Dua after adhan, and what to say during it.

When the adhan ends, send salawat on the Prophet ﷺ and then say Allahumma rabba hadhihid-da'watit-tammah. He said that whoever says it on hearing the call will be granted his intercession on the Day of Resurrection.¹ During the adhan itself, you repeat the words after the muadhdhin, with two small changes.

Dua 1: After the adhan

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ هَذِهِ الدَّعْوَةِ التَّامَّةِ، وَالصَّلَاةِ الْقَائِمَةِ، آتِ مُحَمَّدًا الْوَسِيلَةَ وَالْفَضِيلَةَ، وَابْعَثْهُ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا الَّذِي وَعَدْتَهُ

Allāhumma rabba hādhihid-daʿwatit-tāmmah, waṣ-ṣalātil-qāʾimah, āti Muḥammadanil-wasīlata wal-faḍīlah, wabʿathhu maqāmam-maḥmūdanil-ladhī waʿadtah

O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and of the prayer about to be established, grant Muhammad al-wasilah (the highest place in Paradise) and excellence, and raise him to the praised station You have promised him.

Sahih al-Bukhari 614

Dua 2: After the shahadah

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، رَضِيتُ بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولًا، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا

Ashhadu an lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, wa anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh, raḍītu billāhi rabbā, wa bi-Muḥammadin rasūlā, wa bil-islāmi dīnā

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, with Muhammad as Messenger and with Islam as my religion.

Sahih Muslim 386

Dua 3: At hayya alas-salah

لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh

There is no power and no strength except with Allah. (Said in reply to hayya alas-salah and hayya alal-falah.)

Sahih Muslim 385

Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.

Guide

When and how to say it.

What to do during the adhan, step by step

Repeat each phrase after the muadhdhin.²
At hayya alas-salah and hayya alal-falah, say la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah instead (Dua 3).
After the muadhdhin's shahadah, you may say Dua 2. The Prophet ﷺ said whoever says it has his sins forgiven.
When the adhan ends, send salawat on the Prophet ﷺ. Durood Ibrahim is the best form: Allah blesses the one who sends one salawat ten times over.
Then say Dua 1.
Then ask for whatever you need. Dua between the adhan and the iqamah is not turned back.³

Additions that are not in Bukhari

Some printed versions add wad-darajatar-rafi'ah (and the high rank). Hadith scholars such as al-Sakhawi said this addition is not found in any of the hadith collections. Others end with innaka la tukhliful-mi'ad (You never break Your promise), which al-Bayhaqi reports. Scholars differ on whether that ending is authentic, so many teachers keep to the wording of Bukhari above.⁴

For the Fajr adhan

When the muadhdhin says as-salatu khayrun minan-nawm (prayer is better than sleep), repeat the same words. Some later scholars mention replying with sadaqta wa bararta, but there is no hadith for it.

Hanafi position

Repeating the words of the adhan is recommended (mustahabb), and the answer that is required is to go to the prayer. Pause reciting the Quran or talking to listen and repeat.

Other madhhabs

Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali: Repeating the words of the adhan is sunnah for everyone who hears it.

Sahih al-Bukhari 614.
Sahih al-Bukhari 611; Sahih Muslim 384, 385, 386.
Sunan Abi Dawud 521; Jami at-Tirmidhi 212, graded sahih.
Al-Sakhawi, al-Maqasid al-Hasanah, on wad-darajatar-rafi'ah; al-Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra, for innaka la tukhliful-mi'ad.
Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Bab al-Adhan. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
Sahih al-Bukhari 614
Sahih Muslim 386
Sahih Muslim 385

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.

Questions

Good to know.

What do you say after the adhan?

Send salawat on the Prophet ﷺ, then say Allahumma rabba hadhihid-da'watit-tammah, was-salatil-qa'imah, ati Muhammadanil-wasilata wal-fadilah, wab'athhu maqamam-mahmudanil-ladhi wa'adtah (Bukhari 614).

What do you say during the adhan?

Repeat each phrase after the muadhdhin, except hayya alas-salah and hayya alal-falah, where you say la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (Muslim 385).

Is wad-darajatar-rafi'ah part of the dua after adhan?

No. It is a later addition that hadith scholars could not find in any collection. The authentic wording is the one from Bukhari above.

Is dua accepted between the adhan and iqamah?

Yes. The Prophet ﷺ said dua between the adhan and the iqamah is not turned back (Abu Dawud 521; Tirmidhi 212).