The Prophet said, ''Bilal pronounces the Adhan when it is still night (before dawn), so eat and drink till the next Adhan is pronounced (or till you hear Ibn Um Maktum's Adhan).'' Ibn Um Maktum was a blind man who would not pronounce the Adhan till he was told that it was dawn.

My father said that Allah s Apostle said, ''Bilal pronounces Adhan at night, so keep on eating and drinking (Suhur) till Ibn Um Maktum pronounces Adhan.'' Salim added, ''He was a blind man who would not pronounce the Adhan unless he was told that the day had dawned.''

''When the Mu'adhdhin pronounced the Adhan, some of the companions of the Prophet would proceed to the pillars of the mosque (for the prayer) till the Prophet arrived and in this way they used to pray two Rakat before the Maghrib prayer. There used to be a little time between the Adhan and the Iqama.'' Shu'ba said, ''There used to be a very short interval between the two (Adhan and Iqama).''

Once in a cold night, Ibn Umar pronounced the Adhan for the prayer at ,Dajnan (the name of a mountain) and then said, ''Pray at your homes'', and informed us that Allah's Apostle used to tell the Mu'adhdin to pronounce Adhan and say, ''Pray at your homes'' at the end of the Adhan on a rainy or a very cold night during the journey.''

Allah's Apostle said, ''When the Adhan is pronounced Satan takes to his heels and passes wind with noise during his flight in order not to hear the Adhan. When the Adhan is completed he comes back and again takes to his heels when the Iqama is pronounced and after its completion he returns again till he whispers into the heart of the person (to divert his attention from his prayer) and makes him remember things which he does not recall to his mind before the prayer and that causes him to forget how much he has prayed.''

Allah's Apostle said, ''Bilal pronounces the Adhan at night, so keep on eating and drinking (Suhur) till Ibn Um Maktum pronounces the Adhan.''

The Prophet said, ''Bilal pronounces the Adhan at night so that you may eat and drink till Ibn Um Maktum pronounces the Adhan (for the Fajr prayer).''

That Abu Said Al-Khudri said to his father. ''I see you are fond of sheep and the desert, so when you want to pronounce the Adhan, raise your voice with it for whoever will hear the Adhan whether a human being, or a Jinn, or anything else, will bear witness, in favor on the Day of Resurrection.'' Abu Said added, ''I have heard this from Allah's Apostle .''

The Prophet said, ''Bilal pronounces the Adhan at night, so eat and drink (Suhur) till Ibn Um Maktum pronounces the Adhan.''

Uthman bin Affan introduced the second Adhan on Fridays when the number of the people in the mosque increased. Previously the Adhan on Fridays used to be pronounced only after the Imam had taken his seat (on the pulpit).

We were in the company of the Prophet on a journey and the Mu'adhdhin wanted to pronounce the Adhan for the (Zuhr) prayer. The Prophet said to him, ''Let it become cooler.'' Then he again wanted to pronounce the Adhan but the Prophet; said to him, ''Let it become cooler.'' The Mu'adh-dhin again wanted to pronounce the Adhan for the prayer but the Prophet said, ''Let it become cooler,'' till the shadows of the hillocks become equal to their sizes. The Prophet added, ''The severity of the heat is from the raging of Hell.''

In the life-time of the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar, the Adhan for the Jumua prayer used to be pronounced when the Imam sat on the pulpit. But during the Caliphate of Uthman when the Muslims increased in number, a third Adhan at Az-Zaura' was added. Abu Abdullah said, ''Az-Zaura' is a place in the market of Medina.''

Bilal used to pronounce the Adhan at night, so Allah's Apostle? said, ''Carry on taking your meals (eat and drink) till Ibn Um Maktum pronounces the Adhan, for he does not pronounce it till it is dawn.

Whenever Allah's Apostle attacked some people, he would never attack them till it was dawn. If he heard the Adhan (i.e. call for prayer) he would delay the fight, and if he did not hear the Adhan, he would attack them immediately after dawn. We reached Khaibar at night.

The Prophet said, ''The call (or the Adhan) of Bila should not stop you from taking the Suhur-meals for Bilal calls (or pronounces the Adhan) so that the one who is offering the night prayer should take a rest, and he does not indicate the daybreak or dawn.'' The narrator, Yazid, described (how dawn breaks) by stretching out his hands and then separating them wide apart.