Guidelines for the use of loudspeakers during the adhan and the iqamah, and is there a difference between the two?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : I say: As for the Shari'ah ... in small mosques, the iqamah is sufficient without a device, meaning without a loudspeaker. But in large mosques, like those in Makkah and al-Madinah, if the iqamah is performed without this device, most people do not hear it.
The Shaykh : Never mind — may Allah reward you — our purpose in this detail is not to equate the broadcasting of the adhan with the broadcasting of the iqamah. The broadcasting of the iqamah today reminds me of an old innovation, which is the mu'adhdhin repeating the imam's takbir. When we were in Syria, we did not know of this repetition except in large mosques, and it is very clear in that. Its origin is in "Sahih al-Bukhari," but in Ramadan the mosque is very full, so the imam prays tarawih with the people. It is necessary that the repeater repeats what? The takbir, the sound of the imam's takbir, and his voice is repeated ... in the mosque because of its smallness. So why this repetition? There is certainly no need for it, because the repetition was prescribed for the sake of hearing, and here the hearing is achieved by the imam's voice alone, so it is sufficient. Now we return to the distinction between large and small mosques that the doctor mentioned — may Allah reward him with good — we say:
Every mosque has its ruling, but do you see now a mosque with a loudspeaker that distinguishes between a large mosque and a small one? Never. The matter is confused, but when we want to address the matter with wisdom and consideration for the Shari'ah and its rulings, we say: The large mosque uses the loudspeaker within the limits of need, and not within the limits of the need for broadcasting the adhan. Broadcasting the adhan should include those who are farthest from the mosque, whereas broadcasting the iqamah in a large mosque should be for the need present in that mosque. This detail is necessary, but that does not necessarily mean we make it a consistent rule, such that as we announce the adhan we announce the iqamah, and as we announce the adhan and the iqamah we also announce the recitation of the Qur'an by the imam.
This ruling reminded me, and this is in fact from the wisdom of His saying — the Exalted —:. You must have known that I was here a few months ago to perform 'Umrah, and it was granted to me to travel around the Saudi lands for about two months for the first time in my life, and much good came from this — if Allah wills. So I was in al-Ta'if when the adhan for Maghrib was called, and I had with me some of our brothers accompanying us from some countries, and they were traveling with me. So I took the dispensation and did not go down to the mosque, and I prayed at home as the imam. And I was surprised by something I had never experienced before. I was reciting and the imam was also reciting. The imam was reciting and his voice was broadcast like the adhan; so it was disturbing me. If it was not disturbing me, it was disturbing others, the women and the household members about whom the Messenger said: . So at that time I paid attention to this issue, and I said this is something we should be aware of: it is not permissible to broadcast the prayer as in the adhan. And I also began to observe, and the more I thought, the more I was convinced of the correctness of this prediction and warning.
And we went to some of the countries in the Eastern Region, and to Hail, I think. Yes, that's right. And they held a gathering for us. Yes?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, Hail.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : So what is there? Yes?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, no.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, ... I know it.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, al-Kharj ... , anything else?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : What other countries are there in Saudi Arabia?
Another questioner : Dammam, al-Ta'if, al-Dhahran, ... .
The questioner : al-Ahsa?
The Shaykh : al-Ahsa, may Allah reward you. al-Ahsa.
So they set up a large camp for us, and we delivered some words from 'Asr until the adhan for Maghrib. The camp had more people than any mosque at that time, so we prayed there as the imam. Before the prayer, we heard the adhan from here and the adhan from here. The mosques there — and praise be to Allah — are numerous, meaning, and then the adhan is broadcast with the loudspeaker. And soon the prayer was broadcast with the loudspeaker, so you hear the recitation of an imam from here, and the recitation of an imam from here, so what happens? There is interference with each other. And we also, when we prayed, were affected by the same interference that affected others.
So we should observe the Shari'ah rules and apply them well, while considering the precision of the Shari'ah rulings in Islam. The known distinction between the adhan and the iqamah does not permit us to equate them in broadcasting, and this is what is the reality today — unfortunately — and this precise jurisprudential meaning is not observed in it.
And I think now that you must be praying in the mosque, and we have already prayed.
The Shaykh : Never mind — may Allah reward you — our purpose in this detail is not to equate the broadcasting of the adhan with the broadcasting of the iqamah. The broadcasting of the iqamah today reminds me of an old innovation, which is the mu'adhdhin repeating the imam's takbir. When we were in Syria, we did not know of this repetition except in large mosques, and it is very clear in that. Its origin is in "Sahih al-Bukhari," but in Ramadan the mosque is very full, so the imam prays tarawih with the people. It is necessary that the repeater repeats what? The takbir, the sound of the imam's takbir, and his voice is repeated ... in the mosque because of its smallness. So why this repetition? There is certainly no need for it, because the repetition was prescribed for the sake of hearing, and here the hearing is achieved by the imam's voice alone, so it is sufficient. Now we return to the distinction between large and small mosques that the doctor mentioned — may Allah reward him with good — we say:
Every mosque has its ruling, but do you see now a mosque with a loudspeaker that distinguishes between a large mosque and a small one? Never. The matter is confused, but when we want to address the matter with wisdom and consideration for the Shari'ah and its rulings, we say: The large mosque uses the loudspeaker within the limits of need, and not within the limits of the need for broadcasting the adhan. Broadcasting the adhan should include those who are farthest from the mosque, whereas broadcasting the iqamah in a large mosque should be for the need present in that mosque. This detail is necessary, but that does not necessarily mean we make it a consistent rule, such that as we announce the adhan we announce the iqamah, and as we announce the adhan and the iqamah we also announce the recitation of the Qur'an by the imam.
This ruling reminded me, and this is in fact from the wisdom of His saying — the Exalted —:
Say, "Travel through the earth"
قل سيروا في الأرضAnd their homes are better for them
وبيوتهن خير لهنَّAnd we went to some of the countries in the Eastern Region, and to Hail, I think. Yes, that's right. And they held a gathering for us. Yes?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, Hail.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : So what is there? Yes?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, no.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, ... I know it.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, al-Kharj ... , anything else?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : What other countries are there in Saudi Arabia?
Another questioner : Dammam, al-Ta'if, al-Dhahran, ... .
The questioner : al-Ahsa?
The Shaykh : al-Ahsa, may Allah reward you. al-Ahsa.
So they set up a large camp for us, and we delivered some words from 'Asr until the adhan for Maghrib. The camp had more people than any mosque at that time, so we prayed there as the imam. Before the prayer, we heard the adhan from here and the adhan from here. The mosques there — and praise be to Allah — are numerous, meaning, and then the adhan is broadcast with the loudspeaker. And soon the prayer was broadcast with the loudspeaker, so you hear the recitation of an imam from here, and the recitation of an imam from here, so what happens? There is interference with each other. And we also, when we prayed, were affected by the same interference that affected others.
So we should observe the Shari'ah rules and apply them well, while considering the precision of the Shari'ah rulings in Islam. The known distinction between the adhan and the iqamah does not permit us to equate them in broadcasting, and this is what is the reality today — unfortunately — and this precise jurisprudential meaning is not observed in it.
And I think now that you must be praying in the mosque, and we have already prayed.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.