Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I want to know the reason of turning right and left of a Muazzin when he is giving Azaan.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Why muaddin turn right and left

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Abu Juhaifah (r.a.) reported, "Bilal (r.a.) declared the Adhaan’, and I saw the movement of his face from this side (right) to that side (left) upon saying "Hayya alas-Salaah" and "Hayya alal-Falaah." (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

In al-Mughni, it states from Ahmad that the caller should not turn to the left or to the right unless he is at the top of a minaret, so that the people on both sides can hear him.

The absolute majority of the scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that the only reason Hadrat Bilaal (r.a.) would turn his face towards the right and the left during the declaration of the ‘Adhaan’ was to enable his voice to reach the maximum number of people.

With the advent of the modern invention of the ‘loud-speaker’ the wisdom of the sound of the ‘Adhaan’ calling the believers to prayer reaching far and wide would be more than sufficiently fulfilled, thus the scholars are of the opinion that if the ‘Muaddhin’ today does not turn to his left and his right during his declaration of the ‘Adhaan’, there is absolutely no harm. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan