The Shaykh’s clarification of the ruling on broadcasting the loud prayer with loudspeakers outside the mosque, and likewise the Friday sermon.
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The Shaykh : The second point of caution is more important than this, and it concerns this same loudspeaker, which is:
That most of the imams in the mosques broadcast their recitation with the loudspeaker, thereby making things difficult for the people who are in their homes, in their shops, in their factories, and in their workshops. The women in the homes may be occupied with a busy task, and the people who are outside the mosque likewise are unable to observe the Quranic etiquette, where our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, says:[Al-A'raf 7:204] We experienced some of this difficulty ourselves while we were in al-Taif. We were travelers, and we intended to combine the Maghrib and Isha prayers by delaying them, so we prepared for them. When we entered the Maghrib prayer, I think, the imam entered the Isha prayer, and his voice reciting the Quran disturbed us, besides the fact that it also disturbed others who were not in a state to listen to the Quran. Therefore, broadcasting the imam’s voice when he recites the Quran in the mosque to outside the mosque is also an aggression and a transgression of the limits of Allah, and it puts people in a difficult position, forcing them into one of two things:
Either they leave their conversation, or they leave their work, to devote themselves to fulfilling the previous verse.
Or they remain as is the reality, absorbed and proceeding with their conversation and their work. So, this listening to these verses should be restricted to those who are in the mosque. Therefore, I propose one of two things depending on the mosque:
If the mosque does not have a large congregation and the imam’s voice is loud, there is no need to use this loudspeaker.
And if the mosque is large and the people are many, then the voice should be raised only to the extent that it is heard by those following behind the imam, and the voice should not go outside the mosque. This is what I wanted to remind you of, and I hope that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will benefit us with what we remind one another of. Now, bring up what you have.
The questioner : Does the Friday sermon fall under this?
The Shaykh : The Friday sermon! I mean: broadcasting it as well?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is the same; it should not be broadcast. Everything that is specific to the mosque should not go outside the mosque, and what is inclusive of those outside the mosque, as we said regarding the adhan, it is prescribed to broadcast it with the radio, yes.
That most of the imams in the mosques broadcast their recitation with the loudspeaker, thereby making things difficult for the people who are in their homes, in their shops, in their factories, and in their workshops. The women in the homes may be occupied with a busy task, and the people who are outside the mosque likewise are unable to observe the Quranic etiquette, where our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, says:
So when the Qur'an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy.
وإذا قُرأ القرآن فاستمعوا له وأنصتوا لعلكم تُرحمونEither they leave their conversation, or they leave their work, to devote themselves to fulfilling the previous verse.
Or they remain as is the reality, absorbed and proceeding with their conversation and their work. So, this listening to these verses should be restricted to those who are in the mosque. Therefore, I propose one of two things depending on the mosque:
If the mosque does not have a large congregation and the imam’s voice is loud, there is no need to use this loudspeaker.
And if the mosque is large and the people are many, then the voice should be raised only to the extent that it is heard by those following behind the imam, and the voice should not go outside the mosque. This is what I wanted to remind you of, and I hope that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will benefit us with what we remind one another of. Now, bring up what you have.
The questioner : Does the Friday sermon fall under this?
The Shaykh : The Friday sermon! I mean: broadcasting it as well?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is the same; it should not be broadcast. Everything that is specific to the mosque should not go outside the mosque, and what is inclusive of those outside the mosque, as we said regarding the adhan, it is prescribed to broadcast it with the radio, yes.