PRAYER SECTION · 41 – READING THE CALL TO PRAYER BEFORE TIME
From Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him: Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, had recited the call to prayer before dawn. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, turned to him and commanded him to repeat [it] and say, “Alert, the slave slept; alert, the slave slept.”
In the narration of Musa bin Ismail, he added the sentence: “[Bilal] turned and said, ‘Alert, the slave slept.’”
Abu Dawud says: This hadith is narrated from Ayyub by no one other than Hammad ibn Salama.
**Explanation:**
According to the scholars of Shafi’i, Maliki, and Ahmad bin Hanbal, the morning call to prayer can be recited before dawn.
According to Imam al-Azam, the morning call to prayer is like all other calls to prayer; it cannot be recited before its time. Because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Bilal, “Repeat [the call],” because he had recited the morning call to prayer before its time, he says. (Mealim al-Sunan, vol. 1, p. 286)
From Abdulaziz bin Abi Rawwaad:
He told me, and he reported from Naafi', who related from the mu'adhin of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), named Masruh. Masruh had recited the adhan before its time for the Fajr prayer. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered him to repeat the adhan, relating a similar narration as in the preceding hadith.
Abu Dawood said: This hadith was reported from Naafi' or someone else. Umar had a mu'adhin, whom he called Masruh or something similar.
Abu Dawood said: This is the hadith related by Dareswardi, who narrated it from Ubaydullah, from Naafi', from Ibn Umar, who said: Umar had a mu'adhin named Mas’ud. He mentioned a similar narration to the preceding one; this report is more authentic than that.
Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him, “Do not recite the adhan until the dawn becomes clear.” And he extended his two hands (horizontally) towards the horizon.
Abu Dawud said: The slave of Iyas, Shaddad, did not overtake Bilal.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) related:
(Abdullah ibn Ummi Maktoom, being blind, was the mu'adhdhin of the Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him].)
EXPLANATION
It is permissible for a blind person to recite the adhan without disapproval. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Abdullah ibn Ummi Maktoom as a second mu’adhdhin, particularly reciting the second adhan in the morning prayers.