Thursday 18 Ramadan 1445 - 28 March 2024
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Is it Sunnah for the one who is praying alone to recite the adhan, and should he say “al-salaatu khayrun min al-nawm (prayer is better than sleep)”?

Question

 

Sometimes I set the alarm clock so that I can wake up for Fajr prayer, then I do not wake up for it. When I wake up from sleep, I get up and give the call to prayer then I give the iqaamah and pray. 
My question is: with regard to the adhan, should I say, “al-salaatu khayrun min al-nawm (prayer is better than sleep)” or not? Because the time when I say the adhan is not Fajr? And should I offer the prayer with recitation out loud or quietly? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly: 

For one who is praying on his own, the adhan is Sunnah, but it is prescribed for him to do it in the case of a prayer that is being made up, and he should perform it in full. So if it is adhan for Fajr prayer, he should say, “al-salaatu khayrun min al-nawm (prayer is better than sleep)” twice, because it is part of the adhan that is prescribed (for that prayer). The fact that giving the adhan is Sunnah for one who is praying alone is the report narrated by al-Bukhari (609) from ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Sa‘sa‘ah al-Ansaari from his father, who told him that Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri said to him: I see that you love sheep and the wilderness. When you are with your sheep or in your wilderness and you give the call to prayer, then raise your voice with the call, for no jinn or man or anything within the voice range of the muezzin hears the call, but it will bear witness for him on the Day of Resurrection.” Abu Sa’eed said: I heard this from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on giving the adhan and iqaamah for one who is praying on his own? 

He replied: Giving the adhan and iqaamah is Sunnah for one who is praying on his own, and they are not obligatory, because he does not have anyone with him to call with the adhan. But because the adhan is remembrance and veneration of Allah, and is a call to himself to prayer and prosperity, (it is Sunnah) and the iqaamah, likewise, is also Sunnah. The fact that it is mustahabb to give the adhan is indicated by what is said in the hadeeth of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “Your Lord wonders at a shepherd at the top of a mountain who gives a call to prayer, and Allah says: ‘Look at this slave of Mine giving the adhan and iqaamah for prayer and fearing Me. I have forgiven My slave and granted him admittance to Paradise.’” End quote from Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 12/161 

It says in Fatawa al-Lajnah al-‘Daa’imah (6/61): When giving the adhan for Fajr prayer, the muezzin says in the adhan, ‘al-salaatu khayrun min al-nawm (prayer is better than sleep)”. If I am on my own and not in a group, should I say ‘al-salaatu khayrun min al-nawm’ in the adhan or not? 

Answer: Yes, you should say it, because it makes no difference with regard to the adhan whether one is giving the adhan on one's own or with other people around, and because this is part of the phrases of the adhan that are prescribed for the adhan of Fajr. End quote. 

Secondly: 

It is Sunnah to recite out loud in Fajr prayer and in the first two rak‘ahs of Maghrib and ‘Isha’, both for the imam and the one who is praying on his own. 

So if you pray Fajr on your own, you should recite out loud. 

See also the answer to question no. 6130

And Allah knows best.

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Source: Islam Q&A