For iqamah at the masjid, which one is preferred, joining Adhan with Iqamah or 2-3 mins for Maghreb.
Is there any built in tolerance that caters for modelling variance?
Bismillahi Ta’ala
Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah
The adhan in itself is give to call people to the masjid. For this reason, generally it is recommended to give a few minutes for congregants from locality to come into the masjid for Salah, before Iqamah can be called out.
In regards to Maghreb we understand from ahadeeth that it is Makruh to delay Maghreb unduely. Similarly, hastening in Maghreb is mentioned in many ahadeeth too. However, for a holistic review of the issue at hand we must understand the administrative practices adopted in the time of Rasulullah ﷺ.
We see that in ahadeeth Nabi ﷺ would delay the salah of Isha’ if there were less people present, and would hasten the Isha’ if more people were present. Shurrah mention that this is to accommodate the possibility of more congregants joining in, hence making the congregation more valuable.
In those times, and back home, the adhan is given with the sole purpose of announcing the upcoming Salah. This is why it is called out aloud and on speakers as well without any restrictions. In such situation it would make some sense to delay a few minutes after Maghreb salah for the fortification of the congregation. This could be up to a 5-7 minute delay from the the start of the Adhan, giving sufficient time for people to head out to local masjid which is generally 3-4 minutes walking distance.
But in our locations, the commute itself can be on average 5-7 minutes drive. Added upon this, we do not call the adhan unrestricted for masses. Instead it is an announcement for those who are already in the Masjid. So, those who are attending the Maghreb Salah are mostly already in the masjid. So a maximum delay of 5 minutes should be sufficient from the start of the Adhan.
This would also mean that after the Adhan there would be another 2-3 minute wait, which is excusable. However, this is an administrative measure. So if some masjid still have a 5-7 minute wait after Adhan has been called out, then while I personally feel that it is too much of unnecessary delay, and the administration should assess if this delay is even needed or not.
Some masajid give the explanation of allowing time to pray Nawafil after Adhan. This is not a valid excuse. If the delay is kept for allowing more congregants joining the Maghreb Salah, then that is much better. Maghreb congregation should not be delayed for Nafil Salah. Although, if there is sufficient time of 2-3 minutes before the set time for Maghreb Iqamah, one could pray the nafl and it would be ja’iz (permissible).
Wallahu A’lam
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi