Husband and wife having intercourse while Quran could be heard from another room
Fatwa No: 92698

Question

Had Intercource with husband and the quran was playing orginally in the other room but could be heard.Both of us feel ashamed what can we do for kafara.

Answer

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 is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

You and your husband are not obliged to pay any expiation and you are not sinful for what you mentioned in the question, especially that you did not intend to listen to the Quran. Even if you intended to listen to the Quran during intercourse, you are still not required to expiate. However, among the etiquettes of listening to the Quran is that one should ponder and listen to it carefully; Allaah Says (what means): {So, when the Quran is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy [i.e. during the compulsory congregational prayers when the Imaam (of a mosque) is leading the prayer (except chapter Al-Faatihah), and also when he is delivering the Friday prayer Khutbah].}[Quran 7:204]. Even though the verse refers to the obligation of listening during the prayer, it still applies to all other times, according to the scholars yet a person is not obliged to do so. Despite the fact that one is not prevented from listening to the Quran in whatever condition or circumstance he is, nonetheless, it is better for him to honour the sacred ordinances of Allaah, and protect the Quran from anything which may suggest not respecting it. The Prophet said: "Whoever listens to a verse from the Book of Allaah, he gets a multiplied reward, and whoever recites it, it will be a light for him on the on the Day of Judgement." [Ahmad]

One scholar from the Salaf (righteous predecessors) said: ‘Allaah's Mercy is closer to a person who listens to the Quran than to anyone else.’

This meaning is extracted from the above verse, Allaah Says (what means): {So, when the Quran is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy [i.e. during the compulsory congregational prayers when the Imaam (of a mosque) is leading the prayer (except chapter Al-Faatihah), and also when he is delivering the Friday prayer Khutbah].}[Quran 7:204]. Therefore, if you are not listening to the recitation of the Quran, you should turn your radio or cassette recorder off.

To conclude, we have not come across any text [in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Prophet ] which prohibits listening to the Quran during intercourse. However, according to the Islamic etiquettes, one should listen to the Quran while pondering on its meaning, but if he is busy and cannot ponder on its meaning, then he should turn the radio off during intercourse or when doing anything else.

Allaah Knows best.

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