Asala-muailykum May Allah bless you all for the wonderful website. I have a question please - when I listen to nazisms or qaseeda's or any Quraan recital on a CD. Am I allowed to put off the track during the nazisms or qaseeda's or any Quraan recital? or do I have to listen to the full track? e.g. if its a recital of a surah, and I switch off the CD player (because I have to leave) do I have to wait for the ayah (verse) to end or can I switch off?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

If one wishes to stop while reciting the Quran, he should stop at the end of the Soorah or at least the verse. It is preferable to take into consideration the context of the verses being recited and stop at a suitable part that gives a complete meaning, if not at the end of the chapter.

Ibn Al-Jazari reported that ‘Abdullaah ibn Abi Al-Huthayl said, “They, i.e. the Companions, disliked reciting a verse and stopping before completing it.” [An-Nashr]

Listening to the recitation of the Quran is the same as reciting it in this regard; the most valid opinion is that one should switch off the player at the end of a Soorah or verse.

As for audio poems, there is nothing wrong with switching them off at any part of the poem.

It is worth mentioning that you should beware of the religious songs (Anaasheed) recited by some sects accompanied with drums and duff (a tambourine-like instrument without bells) and possibly dancing, with claim that this is Thikr (remembrance of Allaah). They delightfully hearken to them and argue that this music and dancing enables them to attain Khushoo‘ (submission and humility), whereas, they do not attain Khushoo‘ upon listening to the words of Allaah (the Quran) or the reported Thikr being recited! This is a good example of the words of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: “A people do not introduce an innovation except that they leave the like of it from the Sunnah (i.e. they forgot it and neglect it).” [Ahmad]

Allaah Knows best.