While I was reciting the Quran, the adhan was made. Should I have continued my recitation, or paused to repeat it?

The adhan, the call to prayer, was legislated to announce the beginning of prayer time. Malik ibn al-Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“When the time for prayer comes, let one of you proclaim the adhan” (Bukhari and Muslim).

It is recommended for a Muslim, when he hears the adhan while reciting the Quran, to pause the recitation and repeat the adhan. The Prophetic Sunnah encourages responding to the mu`adhdhin by repeating the adhan for everyone who hears it. Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When you hear the adhan, repeat what the mu`adhdhin says” (Bukhari and Muslim).

The majority of Hanafi, Shafi‘i, and Hanbali jurists have stated that when a Muslim hears the adhan, he should not engage in any other activity, except listening attentively to it and repeating it. This is because the adhan is tied to a specific time, unlike other acts which can be made up later. This practice is recommended.

The luminary al-Zayla‘i, the Hanafi scholar, noted in Tabyin al-Haqa`iq (1:89), “A person who hears the adhan and iqamah should not speak while the calls are being called, nor occupy himself with reciting the Quran or any other activity, but should concentrate on listening and responding.”

The Shafi‘i scholar, Imam al-Nawawi, noted in Al-Majmu’ (3:118), “Our companions said, ‘It is recommended for person who hears the adhan, whether in a state of ritual purity, minor or major impurity, a woman in menstruation, young or old, to follow the mu`adhdhin, for it is an act of remembrance, and all of these are people of remembrance. If a person hears it while reciting the Quran, making dhikr, attending a lesson in Islamic knowledge, or the like, he should stop and follow the mu`adhdhin, then return to what he was doing, if he so wishes.” The luminary Ibn Qudama, the Hanbali scholar, stated in Al-Mughni (1:310), “If a person hears the adhan while reciting the Quran, he should interrupt his recitation to repeat what the mu`adhdhin says, because the adhan may be missed, whereas the recitation will not.”

And Allah Almighty knows best.