What is the ruling regarding the state of ritual purity (Tahara) for the Mu'adhin (caller to prayer)?
Chapter on Adhan
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
It is recommended that the caller to prayer be pure from both minor ritual impurity (Hadath Asghar) and major ritual impurity (Janabah). Evidence suggests that one should not call the Adhan except while being in a state of Wudu; however, this report is considered sounder when attributed to Abu Hurayrah as a saying of his rather than a Hadith from the Prophet. If the Adhan is called by someone in a state of minor impurity, it is valid because it does not exceed the ruling of reciting the Quran, for which purification is not a prerequisite.
Supporting text
There are two differing reports concerning the validity if the Adhan is called by someone in a state of Janabah (major impurity). One view holds that it is invalid (not counted), which is the position of Ishaq. The other view, which is the explicit statement from Ahmad and the position of the majority of scholars, states that it is valid because major impurity is one type of ritual impediment, and it should not invalidate the Adhan just as the other type of impediment does not. The view that it is invalid is supported by the report that the Prophet, peace be upon him, stated that it is a right and a Sunnah that no one calls the Adhan except while being pure, and because the Adhan is a remembrance prescribed for prayer, thus resembling Quran recitation and the sermon (Khutbah).