Translating the sermon to the deaf via sign language
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Q: May Allah preserve you, you know that we have brothers who have been afflicted with the inability to hear. The Shaykh Sulayman ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Rajhi has equipped the mosque in the al-Jazirah district with devices that transmit the Friday sermons and lectures to these deaf brothers via sign language on a screen in a designated area where they sit, enabling them to understand those sermons and lectures. The interpreter for the mosque's sermons and lectures via sign language sits in a designated place behind the mihrab on the qiblah side, and joins the Muslims to perform the prayer with them after completing his task.
Similarly, the translation of the sermon for non-Arabic speakers is done in a designated place, and the interpreter is also in a designated place out of the sight of the worshippers. After the sermon ends, he joins the worshippers to perform the prayer with them. Your Eminence, because some of the zealous people have raised objections to this practice, we have decided to inform you of it, hoping to know the Islamic ruling, so that your opinion may remove any confusion that may arise among some of the worshippers. May Allah preserve you and protect you.
A: It is permissible to translate the sermon instantly and broadcast that translation via a transmission station, using receivers for that translation by those among the worshippers who do not speak Arabic well. This is because the purpose of the sermon is to benefit the audience, remind them of the right of Allah, call them to Him, and warn them against what Allah has forbidden. This is not achieved except in their language. It is also permissible to translate the sermon instantly for the hearing impaired via sign language, provided that a designated place for the interpreter and those being interpreted for is set up out of the sight of the other worshippers, so as not to distract them from listening to the sermon.
Similarly, the translation of the sermon for non-Arabic speakers is done in a designated place, and the interpreter is also in a designated place out of the sight of the worshippers. After the sermon ends, he joins the worshippers to perform the prayer with them. Your Eminence, because some of the zealous people have raised objections to this practice, we have decided to inform you of it, hoping to know the Islamic ruling, so that your opinion may remove any confusion that may arise among some of the worshippers. May Allah preserve you and protect you.
A: It is permissible to translate the sermon instantly and broadcast that translation via a transmission station, using receivers for that translation by those among the worshippers who do not speak Arabic well. This is because the purpose of the sermon is to benefit the audience, remind them of the right of Allah, call them to Him, and warn them against what Allah has forbidden. This is not achieved except in their language. It is also permissible to translate the sermon instantly for the hearing impaired via sign language, provided that a designated place for the interpreter and those being interpreted for is set up out of the sight of the other worshippers, so as not to distract them from listening to the sermon.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.