My friend in Istanbul turned his car radio off during adhan (the call to prayer), explaining it was to show respect. I'm wondering if this is just a personal preference, of this is a requirement in Islam.
Question: Is there an Islamic basis to turning off your car radio during adhan?
I didn't find anything by Googling this, which suggests it might be a personal preference.
Although turning off the radio or stopping one’s conversation is not required by Allah and His Prophet ﷺ, it is deemed by many scholars as the action with the maximum benefit that has a promise of Jennah. Indeed, we are promised by Rasool Allah ﷺ Jennah/paradise if we repeat from our hearts with full focus; this promise is in the last line of the authentic hadeeth below:
'Umar bin al-Khattab reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When the Mu'adhdhin says: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and one of you should make this response: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest; (and when the Mu'adhdhin) says: I testify that there is no god but Allah, one should respond: I testify that there is no god but Allah, and when he says: I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, one should make a response: I testify that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger. When he (the Mu'adhdhin) says: Come to prayer, one should make a response: There is no might and no power except with Allah. When he (the Mu'adhdhin) says: Come to salvation, one should respond: There is no might and no power except with Allah, and when he (the Mu'adhdhin) says: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, then make a response: Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. When he (the Mu'adhdhin) says: There is no god but Allah, then make a response: There is no god but Allah, and (he who repeats after the Mu’adhdhin) from the heart, he will enter Paradise. (Sahih Muslim 385)
حَدَّثَنِي إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَهْضَمٍ الثَّقَفِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ غَزِيَّةَ، عَنْ خُبَيْبِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ إِسَافٍ، عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ عَاصِمِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِذَا قَالَ الْمُؤَذِّنُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ . فَقَالَ أَحَدُكُمُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ . ثُمَّ قَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ . قَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ . قَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ . ثُمَّ قَالَ حَىَّ عَلَى الصَّلاَةِ . قَالَ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ . ثُمَّ قَالَ حَىَّ عَلَى الْفَلاَحِ . قَالَ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ . ثُمَّ قَالَ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ . قَالَ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ . ثُمَّ قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ . قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ . مِنْ قَلْبِهِ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ " . (صحيح مسلم ٣٨٥)
The Prophet ﷺ also promised us intercession if we repeat after the caller for prayer, we invoke blessings upon him in any of the acceptable forms, and we make a specific doaa; below are two of the forms of blessings (there are other forms):
Allahuma salli wa sallem alla nabiyina Mohammad
O Allah bestow your peace upon our Prophet Mohammad
Or
Allahuma salli wa sallem wa barik alla nabiyina Mohammad
O Allah bestow your peace and peace and blessings upon our Prophet Mohammad
When we invoke the blessings upon Rasool Allah, Allah Almighty bestows His mercy upon us ten folds. In other words, we receive ten times the reward of the one blessing that we said upon the Prophet. Both the promise of intercession and the ten fold reward of blessings come in an authentic hadeeth that appears in Saheeh Al-Bukhari:
'Abdullah b. Amr b. al-As reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: When you hear the Mu'adhdhin, repeat what he says, then invoke a blessing on me, for everyone who invokes a blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah; then beg from Allah al-Wasila for me, which is a rank in Paradise fitting for only one of Allah's servants, and I hope that I may be that one. If anyone who asks that I be given the Wasila, he will be assured of my intercession. (Sahih Muslim 384)
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ الْمُرَادِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ حَيْوَةَ، وَسَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ، وَغَيْرِهِمَا، عَنْ كَعْبِ بْنِ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " إِذَا سَمِعْتُمُ الْمُؤَذِّنَ فَقُولُوا مِثْلَ مَا يَقُولُ ثُمَّ صَلُّوا عَلَىَّ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَىَّ صَلاَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ بِهَا عَشْرًا ثُمَّ سَلُوا اللَّهَ لِيَ الْوَسِيلَةَ فَإِنَّهَا مَنْزِلَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لاَ تَنْبَغِي إِلاَّ لِعَبْدٍ مِنْ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ وَأَرْجُو أَنْ أَكُونَ أَنَا هُوَ فَمَنْ سَأَلَ لِيَ الْوَسِيلَةَ حَلَّتْ لَهُ الشَّفَاعَةُ " . (صحيح مسلم ٣٨٤)
The actual doaa that we should use after we invoke the blessing upon Rasool Allah is taught to us by Rasool Allah in the following authentic hadeeth:
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who says upon hearing the Adhan: 'Allahumma Rabba hadhihid-da'wati-ttammati, was-salatil-qa'imati, ati Muhammadanil-wasilata wal-fadhilata, wab'athu maqaman mahmuda nilladhi wa 'adtahu [O Allah, Rubb of this perfect call (Da'wah) and of the established prayer (As-Salat), grant Muhammad the Wasilah and superiority, and raise him up to a praiseworthy position which You have promised him]', it becomes incumbent upon me to intercede for him on the Day of Resurrection." [Al- Bukhari, Book 9, Hadith 49].
جابر رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "من قال حين يسمع النداء: اللهم رب هذه الدعوة التامة، والصلاة القائمة، آت محمدًا الوسيلة والفضيلة، وابعثه مقامًا محمودًا الذي وعدته، حلت له شفاعتي يوم القيامة" ((رواه البخاري)).وعن
Because of the magnanimity of Allah’s rewards that we could get five times a day if we stop what we do and repeat after the caller for prayer, many of us choose to switch off the radio or television or stop talking. A few minutes of interrupting what we are doing is worth the amazing rewards promised to us by the Prophet ﷺ.
