Use of External Loudspeakers during Prayer
Fatwa No: 420610

Question

is this allowed to read quran by using microphone which is too much loud that outside the mosque people also listening ? in my neighborhood area there are happening quran recitation in various mosque in loud . one of my friend neighborhood told me about this.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

We have previously issued a Fatwa forbidding the use of external loudspeakers during prayer because of the harm it causes to people in their homes or in other mosques.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in his Fatwa in this regard: “As for what you mentioned about using the loudspeaker for the audible prayer atop the minaret, it is forbidden because it disturbs people in the nearby houses and mosques. Imaam Maalik narrated in Al-Muwatta’ – as cited in Sharh Az-Zurqaani in the chapter on reciting the Quran – that Al-Bayaadhi Farwah ibn ‘Amr, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, ‘The Messenger of Allah came out to the people who were performing the prayer while reciting the Quran loudly and said to them: “The praying person is in a private discourse with his Lord, so let him concentrate on what he is saying to Him, and none of you should recite Quran loudly in a way that disturbs the others.”’ Moreover, Abu Daawood narrated under the heading: ‘Raising the Voice with recitation in Night Prayers,’ that Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri said: ‘The Messenger of Allah was observing I‘tikaaf (staying in the mosque for the purpose of worship) and heard people reciting the Quran in a loud voice, so he removed the curtain and said: “Lo! Every one of you is calling his Lord quietly; you should not disturb one another nor raise your voices over each other with recitation (of the Quran) or in prayer.”’ Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr said: ‘The Hadeeth narrated by Al-Bayaadhi and the one narrated by Abu Sa‘eed are both authentically attributed to the Prophet, ’ … These two Hadeeths forbid reciting the Quran out loud in the prayer to the extent that it disturbs others and underline that it constitutes harming others, which is forbidden. Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said in Majmoo‘ Al-Fataawa: ‘No one has the right to recite the Quran out loud to the extent of harming others, like the worshipers performing prayers.’ In one of his answers cited in Al-Fataawa Al-Kubra, he said: ‘Whoever does what disturbs people in the mosque or what leads to it should be prevented from it.’” [End of Quote]

Allah Knows best.

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