The ruling on broadcasting the iqamah and the imam's recitation through the mosque's loudspeakers.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Regarding the imam's loudspeakers, and I said that there is an old research on this topic that I have spoken about before, and the scope of the discussion was not what it is now; we would like you to speak about it now.
The Shaykh : Well done. It is not hidden from any true jurist who is knowledgeable of the authentic Sunnah that the adhan in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) differed from the iqamah. The adhan was on the roof of the mosque, while the iqamah was inside the mosque. This is a practical difference and a ruling from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to distinguish between the adhan, which is to be in a high place so that people outside the mosque, who are far from it, can hear it, and the iqamah, which is the call for those inside the mosque. Now, because of the loudspeaker, they have reversed this Sunnah and equated the announcement of the adhan with the iqamah. Just as they announce the adhan with the loudspeaker, they also announce the iqamah with the loudspeaker. This is a violation of the Sunnah. And as we always say in many of our sermons: "And the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)."
And another thing that is a violation of the Sunnah regarding the adhan, which I have not mentioned in these days, is that it is prescribed for the mu'adhdhin to be in a high place, standing out with his body, not just with his voice. Now, they are content with transmitting the voice to the farthest possible place with the loudspeaker and calling from a place inside the mosque. The mu'adhdhin standing out with his body is a Sunnah that should not be dispensed with by the modern device that transmits the voice over multiplied distances, because the adhan is one of the symbols of Islam that we must preserve as a tradition and following of what the Messenger (peace be upon him) and his Companions were upon. The mu'adhdhin appearing with his person in his adhan is a Sunnah, and for him to be a man with a loud voice is another Sunnah. This device confirms raising the voice, which is the audible goal, but concealing the mu'adhdhin's person between the walls of the mosque is contrary to the Sunnah. So now they have lowered the adhan from the highest place and placed it inside the mosque, which is contrary to the Sunnah, and then they raised the voice of the iqamah and equated it with the voice of the adhan, which is contrary to the Sunnah.
And I have also pointed out in some of the countries we have passed through, and this exists in all countries, unfortunately, that it is a great error to broadcast the loud prayer, especially on Friday. The Qur'an has etiquettes, so listeners must pay attention to them, including devoting themselves to listening and heeding it, in accordance with the well-known verse:[Al-A'raf 7:204] So when the Qur'an is broadcast and others outside the mosque hear it, they are in one of two states: either they suspend what they are engaged in, and one of them might be relieving himself and thus unable to perform the etiquette toward this recitation, or they continue in their work and do not turn to the Qur'an or listen to it. So who is the cause of putting people either in difficulty or in suspending their interests? Raising the voice in the mosque and making those for whom it is not prescribed to hear the Noble Qur'an hear it.
Therefore, I say: It is necessary to detail the permissibility of using the loudspeaker in the mosque. If we assume, as we have observed in some mosques during the Fajr prayer, that there are not even ten people, yet the loudspeaker is blaring outside the mosque, why? These ten people hear the imam's voice in the recitation and with the natural voice, so there is no justification for turning on the loudspeaker because these people can hear it. It is a redundant achievement on one hand and destruction on the other, because in this broadcast, it forces other people to listen when they are not prepared for it, or to be distracted, and thus they fall into the sin of violating the Qur'anic text. Therefore, we should not be followers of traditions, and we should distinguish between the permissible unrestricted public benefit and the impermissible unrestricted public benefit. Now, using the loudspeaker is a means that occurred in the present age and can fall under unrestricted public benefits, but it has become a rule as if it were a Sunnah, used where there is a benefit and where there is no such benefit, and this is the example. Broadcasting the iqamah is contrary to the Sunnah. Broadcasting the Qur'an has no justification at all, because the intention is to make those in the mosque hear it. If there are many rows in the mosque and the imam's voice does not reach them, the loudspeaker is raised so that they can hear. But for it to blare and be heard from kilometers away, this is undoubtedly contrary to the etiquette with the recitation of the Noble Qur'an. This is what I referred to recently, and this is an explanation for the people; I hope they pay attention to it and put everything in its proper place.
The questioner : And it is possible, Shaykh, that they make the internal loudspeakers separate from the external ones during the iqamah and the recitation, and only use the internal ones inside the mosque.
The Shaykh : Everything is possible now, but where is the one who understands and implements it?
The Shaykh : Well done. It is not hidden from any true jurist who is knowledgeable of the authentic Sunnah that the adhan in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) differed from the iqamah. The adhan was on the roof of the mosque, while the iqamah was inside the mosque. This is a practical difference and a ruling from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to distinguish between the adhan, which is to be in a high place so that people outside the mosque, who are far from it, can hear it, and the iqamah, which is the call for those inside the mosque. Now, because of the loudspeaker, they have reversed this Sunnah and equated the announcement of the adhan with the iqamah. Just as they announce the adhan with the loudspeaker, they also announce the iqamah with the loudspeaker. This is a violation of the Sunnah. And as we always say in many of our sermons: "And the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)."
And another thing that is a violation of the Sunnah regarding the adhan, which I have not mentioned in these days, is that it is prescribed for the mu'adhdhin to be in a high place, standing out with his body, not just with his voice. Now, they are content with transmitting the voice to the farthest possible place with the loudspeaker and calling from a place inside the mosque. The mu'adhdhin standing out with his body is a Sunnah that should not be dispensed with by the modern device that transmits the voice over multiplied distances, because the adhan is one of the symbols of Islam that we must preserve as a tradition and following of what the Messenger (peace be upon him) and his Companions were upon. The mu'adhdhin appearing with his person in his adhan is a Sunnah, and for him to be a man with a loud voice is another Sunnah. This device confirms raising the voice, which is the audible goal, but concealing the mu'adhdhin's person between the walls of the mosque is contrary to the Sunnah. So now they have lowered the adhan from the highest place and placed it inside the mosque, which is contrary to the Sunnah, and then they raised the voice of the iqamah and equated it with the voice of the adhan, which is contrary to the Sunnah.
And I have also pointed out in some of the countries we have passed through, and this exists in all countries, unfortunately, that it is a great error to broadcast the loud prayer, especially on Friday. The Qur'an has etiquettes, so listeners must pay attention to them, including devoting themselves to listening and heeding it, in accordance with the well-known verse:
So when the Qur'an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy.
فإذا قرئ القرآن فاستمعوا له وأنصتوا لعلكم ترحمونTherefore, I say: It is necessary to detail the permissibility of using the loudspeaker in the mosque. If we assume, as we have observed in some mosques during the Fajr prayer, that there are not even ten people, yet the loudspeaker is blaring outside the mosque, why? These ten people hear the imam's voice in the recitation and with the natural voice, so there is no justification for turning on the loudspeaker because these people can hear it. It is a redundant achievement on one hand and destruction on the other, because in this broadcast, it forces other people to listen when they are not prepared for it, or to be distracted, and thus they fall into the sin of violating the Qur'anic text. Therefore, we should not be followers of traditions, and we should distinguish between the permissible unrestricted public benefit and the impermissible unrestricted public benefit. Now, using the loudspeaker is a means that occurred in the present age and can fall under unrestricted public benefits, but it has become a rule as if it were a Sunnah, used where there is a benefit and where there is no such benefit, and this is the example. Broadcasting the iqamah is contrary to the Sunnah. Broadcasting the Qur'an has no justification at all, because the intention is to make those in the mosque hear it. If there are many rows in the mosque and the imam's voice does not reach them, the loudspeaker is raised so that they can hear. But for it to blare and be heard from kilometers away, this is undoubtedly contrary to the etiquette with the recitation of the Noble Qur'an. This is what I referred to recently, and this is an explanation for the people; I hope they pay attention to it and put everything in its proper place.
The questioner : And it is possible, Shaykh, that they make the internal loudspeakers separate from the external ones during the iqamah and the recitation, and only use the internal ones inside the mosque.
The Shaykh : Everything is possible now, but where is the one who understands and implements it?