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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Salat (Prayer): The Mode of Divine Proximity and Recognition Adhan and Iqamah Both Adhan and Iqamah are considered to be highly recommended and emphasized acts in Salat . Numerous traditions have underlined their significance and importance. Adhan and Iqamah , with their profound meanings and concepts, prepare a worshipper to acquire proximity to the Almighty in the way of worship and ascend to great heights.

The Holy Prophet (‘s) advised Abu Dharr (Allah be satisfied with him) thus: “Allah always takes pride and boasts about three individuals to his angels: (Among them is the) One who gets up in the desert without food and water but says his Adhan and Iqamah and only then performs his Salat.

Your Lord says to the angels, “Look at My slave how he is worshipping Me when he cannot see anybody other than Me.” Thereafter, seventy thousand angels come forward and perform Salat behind him and seek forgiveness for him till the morrow. O Abu Dharr! When a person is hungry and thirsty on the earth, and does Wudhu or tayammum and performs Salat after reading the Adhan and Iqamah, Allah orders the angels to pray behind him in rows in such a way that he cannot be spotted.

They bow when he bows and prostrate when he prostrates and say ‘Amin’ when he invokes. O Abu Dharr! If somebody says only the Iqamah but forsakes the Adhan, only two angels perform the Salat with him.”[^1] Imam Husain (‘a) narrates, “We were sitting in the mosque when the caller for prayers (mu’addhin) went on the minaret and cried, ‘Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar’. On hearing this call, Amir al Mu’minin (‘a) wept profusely due to which even we began weeping.

When the mu’addhin completed his Adhan, Ali (‘a) said, ‘Do you know what did the mu’addhin say?’ We said, ‘Allah, His Messenger and his successor know the best.’ He said, ‘If you knew what he said, certainly you would have laughed less and cried more. The call of Allahu Akbar bears a few meanings: One meaning of Allahu Akbar denotes the eternity, everlastingness, knowledge, power, strength, benevolence, endowment, greatness and honor of Allah the Almighty.

By saying Allahu Akbar, the mu’addhin implies, ‘Allah is He to Whom belong the creation and the command. He brings everything into creation by His Will. All that the creation possesses is due to Him. Also, its return is unto Him. He is the First, before everything, from eternity. He is the Last, after everything, and is Everlasting.