Assalamu aleykum! At-Tirmizi said: “The scholars considered it mustahabb to holds a finger in both ears when calling to athaan. Al-Auzai considered it recommended during the iqamat too” (Neyl-al autar, v.2, p. 352-353). I’m wondering about the words of Al-Auzai, is stucking fingers into the ears refer to sunnah during iqamat? What is this based on? Because I haven’t seen this action during iqaamat in any of the salafi mosques. Please, clarify.

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.

Muslim jurists have different opinions with regard to the issue of inserting the fingers in the ears while calling the Iqaamah. Some are of the opinion that Iqaamah is like Athaan, so the one who calls Iqaamah should insert his fingers into his ears since Athaan and Iqaamah are the same; and (linguistically) Iqaamah is also referred to as Athaan. This is the reason on which they based their opinion. Abu Haneefah and Ibn Al-Qaasim from the Maaliki school agreed in opinion with Al-Awqaa’i, in this regard. Other scholars are of the opinion that inserting fingers into ears is a Sunnah peculiar to Athaan as mentioned in all the related texts while there is no text that proves it being practiced during Iqaamah. This is the preponderant opinion, Allaah willing, because if Bilaal, may Allaah pleased with him, had practiced it during Iqaamah it would have been narrated, but since no narration mentioned this to have been practiced, then this is evidence that no one practiced it. Although Iqaamah is generally called one type of Athaan from a linguistic point of view, yet it is different from Athaan in its words and the way it is performed. Therefore, comparing it with Athaan in all aspects is not correct.

Allaah Knows best.