Using a loudspeaker is like using the telephone

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Dynamic_Microphone_fullIt is harâm to play any sort of musical instrument, as well as to perform any religious recital, e.g. reading or reciting (passages from the) Qur’ân al-kerîm, reciting (an eulogy to the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’, termed the) mawlid, or reciting (the prescribed invitation to prayer of namâz, termed the) azân (or adhân), melodiously. Also, it is harâm to use musical instruments such as flutes, or loudspeakers in the performance of such religious performances. Saying something melodiously means elongation of some vowels, which may spoil the wording. Wahhâbîs are trying to prohibit the performance of mawlid with casuistries such as, “The Prophet is dead; he will not hear you. Besides, it is polytheism to eulogize anyone other than Allah.” It is this belief of theirs which is disbelief. Using a loudspeaker is like using the telephone. If something is harâm to say, it is not permissible to listen to it through a loudspeaker. It is permissible to use loudspeakers for educational purposes, e.g. in teaching science, arts, economics, religious knowledge, ethics and martial lessons.

It is not permissible to use loudspeakers to announce corrupt publications fabricated so as to impair moral and religious comportments or to amplify the sound during the performance of adhân or public prayer of namâz, or to listen to such performances. The voice heard from a loudspeaker installed on a minaret is not the voice of the muadh-dhin (person calling the adhân). It is the voice produced by the instrument, despite its close similarity to the human voice. When we hear this voice, we should say, “It’s prayer time (time for namâz),” instead of saying, “The adhân is being called.” For, the sound produced by the loudspeaker is not originally the voice of (the person saying the) adhân. It is a reproduced copy of adhân.

It is stated as follows in some hadîth-i-sherîfs: “Towards the end of the world, the Qur’ân al-kerîm will be being read through (instruments called) mizmârs.” “There is such a time to come that the Qur’ân al-kerîm will be read through mizmârs. It will be read not to please Allâhu ta’âlâ, but only for pleasure.” “There are many people who read (or recite) the Qur’ân al-kerîm and the Qur’ân al-kerîm utters a curse against them.” “There will come such a time when the most dissolute people will be (among) muadh-dhins.” “There will be a time when the Qur’ân al-kerîm will be read through mizmârs.” “Allâhu ta’âlâ will pronounce a curse on them.” Mizmâr means a musical instrument of any sort, such as a whistle.

A loudspeaker also is a mizmâr. Muadh-dhins should dread these hadîth-i-sherîfs and avoid calling the adhân calling through loudspeakers. Some people who are ignorant in religious matters assert that loudspeakers are useful appliances because they convey sound to long distances. Our Prophet admonished, “Perform the acts of worship as you saw me and my As-hâb(companions) do them! Those who make changes in the acts of worship are called “ahl-i-bid’at” (people of bid’at, heretics). People of bid’at will certainly go to Hell. None of their acts of worship shall be accepted.” It is not something right to claim to make useful amendments to religious practices. Claims of this sort are lies fibbed by enemies of religion. It is the Islamic scholars’ business to judge whether a certain change is useful. These profound scholars are called mujtahids. Mujtahids do not make changes at will. They know whether an amendment or a change will be (an act of) bid’at. They were unanimous in the fact that calling the adhân through a loudspeaker (mizmâr) is an act of bid’at. 

The path that will lead to the love of Allâhu ta’âlâ is through the human heart. By creation, the heart is pure like a mirror. Acts of worship will add to the heart’s purity and lustre. Sins will darken the heart, so that it will no longer receive the fayds (subtle pieces of spiritual information) and nûrs (lights, haloes) conveyed by (invisible rays of) love. Sâlih (pious) Muslims will sense this absence and will feel sad about it. They are disinclined to commit sins, but eager to perform more and more acts of worship. Instead of performing only the five daily prayers of namâz, for instance, they wish to perform other prayers of namâz as well. Committing sins feels sweet and sounds useful to the human nafs. All sorts of bid’at and sins are nutritive to the nafs, which is an enemy of Allâhu ta’âlâ, and they will fortify its strongholds.

An example of them is to call the adhân through a loudspeaker.


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