Should the phrases of the adhan and iqamah be recited twice or once?

The differences in practice regarding how many times the phrases of the iqamah should be recited stem from the existence of various narrations from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on this matter.

According to the Hanafi school, as well as some other scholars such as Sufyan al-Thawri and Ibn al-Mubarak, all phrases of the adhan and iqamah—except for the opening takbirs, which are recited four times—should be recited twice. As evidence, they cite the narration of the Companion Abdullah b. Zayd regarding his dream about the adhan and iqamah, which was confirmed by the Prophet (peace be upon him). In these narrations, the opening takbir is mentioned four times, while the other phrases are mentioned in pairs. They also refer to the following narration as evidence: “In the adhan and iqamah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the phrases were recited in pairs.” (Tirmidhi, Salat, 142 [194]; see Shaybani, al-Athar, 1/105 [62]; Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut, 1/128; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, 1/388)

According to the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, when reciting the adhan, the opening takbirs are said four times and the other phrases twice, as in the view above. As for the iqamah, in these schools, the opening takbir, the phrase “qad qamati’s-salah,” and the closing takbirs are each recited twice, while the other phrases are recited once. According to the Maliki school, only the takbirs in the iqamah are recited twice, and the other phrases are recited once. (Nawawi, al-Majmu’, 3/91-94) Those who hold this view base it on the following narration: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded Bilal to recite the phrases of the adhan twice and the phrases of the iqamah once.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 2-3 [605, 607]; Muslim, Salat, 2-3, 5 [378])

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu