Hadith 621
Call to Prayers (Adhaan)
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ التَّيْمِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " لاَ يَمْنَعَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ ـ أَوْ أَحَدًا مِنْكُمْ ـ أَذَانُ بِلاَلٍ مِنْ سَحُورِهِ، فَإِنَّهُ يُؤَذِّنُ ـ أَوْ يُنَادِي ـ بِلَيْلٍ، لِيَرْجِعَ قَائِمَكُمْ وَلِيُنَبِّهَ نَائِمَكُمْ، وَلَيْسَ أَنْ يَقُولَ الْفَجْرُ أَوِ الصُّبْحُ ". وَقَالَ بِأَصَابِعِهِ وَرَفَعَهَا إِلَى فَوْقُ وَطَأْطَأَ إِلَى أَسْفَلُ حَتَّى يَقُولَ هَكَذَا. وَقَالَ زُهَيْرٌ بِسَبَّابَتَيْهِ إِحْدَاهُمَا فَوْقَ الأُخْرَى ثُمَّ مَدَّهَا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَشِمَالِهِ.
Translation
Narrated `Abdullah bin Mas`ud:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The Adhan pronounced by Bilal should not stop you from taking Suhur, for he pronounces the Adhan at night, so that the one offering the late night prayer (Tahajjud) from among you might hurry up and the sleeping from among you might wake up. It does not mean that dawn or morning has started." Then he (the Prophet) pointed with his fingers and raised them up (towards the sky) and then lowered them (towards the earth) like this (Ibn Mas`ud imitated the gesture of the Prophet). Az-Zuhri gestured with his two index fingers which he put on each other and then stretched them to the right and left. These gestures illustrate the way real dawn appears. It spreads left and right horizontally. The dawn that appears in the high sky and lowers down is not the real dawn
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 621
More from Call to Prayers (Adhaan)
Narrated Anas:The people mentioned the fire and the bell (they suggested those as signals to indicate the starting of prayers), and by that they mentioned the Jews and the Christians. Then Bilal was ordered to pronounce Adhan for the prayer by saying its wordings twice, and for the Iqama (the call for the actual standing for the prayers in rows) by saying its wordings once. (Iqama is pronounced when the people are ready for the prayer)
Hadith 604Narrated Ibn `Umar:When the Muslims arrived at Medina, they used to assemble for the prayer, and used to guess the time for it. During those days, the practice of Adhan for the prayers had not been introduced yet. Once they discussed this problem regarding the call for prayer. Some people suggested the use of a bell like the Christians, others proposed a trumpet like the horn used by the Jews, but `Umar was the first to suggest that a man should call (the people) for the prayer; so Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered Bilal to get up and pronounce the Adhan for prayers
Hadith 605Narrated Anas:Bilal was ordered to repeat the wording of the Adhan for prayers twice, and to pronounce the wording of the Iqama once except "Qad-qamat-is-salat
Hadith 606Narrated Anas bin Malik:When the number of Muslims increased they discussed the question as to how to know the time for the prayer by some familiar means. Some suggested that a fire be lit (at the time of the prayer) and others put forward the proposal to ring the bell. Bilal was ordered to pronounce the wording of Adhan twice and of the Iqama once only