Abu Mahdhurah reported; I said; Messenger of Allah, teach me the method of ADHAN (how to pronounce the call to prayer). He wiped my forehead (with his hand) and asked me to pronounce; Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great, raising your voice while saying them (these words). Then you must raise your voice in making the testimony: I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Lowering your voice while saying them (these words). Then you must raise your voice in making the testimony: I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify there is no god but Allah; I testify Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer, come to prayer; come to salvation, come to salvation. If it is the morning prayer, you must pronounce; prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep, Allah is most great; there is no god but Allah.

Abdullah bin Zaid reported: when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered a bell to be made so that it might be struck to gather the people for prayer, a man carrying a bell in his hand appeared to me while I was asleep, and I said; servant of Abdullah, will you sell the bell? He asked; what will you do with it? I replied; we shall use it to call the people to prayer. He said; should I not suggest you something better than that. I replied: certainly. Then he told me to say: Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to pray, come to pray; come to salvation; come to salvation. Allah is most great, Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah. He then moved backward a few steps and said: when you utter the IQAMAH, you should say: Allah is most great, Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer, come to salvation. The time for prayer has come, the time for prayer has come: Allah is most great, Allah is most great. There is no god but Allah. When the morning came, I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and informed him of what I had seen in the dream. He said: it is a genuine vision, and he then should use it to call people to prayer, for he has a louder voice than you have. So I got up along with Bilal and began to teach it to him and he used it in making the call to prayer. Umar bin al-khattab (Allah be pleased with him) heard it while he was in his house and came out trailing his cloak and said: Messenger of Allah. By him who has sent you with the truth, I have also seen the kind of thing as has been shown to him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: To Allah be the praise. Abu Dawud said; Al-Zuhri narrated this tradition in a similar way from Saeed bin al-Musayyib on the authority of Abdullah bin Zaid. In this version Ibn Ishaq narrated from al-Zuhri: Allah is most great. Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great. Ma;mar and yunus narrated from al-Zuhri; Allah is most great, Allah is most great. They did not report it twice again.

Abu Mahdhurah also narrated this tradition from the prophet ﷺ to the same effect through a different chain of transmitters. This version has the additional wordings. The phrases “prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep” are to be pronounced in the first ADHAN (i. e., not in Iqamah) of the morning prayer. Abu Dawud said; The version narrated by Musaddad is more clear. It reads: He (the prophet) taught me IQAMAH (to pronounce each phrase) twice: Allah is most great. Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah: come to prayer, come to prayer: come to salvation, come to salvation: Allah is most great. Allah is great; there is no god but Allah. Abu Dawud said: The narrator Abd al-Razzaq said; You pronounce IQAMAH for announcing the prayer; you must say twice: the time for prayer has come, the time for prayer has come. (The Prophet said to Abu Mahdhurah): did you listen (to me)? Abu Mahdhurah would not have the hair of his forehead cut, nor would he separate them (from him) because the Prophet ﷺ wiped over them.

Abu Mahdhurah reported ; The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught him nineteen phrases in ADHAN and seventeen phrases in IQAMAH. ADHAN runs; Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great; I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is Messenger of Allah: come to prayer, come to prayer, come to salvation; Allah is most great, Allah is most great: there is no god but Allah. IQAMAH runs: Allah is most great, Allah is most great. Allah is most great, Allah is most great: I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; come to prayer; come to prayer: come to salvation. Come to salvation; the time for prayer has come the time for prayer has come: Allah is most great, Allah is most great: there is no god but Allah. This is recorded in his collection (i. e., in the collection of the narrator Hammam bin Yahya) according to the tradition reported by Abu Mahdhurah (i. e., IQAMAH contains seventeen phrases)

Abu Mahdurah reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself taught me the call to prayer (adhan). He asked me to pronounce: Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great. Allah is most great: I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is Messenger of Allah. Then repeat and raise your voice; I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah ; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; come to prayer, come to prayer; come to salvation, come to salvation; Allah is most great. Allah is most great; there is no god but Allah.

Abu Mahdhurah reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me the call to prayer (adhan) verbatim; Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great, Allah is most great; I testify that there is no god but Allah, I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; come to prayer, come to prayer; come to salvation, come to salvation. He used to pronounce “prayer is better than sleep” in the dawn prayer.