Don't Forget the Iqamah, Even If Praying Alone!

One of the Sunnah (recommended practices) that is often neglected before the prayer (salat) is the iqamah, even if the prayer is performed alone (munfarid). Especially when traveling (safar). How many people tend to underestimate this sunnah, whether due to ignorance or simply neglect. There are also some people who assume that iqamah is only valid when praying in congregation (jama’ah). But this is not the case. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

“When a man is in a vast land, and the time for prayer arrives, he should perform wudu (ablution). If he does not find water, he should perform tayammum (dry ablution). If he performs the iqamah, his two angels will pray with him. If he calls the adzan (call to prayer) and performs the iqamah, the army of Allah (the angels) whose ends (of the rows/ranks) cannot be seen (due to their vast number) will pray behind him.” (Reported by Abdur-Razzaq in Al-Mushannaf: 1955 and At-Thabarani in Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir: 6120 from Salman Al-Farisi) Imam Nafi’, the mawla (freed slave/client) of Ibn Umar, said,

“Indeed Abdullah bin Umar never added more than the iqamah during his travel (safar) except for the Fajr prayer. Because for that prayer, he would perform the adzan and the iqamah.” (Reported by Malik in Al-Muwattha 2/100) Due to the importance of the iqamah, some of the salaf (early Muslims) even made it a condition for the validity of the prayer(shart sihhatis-salat), such that if it was omitted, the prayer must be repeated, as affirmed by some students of the companion Ibn Abbas, such as Imam Atha bin Abi Rabah and Imam Mujahid bin Jabr.[1] This opinion was followed by Ibn Kinanah from the companions of Imam Malik and supposedly also the opinion of Imam Al-Awza’i.[2] However, Mujahid specified it only for prayer during travel (safar).[3] Atha bin Abi Rabah said,

“There is no valid prayer except with the iqamah.” (Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah in Al-Mushannaf: 2275) Some other scholars hold that the iqamah is obligatory (wajib) without making it a condition for the validity of the prayer. This is the apparent opinion of Imam Malik.[4] It is also the opinion of Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh, specifically for prayer during travel (safar).[5] While the Zhahiri school made the iqamah a condition for the validity of congregational prayer, meaning that congregational prayer is invalid if not preceded by the iqamah absolutely.[6] Meanwhile, Imam Al-Bukhari, followed by Imam Ibn Al-Mundhir, made the iqamah obligatory for congregational prayer without making it a condition for the validity of the prayer.[7] Imam Ibn Qasim said,

Ibn Wahb said, “I asked Malik about a person who prayed without iqamah due to forgetfulness?” He replied, “There is no obligation upon him.” I asked again, “What if he did it intentionally?” Malik replied, “He should seek forgiveness (istighfar) from Allah and there is no obligation upon him.” (Al-Mudawwanah 1/160) Imam Ibn Al-Qatthan Al-Fasi attributed the view that the iqamah is obligatory without being a condition for the validity of the prayer to the jumhur(majority of scholars). If Al-Fasi meant the jumhur (majority) of the salaf, then this might be correct. Because various narrations (athar) from the companions and tabi'in (followers) generally give the impression that the iqamah is a necessity before the prayer, except in certain disputed conditions such as when forgotten, when residing in a large city (mukim), when traveling (safar), and when praying in a mosque where the congregational prayer has already been performed. However, if he meant the jumhur (majority) of the fuqaha (jurists) after the generation of the salaf, then this needs reconsideration. Ibn Al-Qatthan said,

“And the majority of scholars hold that if a person does not perform the iqamah, his prayer is complete (valid), but he has done wrong (sinned).” (Al-Iqna’ fi Masail Al-Ijma’ 1/117) We present some of these opinions from the salaf merely to strengthen the importance of the iqamah in prayer. If the status of the iqamah in prayer was not this great, it would be unlikely for some of the salaf to have made it obligatory, or even a condition for the validity of the prayer, even though that opinion is no longer adopted by the accredited schools of fiqh (jurisprudence) after the generation of the salaf. Following are the opinions of the scholars of fiqh regarding the iqamah.

Who is Required to Perform the Iqamah Before Prayer?

The scholars differ regarding the requirement of the iqamah. Does it include men and women or only men? There are at least 2 opinions:

First, Iqamah Applies to Both Men and Women

This is the opinion of the Maliki and Shafi'i schools of thought, as well as the Zhahiri opinion.[8] These three schools encourage the iqamah for both men and women. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, in one of his opinions, permits women to perform the iqamah, while some Hanafi scholars hold that it is recommended for women to perform the iqamah if they are praying alone – not in a congregation. However, the Shafi'i, Maliki, and Dhahiri schools emphasize the recommendation of iqamah for both men and women absolutely.

Imam Ibn Abdil Barr Al-Maliki said,

“The conclusion of the Maliki school on the issue of the iqamah is that its ruling is also a sunnah muakkadah(confirmed/emphasized sunnah). However, it is more emphasized than the adzan according to him and his adherents. Whoever leaves it is a wrongdoer (sinner) but his prayer is sufficient (valid). This is also the opinion of Ash-Shafi’i and all the jurists concerning the one who omits the iqamah, that he is a wrongdoer for omitting it and there is no obligation to repeat the prayer.” (Al-Istidhkar 1/387) Imam Khalil bin Ishaq Al-Maliki said,

“And it is recommended (sunnah) to perform the iqamah with single phrases while doubling its takbir (2 times - 2 times) for the obligatory prayer (fard), likewise for a missed prayer (qadha). The prayer is valid even if the iqamah is omitted intentionally. If a woman performs the iqamah in secret (softly), then that is good.” (Mukhtasar Al-Khalil: 28) Imam Ar-Rafi’i Ash-Shafi’i said when explaining the most authentic opinion in the Shafi’i school,

“And the iqamah is recommended (mustahabb), because the iqamah is for opening the prayer and urging the present people to rise (for prayer), so men and women are equal in this matter.” (As-Syarh Al-Kabir 1/407) Imam Ash-Shafi’i said,

“I do not like anyone to pray, whether in congregation or alone, without the adzan and iqamah. I like for a woman to perform the iqamah (before prayer). But if she does not do it, then it is also sufficient for her.” (Mukhtasar Al-Muzani1/13) Imam Ibn Hazm Adh-Dhahiri said,

“Adzan and iqamah are not obligatory for the one praying alone. But if he performs the adzan and iqamah, then it is good.” On the same page, Ibn Hazm also said,

“There is no obligation of adzan upon women, nor iqamah; but if they perform the adzan and iqamah, then that is good.” (Al-Muhalla bi Al-Athar 2/166) As for one of the opinions of Imam Ahmad based on the narration from his son Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal,

“I asked, “Is adzan or iqamah required of women?” He (my father) replied, “If they do it, there is no problem, and if they do not do it, then it is permissible.” He continued, “Ibn Umar was asked about that (regarding adzan and iqamah for women), and he became angry, saying, “Should I forbid the remembrance of Allah?!” (Masail Imam Ahmad 1/59) As for some of the Hanafis, Imam Ibn Najim Al-Hanafi said,

“The apparent view is that the iqamah is more emphasized in its recommendability than the adzan, as stated in Fath Al-Qadir. That is why they said it is disliked (makruh) to omit it for the traveler, unlike the adzan, and they also said that a woman performs the iqamah but does not perform the adzan.” (Al-Bahr Ar-Raiq 1/271) If we review some Hanafi reference sources, we will find that the Hanafi scholars do not explicitly forbid a woman praying alone from performing the iqamah. This is evident from the statement of Imam An-Nasafi, who only affirmed the prohibition of the adzan for women, not the iqamah, as in his book which is a reference for major Hanafi scholars. This affirmation was preceded by As-Samarqandi from the early Hanafi scholars.[9] Imam An-Nasafi Al-Hanafi said,

“It is disliked (makruh) for the adzan of a person in a state of major impurity (junub) and his iqamah, and the iqamah of a person in a state of minor impurity (hadath). Likewise, the adzan performed by a woman, a wicked person (fasiq), a sitting person, and a drunken person.” (Kanz Ad-Daqaiq 1/157) Imam Ibn Najim Al-Hanafi said at the end of the Chapter on Adzan when commenting on Imam An-Nasafi’s book,

“Adzan and iqamah are not recommended (nadb) for women. This is because both are among the recommended sunnahsof the congregation in congregational prayer. The author (An-Nasafi) restricted it to the phrase “women,” meaning a group of women. This is because a woman praying alone is still recommended to perform the iqamah and is not allowed to perform the adzan, as we have explained previously. But the apparent view in As-Siraj Al-Wahhaj is that she should not perform the iqamah either.” (Al-Bahr Ar-Raiq 1/280) In conclusion, according to the Malikis, Shafi’is, and Zhahiris, and some Hanafis, it is recommended and a sunnah to pronounce the iqamah for both men and women when starting their prayer. Imam Ahmad in one of his opinions merely permits it. If this is the case, it is not an exaggeration to say that the ruling of the iqamah being sunnah before a solitary obligatory prayer is the opinion of the majority of the imams of the schools of fiqh, namely Malik, Ash-Shafi’i, Ahmad bin Hanbal, and Dawud Adh-Dhahiri. Imam An-Nawawi said after quoting that iqamah is sunnah for women according to the Shafi’i school,

