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Fatwa CenterCalling Athaan in a singing tone
Question
There are two hadiths, one says that ibn Umar was agry with a man for singing the adhan and taking wages for it. Another says that a man said the Adhan, and his voice quavered. and the prophet told him not to do that. Ibn Jurayj reported that Ibn 'Abbas said, "The Messenger of Allah had a mu'adhdhin who intoned. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The adhan should be easy and smooth (i.e. without trilling). If your adhan is not easy and smooth, then do not give the adhan." (ad-Daraqutni) The adhaans these days (in makkah,etc.) seem to me like they do both these things. Please explain to me about these two hadiths
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
First of all, it should be noted that the narration to which the questioner pointed is reported by Ad-Daaraqutni 
and it reads: ''The Athaan (call to the prayer) should be easy and smooth…'' This narration is very weak and its chain of narrators includes Ishaaq Ibn Yahya Al-Ka'bi, who is a liar.
Ibn Hajar said: ''Among the strangest narrations that the above liar reported is the following on the authority of Ibn Jareej: ''If your Athaan is not easy and smooth, then do not call the Athaan.'' Al-Albaani classified this narration as very weak.
As regards the narration on the authority of Ibn Umar 
that a man told him: ''I love you for the sake of Allaah…'', it is reported by At-Tabaraani but its chain of narrators include Yahya Al-Bakaa', who is considered to be a weak narrator by Ahmad, Abu Zar'ah, Abu Haatim and Abu Daawood 
.
With regard to the narration mentioned by the questioner that the Prophet 
had a Muath-thin (a person who calls the Athaan) who quavered, then we have not come across this narration despite the great and numerous resource books of Sunnah that we have.
What is confirmed from him though, is the story of the Athaan, as he told to the person who had a dream about it: "Say it to Billaal, as he has a better voice than yours…". [Abu Daawood & Ibn Maajah].
This is evidence that it is desirable for a Muath-thin to have a good voice in a way that he could call the Athaan in a nice manner provided it keeps its reverence and submissiveness, and he should not call it in a singing tone. Indeed, the scholars stated that it is disliked to overburden oneself when calling the Athaan or expanding its wording.
For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 90238.
Furthermore, Ibn Abu Shaybah and Al-Bukhari reported a narration but its chain of narrators is missing at its begining, that a person called the Athaan in a singing tone, and then 'Umar Ibn 'Abdul 'Azeez told him: ''You should call the Athaan in an easy and smooth manner otherwise you should refrain from doing so.''
Moreover, Zakariyyah Al-Ansaari from the Shaafi'ee School of jurisprudence, said: "It is disliked to extend the wording of the Athaan and calling it in a singing tone."
Similarly, Shaykh Zaadah from the
Allaah Knows best.
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