the call to come to prayer we say there is no power and no strength save with God, because there are many obstacles on the way to prayer ³. He lists among them devils, distractions, the road and transport, work, an important phone call and the stock-market prices ³.

He holds that at the call to prayer the servant admits his weakness and draws power and strength from God ⁴. He says that the call to success is a call to be among the successful, and that if God were to punish all the people of the earth none would be saved except the people of the mosques (needs_source) ⁴.