“Malik, Ahmad, and Dawud said it is recommended (sunnah) for a woman and groups of women to perform the iqamah, but not the adzan. While Abu Hanifah said the iqamah is not recommended for women.” (Al-Majmu’ Syarh Al-Muhaddzab 3/100)

Evidence & Argumentation

The evidence used by this opinion is the general nature of the Prophet’s sayings about the virtue of the iqamah. Among them is the saying of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH),

“When a man is in a vast land, and the time for prayer arrives, he should perform wudu (ablution). If he does not find water, he should perform tayammum (dry ablution). If he performs the iqamah, his two angels will pray with him. If he calls the adzan (call to prayer) and performs the iqamah, the army of Allah (the angels) whose ends (of the rows/ranks) cannot be seen (due to their vast number) will pray behind him.” (Reported by Abdur-Razzaq in Al-Mushannaf: 1955 and At-Thabarani in Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir: 6120 from Salman Al-Farisi) As for the evidence for the equal standing of men and women in this matter, it is based on the generality of the Prophet’s saying,

“Indeed, women are the counterparts (full siblings) of men.”[10] The argumentation is that the original ruling is that women and men have equal standing in the Sharia (Islamic law), unless there is evidence that differentiates between them. Whether it is a requirement or a prohibition. This is also the case with the iqamah. If it is legislated for men, it is also legislated for women. This is further supported by the athar (narration) from Ibn Umar. Wahb bin Kaysan said,

“Ibn Umar was asked whether adzan is required of women. He became angry, saying, “Should I forbid the remembrance of Allah?!” (Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah in Al-Mushannaf: 2324) There are also some athar from Aisha and Hafsah, the two wives of the Prophet, who were reported to perform the iqamah before prayer, but unfortunately, their chains of transmission (sanad) are not free from defect.[11]

Second, Iqamah Applies Only to Men, Not to Women

This is the practiced opinion in the Hanafi school,[12] the famous and authentic opinion in the Hanbali school,[13] and some of the prominent Malikis such as Ashhab and Ibn Abdil Hakam.[14] Imam Ibn Hubayrah said,

“Then they (the scholars) differed regarding the iqamah, whether it is recommended (sunnah) for women or not? So Abu Hanifah, Malik, and Ahmad said, “It is not recommended for them,” while Ash-Shafi’i said, “It is recommended for them.” (Ikhtilaf Al-Aimmah Al-‘Ulama 1/89) This quotation by Imam Ibn Hubayrah is contrary to the previous quotation by Imam An-Nawawi. It seems the error lies with Imam Ibn Hubayrah. In fact, Imam Malik considered it good for a woman to perform the iqamah before praying alone. While Imam Ahmad has several versions of opinions on this matter, one of which is that iqamah is recommended for women, as affirmed by some leading Hanbalis.[15] Imam Malik said,

“There is no obligation of adzan nor iqamah upon women.” Malik further said, “But if a woman performs the iqamah, then that is good.” (Al-Mudawwanah 1/158) Thus, only the Hanafi and Hanbali schools remain. These two schools affirm the prohibition of women performing the iqamah. Imam As-Syurunbulani from the Hanafis said,

“The adzan and iqamah are established as sunnah muakkadah for the obligatory prayers, even for the one praying alone. Whether performed on time (ada’an) or missed (qadha’an), whether traveling (safar) or resident (hadhar) for men, but both are disliked (makruh) for women.” (Maraqi Al-Falah 1/78) Disliked (makruh) according to the Hanafi school differs from makruh according to other schools. Makruh in Hanafi terminology originally means makruh tahrim (prohibitive dislike), which means it is tantamount to haram (forbidden) and the perpetrator sins if he does it. Imam Ibn Najim Al-Hanafi said,

