Question:
Assalamualaikum ustaz. What is the ruling for a child to call out the adhan? Is the adhan valid?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wrt. wbt.
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Adhan is a specific zikir. Islam sanctioned the adhan as a call for prayer. When the time for prayer starts, it is called out to inform others as well as calling them to perform the prayer together. It is sunnah muakkadah (highly encouraged Sunnah) for obligatory and qadha’ prayer; sunnah kifayah for congregational prayer and sunnah ‘ainiah for prayers performed alone. Adhan is an important commandment of Islam which showcases the eminence of Islam. (See al-Fiqh al-Manhaji, 1/337)
Adhan has many benefits which are stated in various evidences in Islam. Among them is a hadith, where the Prophet PBU said:
لَوْ يَعْلَمُ النَّاسُ مَا فِي النِّدَاءِ وَالصَّفِّ الْأَوَّلِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَجِدُوا إِلَّا أَنْ يَسْتَهِمُوا عَلَيْهِ لَاسْتَهَمُوا
"If the people knew what is the reward of making the call (for the prayer) and (of being in) the first row (in the prayer), and if they found no other way to get this privilege except by casting lots, they would certainly cast lots for it.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (615)
In answering the above question, if a child who called the adhan has not reached mumayyiz, then the adhan is invalid. The reason is, he did not fulfil one of the valid conditions of adhan which is mumayyiz. This is stated in al-Fiqh al-Manhaji: “(Among the valid conditions of adhan is) mumayyiz, which means the ability to differentiate the good and bad. Hence, the adhan is invalid if it is called out by a child who is not yet mumayyiz, for he is ineligible to perform worship and determining the time.” (See al-Fiqh al-Manhaji, 1/340)
In the book Bada’i’ al-Sana’i’, it is stated: The adhan of a child who is not yet mumayyiz is invalid and should be repeated. The reason is the adhan is not from a person who is rational which is invalid, the same as the sound (adhan) of a bird,” (See Bada’i’ al-Sana’i’, 1/150)
Al-Wazir Abu al-Muzaffar al-Syaibani said: “The adhan of a child who is not yet mumayyiz is invalid and it does not fulfil the obligation of adhan in a certain area.” (See al-Fiqh ‘ala al-Mazahib al-Arba’ah, 1/463)
However, if the child is mumayyiz, although he has not reached puberty, then his adhan is valid. In a narration from Abdillah bin Abi Bakr bin Anas, he said:
كَانَ عُمُومَتِي يَأْمُرُونَنِي أَنْ أُؤَذِّنَ لَهُمْ وَأَنَا غُلَامٌ لَمْ أَحْتَلِمْ ، وَأَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ شَاهِدٌ، فلَمْ يُنْكِرْ ذَلِكَ
“My uncles asked me to call the adhan while I was still a child who hasn’t reached puberty. Then Anas bin Malik see this, but he did not say anything against it.” (See al-Ausath by Ibn al-Munzir, 3/41)
Imam al-Nawawi said: “The adhan of a child who is mumayyiz is valid, the same as it is valid for him to be an imam. This is the opinion of madhab Syafi’I and emphasized by the majority of scholars.” (See al-Majmu’, 3/107)
In al-Fiqh ‘ala Mazahib al-Arba’ah, it is stated: “Puberty is not a condition for a muezzin. Furthermore, the adhan of a mumayyiz child is valid, whether his own adhan or the adhan of a muezzin who has reached puberty with the agreement of three imams.” (See al-Fiqh ‘ala al-Mazahib al-Arba’ah, 1/286)
Conclusion
The adhan of a child is valid if he is mumayyiz. In our opinion, it is appropriate and encouraged for a child to call out the adhan as it is practised by previous salafus soleh who asked children to call out the adhan. This is also a method to educate and train adolescents to play a role on mosques.
Hence, we would be able to nurture the feelings of love and care in them towards mosques and is able to hold the responsibility afterwards calmly when it is their time to manage the mosque.
May we be blessed with knowledge and understanding in fulfilling His every commandment. Amin.