al-Mufid fi Taqrib Ahkam al-Adhan
- Author died
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- Editions
- Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da'wah and Guidance - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
al-Mufid fi Taqrib Ahkam al-Adhan (The Useful Guide in Facilitating the Rulings of the Call to Prayer) is a legal treatise compiled by Muhammad al-Arifi, presenting a collection of juridical questions and answers on the Islamic call to prayer (adhan) and the second call to prayer (iqamah), as answered by the Saudi scholar Abdullah ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Jibreen .
Composition and Purpose
The book was conceived to provide practical, realistic legal guidance concerning the call to prayer rather than theoretical or rare hypothetical cases found in extended legal compendia . Muhammad al-Arifi devised realistic questions, posed them verbally to Ibn Jibreen, recorded the answers on tape, transcribed them, and documented the cited hadiths with their textual references . All the included rulings and observations were subsequently reviewed and verified by Ibn Jibreen himself .
Al-Arifi completed the compilation in Riyadh on 11 Jumada al-Ula 1414 AH, intending it to be part of a broader series of legal treatises covering topics such as travel and funerals . Ibn Jibreen provided a written endorsement for the book on 1 Jumada al-Thaniyah 1414 AH, commending its realistic approach, clear question-and-answer format, and utility for both muadhdhins and general worshippers .
Structure and Content
The work opens with an introductory section citing prophetic traditions on the virtues of the call to prayer and the status of callers to prayer . The main text is structured in a question-and-answer format across seven numbered parts:
- Conditions of the Adhan and the Muadhdhin (Shurūt al-adhān wa-l-muʾadhdhin): covering obligations, continuity, order of phrases, timing, and conditions for repeating the call .
- Wordings of the Adhan and Their Rulings (Alfāẓ al-adhān wa-aḥkāmuhā): addressing forgotten phrases, differing narrated formulations, and repetition techniques such as tarjīʿ .
- Manner of the Caller During the Adhan (Ṣifat al-muʾadhdhin athnāʾ al-adhān): treating caller qualifications, standing, facing the qiblah, placing fingers in the ears, and modern adaptations like using microphones .
- Rulings on Circumstances Facing the Responder (Aḥkām mā yaʿriḍu li-mujīb al-muʾadhdhin) .
- Invalidators and Disliked Matters of the Adhan (Mubṭilāt al-adhān wa-makrūhātuh): including excessive melodic cantillation (taṭrīb), ungrounded innovations, and taking wages .
- Rulings on Answering the Adhan and the Iqamah (Aḥkām ijābat al-adhān wa-l-iqāmah): concerning the manner, rulings, and formulas of repeating the call after the muadhdhin .
- Miscellaneous Rulings (Fatāwā mutafarriqah): addressing comparative virtues of leading prayer versus calling the adhan, the first call for Friday prayer, calling adhan in circumstances such as distress, and calling the adhan and iqamah in the ears of a newborn child .
Common Errors and Irregularities
The work concludes with an appendix outlining common mistakes and ritual irregularities committed by callers and listeners . These include excessive musical modulation (taṭrīb and talḥīn), linguistic and phonological distortions (such as incorrect elongation that turns statements into questions), inaccuracies in observing prayer times (either calling too early or delaying), and reciting unprescribed formulas over loudspeakers before or after the adhan .
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