Short answer
You may, but it is better to stop, repeat the words of the adhan, say the du'a after it, and then pray. If you are already praying, carry on. Once the iqamah for a fard prayer begins, do not start a sunnah or nafl; in the Hanafi school the only exception is the Fajr sunnah, if you can still catch the imam.
Answering the adhan by repeating its words is sunnah, and some Hanafi scholars call it wajib, so starting a prayer during it is valid but not ideal. Starting a sunnah or nafl after the iqamah for the fard has begun is makruh tahrimi, except the two rakats of Fajr prayed away from the rows when you can still reach the imam.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Once the iqamah begins, no voluntary prayer may be started at all, including the Fajr sunnah.
- Hanbali
- Once the iqamah begins, no voluntary prayer may be started, including the Fajr sunnah.
Explanation
When you hear the adhan, the sunnah is to repeat each phrase after the muezzin, saying "la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" at "hayya 'ala al-salah" and "hayya 'ala al-falah", then to send salawat and read the du'a after the adhan. Starting a prayer in the middle of it is not forbidden and the prayer is valid, but you lose this reward, so it is better to wait a minute.
If the adhan starts while you are already praying, do not answer it; finish your prayer. The time between the adhan and the iqamah is a good time to pray the sunnah: the Prophet ﷺ said there is a prayer between every two calls.
The iqamah is stricter:
- Do not start a sunnah or nafl once the iqamah for the fard begins; join the congregation.
- Fajr sunnah: in the Hanafi school, if you are sure you can still catch the imam, pray it away from the rows first; see the Fajr sunnah.
- Already in a sunnah: finish it, then join. In the stronger Hanafi view a four-rakah sunnah of Dhuhr or Jumuah that you have started is completed as four.
- Missed sunnah of Dhuhr: pray it after the fard; see missed sunnah prayers.
For the words of the call, see the adhan in English.
The evidence
Sahih al-Bukhari 611
Sahih... إذا سمعتم النداء فقولوا مثل ما يقول المؤذن ...
"When you hear the call, say what the muezzin says."
The sunnah is to answer the adhan.
Sahih Muslim 710
Sahih... إذا أقيمت الصلاة فلا صلاة إلا المكتوبة ...
"When the iqamah is given, there is no prayer except the obligatory one."
No new voluntary prayer is started after the iqamah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 624
Sahih... بين كل أذانين صلاة ...
"Between every two calls there is a prayer."
The time between the adhan and the iqamah is for sunnah prayer.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the adhan. Those who hear the adhan should answer it.
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on catching the congregation. Voluntary prayer after the iqamah is disliked, except the Fajr sunnah when the imam can still be reached.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the adhan. Discusses whether answering the adhan with the tongue is sunnah or wajib.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.