Question:

What is the ruling on the muezzin saying “Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal” (Come to the best of deeds) in his Adhan?

​Answer:

The Adhan is an act of worship (‘ibadah), and the foundational rule regarding acts of worship is restriction to what has been legislated. It cannot be claimed that an action is legislated except with evidence from the Quran, the Sunnah, or consensus (ijma’). To claim that an act of worship is legislated without legal evidence is to speak about Allah without knowledge.

Allah the Exalted has said: “Say (O Muhammad): ‘(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawâhish (great evil sins and every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge.’“ [Al-A’raf: 33]

​And He (Glorified be He) said: “And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not) that of which you have no knowledge.” [Al-Isra: 36]

​The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: “Whoever performs an action that is not in accordance with our matter (Islam), it will be rejected.”

​Once this is understood, the authentic legal Adhan established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) consists of fifteen phrases, which are:

• Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest…)
• Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah (I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah)
• Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah (I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah)
• Hayya ‘ala as-salah, Hayya ‘ala as-salah (Come to prayer…)
• Hayya ‘ala al-falah, Hayya ‘ala al-falah (Come to success…)
• Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest…)
• La ilaha illallah (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah).

​This is what is authentically established: that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded Bilal to give the Adhan with it, as mentioned by the compilers of the Sunan and Musnads.

​The only exception is in the Fajr (dawn) Adhan, where it is established that the Prophet’s muezzin used to add after the Hay’alah (the calls to prayer and success): “As-salatu khayrun min an-nawm, As-salatu khayrun min an-nawm” (Prayer is better than sleep, Prayer is better than sleep). The four Imams agreed on the legitimacy of this because the Messenger’s tacit approval of this phrase from Bilal indicates that bringing it is legislated.

​As for the muezzin saying “Hayya ‘ala khayr al-‘amal” in the Fajr Adhan, it is not authentic, nor is it practiced by “the people of the Sunnah” (Ahl as-Sunnah); rather, this is among the innovations of the Rawafid (Shia). Whoever does it should be corrected to the extent necessary to stop them from introducing this addition into the Adhan.

And Allah is the Grantor of success. May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.