Question
If someone is reading Quran/Quranic Tafseer/Hadith and they hear the Azaan, should they stop reading whatever they are reading and listen to and answer the Azaan? What are the adaab prescribed in Islam if someone who is already engaged in Ilmun-Nafi’ hears the Azaan? Furthermore, if someone lives in an area where there are several masajid, Alhamdulillah, and thus, there are several Azaans being called out at a time, and sometimes at different times, what should one do? Will it suffice for them if they answer one Azaan? And if they have answered one Azaan and resume their studies/work and then after sometime, they hear another Azaan, should they discontinue their work again until the Azaan finishes?
Answer
When one hears the Adhan, then he should definitely answer the call. There are two ways of answering the Adhan. One is wajib and the other is Mustahab. Halwaani r.a says that answering with tongue is mustahab, while answering by proceeding towards Salah is wajib.
If someone is in state of religious impurity, even then he should answer the Adhan. Those who are excused from answering are adhan are :
a. women in Haidh
b. women in Nifas
c. a person who is listening khutbah
d. person engaged in Salah [or] Janazah
e. enaged in Jimaa’ (intimacy)
f. engaged in relieving himself,
g. or eating.
h. learning and teaching deeni uloom (Tafseer, Fiqh, Qur’an etc)
Someone who is reciting Qur’an for Tilawah should stop and answer the Adhan, while one who is reciting Qur’an for learning or teaching will be categorized under “h” and will be excused. He may continue practicing his Qur’an. [i]
Wallahu A’lam,
And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Faisal bin Abdul Hameed,
Montréal, Canada
[i]
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (1/ 396)
((ويجيب) وجوبا، وقال الحلواني ندبا، والواجب الإجابة بالقدم (من سمع الأذان) ولو جنبا لا حائضا ونفساء وسامع خطبة وفي صلاة جنازة وجماع، ومستراح وأكل وتعليم علم وتعلمه،بخلاف قرآن)…(قوله: وقال الحلواني ندبا إلخ) أي قال الحلواني: إن الإجابة باللسان مندوبة والواجبة هي الإجابة بالقدم… (قوله: وتعليم علم) أي شرعي فيما يظهر، ولذا عبر في الجوهرة بقراءة الفقه. (قوله: بخلاف قرآن) لأنه لا يفوت، جوهرة، ولعله لأن تكرار القراءة إنما هو للأجر فلا يفوت بالإجابة، بخلاف التعلم، فعلى هذا لو يقرأ تعليما أو تعلما لا يقطع سائحاني.