“Know that when makruh is mentioned in their (Hanafi scholars’) discussion, what is meant is prohibition (tahrim), unless there is a textual indication that it means karahat at-tanzih (reprehensible dislike).” (Bahr Ar-Raiq 1/137) It is mentioned in Al-Fatawa Al-Hindiyah, written and decreed by Hanafi scholars on the Indian subcontinent in the 7th century Hijri,

“There is no legislation of adzan nor iqamah upon women. If they intend to pray in congregation, they should pray without adzan and iqamah. If they pray with both, their prayer is valid but they have committed a wrongdoing (isa’ah) (sinned).” (Al-Fatawa Al-Hindiyah 1/53) As for the Hanbali school, Imam Al-Hijawi said,

“The adzan and iqamah are fardhu kifayah (a collective obligation) for the five timely obligatory prayers and the Friday prayer, not for others, for men praying in congregation in large cities, villages, and other settled areas. Both are disliked (makruh) for women and people with ambiguous gender (khanatsi), even without raising the voice. However, they are recommended (masnun) for men performing a missed prayer, praying alone, a traveler, a shepherd in an open field, and the like.” (Al-Iqna’ 1/75) Imam Al-Mardawi Al-Hanbali said,

“The understanding of his (the author of the book’s) statement “for men” indicates that adzan and iqamah are not legislated for people with ambiguous gender nor for women. And this is correct, rather it is disliked (makruh). This is the (official) school of thought and the majority of (Hanbali) scholars are upon it.” (Al-Inshaf 1/406) In conclusion, according to the Hanbali school and the practiced opinion of the Hanafis, iqamah is only legislated for men, not for women. The Hanbali school considers iqamah for women disliked (makruh), while the Hanafis tend to consider it forbidden (haram). Wallahu a’lam (And Allah knows best).

Evidence & Argumentation

The evidence for this opinion is based on qiyas (analogical deduction) to the sunnah concerning the method of correcting the imam's mistake in prayer for women. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

“Saying tasbih (Subhan Allah) is for men, and clapping is for women.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari: 1203 and Muslim: 422 from Abu Hurayrah) The argumentation is that this hadith explains that women are only allowed to clap their hands in prayer if they are correcting a mistaken imam, not to use their voice like men. If women are prohibited from raising their voice in prayer, then performing the iqamah should be more strongly prohibited, because the iqamah is generally required to be performed loudly. They also use as evidence the saying of Aisha,

“We used to pray without iqamah.” (Reported by Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Kubra: 1923) And this is strengthened by the action of Aisha leading the congregational prayer without mentioning the iqamah in it.[16] Raithah Al-Hanafiyah said,

“Indeed Aisha led a group of women in the obligatory prayer, and she led them from among them, in the middle (of the first row).” (Reported by Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Kubra: 5355)

Important Note

The scholars who view the iqamah as recommended or sunnah for women (Malikis and Shafi’is) still stipulate that the iqamah must be performed with a soft voice. It should not be raised. Imam Al-Kharashi said when explaining Imam Al-Khalil’s previous statement that a woman should perform the iqamah with a soft voice,

“His intention is not that raising the voice is better, rather raising the voice (for a woman in iqamah) is ugly and disliked (makruh) or it is better to leave it (khilaful-awla).” (Syarh Mukhtasar Al-Khalil 1/237) Imam Ash-Shafi’i said,

“There is no obligation of adzan upon women, even if they pray in congregation. However, if they perform the adzan and then the iqamah, there is no harm. A woman should not raise her voice. She should perform the adzan to herself and let the women accompanying her hear it if she performs the adzan, and likewise if she performs the iqamah. Likewise, if she omits the iqamah, I do not dislike her omission of it as I dislike it for men, although I prefer for her to perform the iqamah.” (Al-Umm 1/103) Some Malikis place more emphasis on the iqamah for men than for women, and this is also the apparent meaning of the statement of Imam Ash-Shafi’i in Al-Umm. This means that the requirement for the iqamah is stronger for men than for women if they are praying alone. Imam Al-Hattab Al-Maliki said,

“If a woman prays alone, then the iqamah for her is good, meaning it is recommended (mustahabb), but it is not a sunnahlike it is for a man.” (Mawahib Al-Jalil 1/463)

Conclusion

In general, the iqamah is legislated and required to be performed for every one of the five prayers. Scholars only differ regarding whether women are also required to perform it. Some scholars (Malikis and Shafi’is) hold that the iqamahapplies to both men and women, so performing it is a virtue. While others (Hanafis and Hanbalis) hold that it applies only to men, and is prohibited for women.[17] Wallahu a’lam (And Allah knows best).