Does the reciter on a tape have the same ruling as the regular reciter regarding the obligation to listen to him?
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The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : Does the reciter on the tape, I mean the reciter on the recorder, have the same ruling as the regular reciter in terms of recitation?
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : I mean, regarding the obligation to listen to him?
The Shaykh : So, you are asking: Does the listener of the tape, since the recording is finished, if a person records on a tape, it is finished after the first time, and his reward and virtue are cut off, except if someone benefits from listening to his voice through the tape, in which case he is rewarded for this benefit. As for listening to him, it is not obligatory to listen to him, nor to the reciter, even if a person is reciting directly and you are hearing him, listening to him is not obligatory.
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-A'raf 7:204] He said: "They agreed that this is in prayer".
I mean, if the follower is behind the imam. As for a person reciting next to you while you are occupied with your own dhikr, it is not obligatory for you to listen. Did you understand?
Then, suppose this reciter passes a prostration verse, and I mean the reciter via the tape, do you prostrate? The answer is: You do not prostrate if he passes a prostration verse,
First: because he did not prostrate.
Second: Even if he did prostrate and you heard him say: Allahu Akbar and prostrate, you do not prostrate, because he is not your imam now, rather this tape is only replaying his voice. Therefore, if someone said: I am satisfied with the adhan of a mu'adhdhin via the tape, if at the time of adhan he turned on the microphone, then placed the tape around the pickup and played it with the adhan, is this sufficient instead of the direct adhan? This is not sufficient. Therefore, some schools, as we have heard, or some offices make a great error by making the adhan via this recorder. Yes, in any case, I do not say except what I know, so this is a great error, because the adhan is a worship among the best of worships, until the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding its reward: They are distinguished from others. Therefore, the rank of the mu'adhdhin is better than the rank of the imam, meaning: the mu'adhdhin's work is more arduous and his voice reaches what the imam's voice reached.
So, the result is that listening to the recitation from the tape is not like listening to the direct reciter. Also, listening is not obligatory, neither to the tape nor to the direct reciter, because the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-A'raf 7:204] As you heard, Imam Ahmad said: "They agreed that that is in prayer".
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : I mean, regarding the obligation to listen to him?
The Shaykh : So, you are asking: Does the listener of the tape, since the recording is finished, if a person records on a tape, it is finished after the first time, and his reward and virtue are cut off, except if someone benefits from listening to his voice through the tape, in which case he is rewarded for this benefit. As for listening to him, it is not obligatory to listen to him, nor to the reciter, even if a person is reciting directly and you are hearing him, listening to him is not obligatory.
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So when the Qur'an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy.
وَإِذَا قُرِئَ الْقُرْآنُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ وَأَنْصِتُوا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَI mean, if the follower is behind the imam. As for a person reciting next to you while you are occupied with your own dhikr, it is not obligatory for you to listen. Did you understand?
Then, suppose this reciter passes a prostration verse, and I mean the reciter via the tape, do you prostrate? The answer is: You do not prostrate if he passes a prostration verse,
First: because he did not prostrate.
Second: Even if he did prostrate and you heard him say: Allahu Akbar and prostrate, you do not prostrate, because he is not your imam now, rather this tape is only replaying his voice. Therefore, if someone said: I am satisfied with the adhan of a mu'adhdhin via the tape, if at the time of adhan he turned on the microphone, then placed the tape around the pickup and played it with the adhan, is this sufficient instead of the direct adhan? This is not sufficient. Therefore, some schools, as we have heard, or some offices make a great error by making the adhan via this recorder. Yes, in any case, I do not say except what I know, so this is a great error, because the adhan is a worship among the best of worships, until the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding its reward:
The people with the longest necks on the Day of Resurrection are the mu'adhdhins
أطول الناس أعناقاً يوم القيامة المؤذنونSo, the result is that listening to the recitation from the tape is not like listening to the direct reciter. Also, listening is not obligatory, neither to the tape nor to the direct reciter, because the saying of Allah the Exalted: