What is the ruling on praying in Makkah to the sound of the radio?

Question : A questioner says: My mother is in Makkah and prays the night prayer (qiyam al-layl) in her house, which is three kilometers from al-Masjid al-Haram, to the sound of the radio. Is her prayer valid?

Answer : What I see in this matter is that her prayer is not valid. This is because she does not see the imam or the congregation, and she is not in the place where the people have gathered. She is praying alone, and the congregational prayer is prescribed so that people gather in one place behind one imam. If a person is alone in his house, how can it be said that he is with the congregation?
If we were to permit praying to the sound of the radio only, we would permit praying behind the radio, and we would tell a person to sit in his house with his son and pray behind the radio, and he would be considered praying in congregation as if he prayed in the mosque. This would open a door of evil, and the issue of television would also arise.
He would say: I do not pray the congregational prayer in my mosque. My mosque has five hundred people, but I pray the congregational prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram. How many people are in al-Masjid al-Haram? There are a million or more. How do I pray in the mosque?
He said: Because the Friday prayer is broadcast on the air, and I am able to follow the imam completely because I hear his voice and see his movements. If the door were opened to people in this regard, it would result in great harm. Therefore, we hold that a person should either be able to attend the mosque, if he is one of those for whom the congregation is obligatory, and he should attend. If he is not one of those for whom the congregation is obligatory, he should pray alone in his house. Yes.