Is it prescribed to repeat the phrases of the iqaamah twice?

Question

Praise be to Allah.

The iqaamah (call immediately preceding the
prayer) has been proven in several versions from the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), such as the following:

Saying each phrase once, apart from the
takbeer (“Allaahu akbar”) at the beginning and the end, which is said
twice, and the phrase Qad qaamat is-salaah (prayer is about to
begin), which is also said twice. So the number of phrases is eleven in
total. This is the madhhab of the Shaafa‘is and Hanbalis, and is also the
opinion of the Maalikis, but they also say Qad qaamat is-salaah
(prayer is about to begin) only once.

See: al-Mughni (2/59);
al-Mudawwanah (1/179).

This is the iqaamah of Bilaal, the
mu’adhdhin of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).

According to the hadeeth of ‘Abdullah ibn
Zayd about the adhaan:

He said: Then he went a short distance away
from me, and said, “When the prayer is about to start, say, Allaahu akbar
Allaah akbar, ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, ash-hadu anna Muhammadan
Rasool-Allaah. Hayya ‘ala’l-salaah, hayya ‘ala’l-falaah. Qad qaamat
il-salaah, qad qaamat il-salaah. Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, laa ilaha
ill-Allaah (Allaah is most Great, Allaah is most Great. I bear witness
that there is no god but Allaah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah. Come to prayer, come to success. The prayer is about to
begin, the prayer is about to begin. Allaah is most Great, Allaah is most
Great. There is no god but Allaah).” When morning came, I went to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told him
what I had seen. He said, “This is a true dream, in sha Allaah.”

Narrated by Abu Dawood (499). Al-Albaani
said: (It is) hasan saheeh.

It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: Bilaal was ordered to say the phrases of
the adhaan twice and the phrases of the iqaamah once.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (605) and Muslim
(378).

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: In the adhaan at the time of Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) each phrase was said twice, and
in the iqaamah each phrase was said once, except that he would say: Qad
qaamat is-salaah, qad qaamat is-salaah (prayer is about to begin,
prayer is about to begin).

Narrated by Abu Dawood (510); classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

In another version, the phrases of the
iqaamah are exactly like the phrases of the adhaan, with the addition of the
phrase Qad qaamat is-salaah (prayer is about to begin), which is said
twice. So the number of phrases is seventeen in all. This is the view of the
Hanafis and some of the Shaafa‘is.

See: al-Mabsoot (1/219).

This is the iqaamah of Abu Mahdhoorah (may
Allah be pleased with him), which was taught to him by the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).

It was narrated that Abu Mahdhoorah (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) taught me the iqaamah with seventeen phrases: “Allaahu
akbar, Allaah akbar, Allaahu akbar, Allaah akbar; ash-hadu an laa ilaah
ill-Allaah, ash-hadu an laa ilaah ill-Allaah; ash-hadu anna Muhammadan
rasool-Allaah, ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasool-Allaah; hayya ‘ala as-salaah,
hayya ‘ala as-salaah; hayya ‘ala’l-falaah, hayya ‘ala’l-falaah; qad qaamat
is-salaah, qad qaamat is-salaah; Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar; Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah.

Narrated by Abu Dawood (502) and at-Tirmidhi
(192); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

Everything that is proven from the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is Sunnah and should be followed.
So there is nothing wrong with the mu’adhdhin reciting the iqaamah of Bilaal
or the iqaamah of Abu Mahdhoor (may Allah be pleased with them both),
although what is better is to do one sometimes and the other sometimes, so
that the entire Sunnah will have been followed.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said, after
noting that the hadeeths indicate that saying the iqaamah in both forms is
permissible:

As that is the case, the correct view is the
view of ahl al-hadeeth and those who agreed with them, which is to accept
everything that has been proven concerning that from the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) and not to reject any of it, because varying
the format of the adhaan and iqaamah is like varying the format of
recitations and tashahhuds and the like. No one has the right to reject any
precedent or Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) established for his ummah. As for those who have gone so
far as to disagree and split to the point of forming friendships, feeling
enmity and fighting on the basis of such matters, in which either of the two
versions are acceptable, they come under the heading of those who divide
their religion and break up into sects (cf. 6:159). To follow the Sunnah
properly in such cases means doing it one way sometimes and the other way
sometimes, one way in some place and another way in another place, because
abandoning what has been narrated in the Sunnah and adhering to something
else may lead to what is Sunnah being regarded as an innovation and what is
mustahabb being regarded as obligatory, which would lead to division and
differences if others follow the other way. The Muslim should pay attention
to general principles which include adhering to the Sunnah and the main body
of Muslims (as-sunnah wa’l-jamaa‘ah), especially with regard to
matters such as prayer in congregation.

End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa,
21/66

He also said:

No one has the right to take the words of
one of the scholars as a slogan that must be followed and forbid anything
else that is mentioned in the Sunnah; rather everything that is mentioned in
the Sunnah is broad in scope, such as the adhaan and iqaamah.

The one who says the phrases of the iqaamah
twice has done well and the one who says them once has done well, but the
one who regards the one way as being obligatory but not the other is
mistaken and has gone astray. And the one who regards as a friend the one
who does it one way but not the other just because of that is also mistaken
and has gone astray.

End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa,
22/46

And Allah knows best.