What is the ruling on using a loudspeaker for the iqamah?

The questioner : One of the brothers was leading the prayer in the mosque, so they gave him a loudspeaker to raise his voice. He said, "No, raising the voice in the iqamah was not done."

The Shaykh : What about the adhan?

The questioner : He says that a loudspeaker is used in the adhan.

The Shaykh : What is the difference between the iqamah and the adhan?

The questioner : He says that Bilal used to call the adhan inside the mosque.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : Meaning, Bilal used to call the adhan inside the mosque without raising his voice.

The Shaykh : You are saying he did not call the iqamah.

The questioner : No, he means that the iqamah was...

The Shaykh : My brother, may Allah guide you, answer the question.

The questioner : I say that Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) used to call the iqamah inside the mosque. What is its authenticity?

The Shaykh : I said earlier that he called the adhan, so the matter became confusing for me.

The questioner : No, he distinguishes between the adhan and the iqamah.

The Shaykh : We know that, but what is his evidence? You reported it, so the responsibility is on the narrator, and you are the one who said that in the time of the Messenger, the iqamah was not called with a raised voice. That is fine. And the adhan in the time of the Messenger and the early generations—there was no loudspeaker. So what is the difference between the two? We are explaining to the people here, as we are currently residing in Oman, that the iqamah is a specific adhan for the people of the mosque, while the adhan before the iqamah is for all the people around the mosque. It is in this adhan, and not the iqamah, that it is prescribed to raise the natural voice to the furthest extent that the caller's voice allows. So if there is now a device that carries the voice to distant places, this is a means that is desirable in the Shari'ah, because it is reported in the hadiths that it is a sunnah for the mu'adhdhin to have a loud, clear voice, and that no stone or brick hears the voice of the mu'adhdhin except that it will testify for him on the Day of Resurrection. As for the iqamah, such loudness is not recommended in it, because the purpose is only to make the people of the mosque hear it. So if we assume that the mosque is large and crowded with worshippers, and the voice of the one calling the iqamah is faint, there is no harm in using a loudspeaker in this case, to the extent that achieves the goal, which is making those in the mosque hear it. Based on this detail, we say something very important: it is not prescribed to broadcast the imam's prayer in the mosque, whether on Friday or in any of the five prayers. It is not prescribed to broadcast this prayer. We hear in every country, here and there, that the imam recites the Qur'an in the Fajr prayer, in the Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers, and his voice echoes in the valleys, hills, and mountains, and so on. This is not permissible. The imam's voice should be confined to the mosque and not go beyond it, because it will be a cause of difficulty for many people. For example, some people for whom congregational prayer is not obligatory, such as women, may be praying in their homes. They do not pray well because the noise comes to them from the mosque due to the loudspeaker. Or they may be in permissible leisure and play. In this case, they are between two things: either they stop what Allah has permitted them of permissible leisure because they hear the word of Allah being recited, or they do not care, which is what happens, as you hear now, with the broadcasting of the Qur'an on the radio entering entertainment venues, cinemas, and so on. If this matter is in the hands of the state, and the state may not care about the Shari'ah, but the imam of the mosque must take this reality into account. So it is not appropriate to use a loudspeaker such that he knows for certain... repeating, meaning his response.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : And why not? Is he not a mu'adhdhin?