The Shaykh’s explanation of the origin of using loudspeakers in the adhan and that it is prescribed in it.
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The Shaykh : The other issue concerns this loudspeaker. Muslims today have become accustomed to utilizing this means that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) created in the modern era, employing it for what is appropriate and for what is not. Here is the second point of caution:
There is no doubt that it is prescribed for the mu'adhdhin to be loud-voiced and to have a resonant voice, because many hadiths have come that confirm this, and even mention that the mu'adhdhin’s voice, no matter how far it reaches to stone, tree, or plain, will be a witness for him on the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, the story of the beginning of the legislation of the adhan came, and perhaps many of you know it and have read it in the books of the Sunnah, or at least heard of it from some of the noble scholars. The summary of that story is: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was leading the people in congregational prayer, the adhan had not yet been legislated. So some of them would remind others of the prayer, similar to what some people do today in some countries by saying, "The prayer, the prayer." This is how they did it before the legislation of the adhan. Then it occurred to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to adopt a means to inform the people of the arrival of the prayer time. So he gathered them, and they deliberated and consulted, and each individual expressed the opinion he had. So three opinions emerged from these:
The first opinion: That a great fire be lit that is visible to distant people, so they understand from it that this is a sign of the arrival of the prayer time. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rejected that decisively and said:.
And a second proposed striking a horn. He (peace be upon him) said:.
And a third said: We strike a gong. He (peace and blessings be upon him) also refused that and said:.
Then the assembly dispersed without making a decision.:
Therefore, the scholars agreed that the mu'adhdhin should be loud-voiced, with a clear and resonant voice, such that it reaches the farthest place from the mosque. When this means was found that carries the voice to distant distances—what Allah willed—the scholars practically agreed on the permissibility of adopting this means, because it confirms that goal which the Messenger (peace be upon him) explained in the aforementioned hadiths, which is: conveying the voice to the farthest possible place. So this in the adhan is a desirable, prescribed matter. Using this means only in the adhan is a desirable, prescribed matter because it achieves a prescribed goal.
There is no doubt that it is prescribed for the mu'adhdhin to be loud-voiced and to have a resonant voice, because many hadiths have come that confirm this, and even mention that the mu'adhdhin’s voice, no matter how far it reaches to stone, tree, or plain, will be a witness for him on the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, the story of the beginning of the legislation of the adhan came, and perhaps many of you know it and have read it in the books of the Sunnah, or at least heard of it from some of the noble scholars. The summary of that story is: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was leading the people in congregational prayer, the adhan had not yet been legislated. So some of them would remind others of the prayer, similar to what some people do today in some countries by saying, "The prayer, the prayer." This is how they did it before the legislation of the adhan. Then it occurred to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to adopt a means to inform the people of the arrival of the prayer time. So he gathered them, and they deliberated and consulted, and each individual expressed the opinion he had. So three opinions emerged from these:
The first opinion: That a great fire be lit that is visible to distant people, so they understand from it that this is a sign of the arrival of the prayer time. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rejected that decisively and said:
This is the symbol of the Majus
هذه شعار المجوسAnd a second proposed striking a horn. He (peace be upon him) said:
This is the symbol of the Jews.
هذا شعار اليهودAnd a third said: We strike a gong. He (peace and blessings be upon him) also refused that and said:
This is the emblem of the Christians
هذا شعار النصارىThen the assembly dispersed without making a decision.
One of the Companions who were among those who attended the assembly saw in a dream that while he was walking on one of the roads of Madinah, he saw a man in his hand a gong. So he said to him: "Will you sell me this gong, O servant of Allah?" He said: "Why?" He said: "So we can strike it at the time of prayer." He said: "Shall I not direct you to something better than that?" Then he stood or rose on a root of a wall, meaning: on a ruined wall where something remained above the ground, so he climbed it and put his two fingers in his ears and said: "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar," which is the adhan known to you, and "Alhamdulillah," then he descended from that root to the ground and called for the prayer. When the man woke up, he narrated his dream to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: "It is a true dream, so convey it—here is the point—he (peace be upon him) said: "It is a true dream, so convey it to Bilal, for he has a clearer voice than you."
فرأى أحدُ الصحابة الذين كانوا من جملة مَن حضر المجلس رأى في المنام أنه بينما كان يمشي في طريق مِن طرق المدينة رأى رجلًا في يده ناقوس، فقال له: اتبيعني هذا الناقوس يا عبد الله ؟ قال لم ؟ قال: لنضرب عليه في وقت الصلاة، قال: أفلا أدلك على ما هو خير من ذلك، ثم وقف أو قام على جذر جدر أي: على جدار مهدوم وقد بقي منه شيء فوق الأرض فعلى عليه ووضع أُصبعيه في أذنيه وقال: الله أكبر الله أكبر هذا الأذان المعروف لديكم والحمد لله، ثم نزل من ذلك الجذر إلى الأرض وأقام الصلاة ، فلما أصبح الرجل قصَّ رؤياه على النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم فقال: إنها رؤيا حق فألقه -هنا الشاهد- قال عليه السلام: إنها رؤيا حق فألقه على بلال فإنه أندى صوتًا منكTherefore, the scholars agreed that the mu'adhdhin should be loud-voiced, with a clear and resonant voice, such that it reaches the farthest place from the mosque. When this means was found that carries the voice to distant distances—what Allah willed—the scholars practically agreed on the permissibility of adopting this means, because it confirms that goal which the Messenger (peace be upon him) explained in the aforementioned hadiths, which is: conveying the voice to the farthest possible place. So this in the adhan is a desirable, prescribed matter. Using this means only in the adhan is a desirable, prescribed matter because it achieves a prescribed goal.