The Majlis (Voice of Islam) Mujlisul Ulama of South Africa on loudspeaker in Ibadath

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LOUDSPEAKERS IN THE MUSJIDS?

Wednesday, September 12 2012 Written by Administrator  

QUESTION:  What do the Ulama of the Deen  say regarding the use of a
loudspeaker for Salaat?         (The following answer is from Fataawa
Rahimiyyah)

ANSWER:   There is difference of opinion of the Ulama regarding  the sound emitted by a loudspeaker. Some say that the sound being emitted is the actual and original voice of the Imaam. According to others, it is not the original voice, but is the reconstructed voice similar to an echo. Those Ulama who hold the second view say that Salaat will not be valid if the loudspeaker is used.On the other hand, those Ulama who are of the opinion that it is the original voice of the Imaam, do not decree invalidity of Salaat. However, despite validity of Salaat, they too do not permit the use of this instrument in Salaat. In fact, they say that it is prohibited.This view  the most authentic, most cautious and befitting for implementation.

Namaaz is the noblest act of ibaadaat. There is the imperative need for great caution in this regard. 
Using a loudspeaker is not befitting the status of Namaaz. Nowadays  people have become worshippers of fashion.Without the adornment of  a loudspeaker, they do not derive pleasure.
Khushoo' and Khudhoo; (humility, fear and concentration) are the soul of Namaaz. A loudspeaker most certainly inhibits these attributes.
Hadhrat Maulana Mufti Saeed Ahmad, the Grand Mufti of Mazaahirul Uloom Saharanpur said: "The safest course is that this instrument should never be used in Namaaz."
Hadhrat Maulana Mufti Mahmudul Hasan Gangohi, Chief Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband (whom many Ulama of South Africa have designated as 'Faqeehul
Ummah') said: "A loudspeaker should not be used in Namaaz..
The Imaam should prevent its use."
Hadhrat Maulana Muhammad Yahya, Mufti of Mazaahirul Uloom Saharanpur
said: "It is not permissible to use this instrument in Namaaz."
Hadhrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi', the Grand Mufti of Pakistan,
said: My final opinion on the use of the loudspeaker in Namaaz is this: Its evils are much more than its benefits. Therefore, one should abstain from using it in Namaaz. The fatwa should be on abandoning it and prohibiting it."  (THE ABOVE ARE EXTRACTS FROM FATAAWA RAHIMIYYAH, VOL.3)
Even on the basis of accepting that Salaat in which  a loudspeaker is used is valid, all our Akaabir Ulama are unanimous on the prohibition of using it for Salaat and Jumuah Khutbah. There is complete consensus on the prohibition of using the microphone for Salaat and Khutbah.
The utilization of a loudspeaker in the vast majority of the Musaajid is in fact a despicable superfluity. Even in small Musjids the loudspeaker is used even if there is  just half a saff of musallis. The Imaam is ridiculously tied like a poodle on a leash. The instrument fixed to the Imaam gives the impression that he is a dog on a leash.
Modernists and liberal molvis seek to support their permissibility view by arguing  that confusion will reign without loudspeakers in Musaajid such as Musjidul Haraam and Musjid'e'Nabawi and similar other large Musjids where it is not possible for  all the musallis to hear the Imaam. In response to this argument we say, at this juncture, you are employing  deception by using the  Huge Musaajid as a smokescreen for your haraam use of the loudspeaker in  your small Musaajid where there is absolutely no need for a loudspeaker. Forget for a while Musjidul Haraam, and focus your attention on the numerous small Musaajid which constitute the vast majority of Musjids in the world.
If you argue in a principled manner with sincerity and a desire to attain the truth, then you will readily understand that loudspeakers in most Musaajid are superfluous and are  spiritual contamination.
Regarding superfluity and futility, the Qur'aan, the Sunnah and the ruling of the Fuqaha are a categorical hurmat (prohibition).  So first get rid of these superfluous and wasteful instruments from all the Musaajid where they are not needed.  At that stage we shall bring the huge Musjids within the focus of the discussion.

Mujlisul Ulama of South Africa

P.O. Box 3393

Port Elizabeth,

 6056 South Africa.

SYF on Use of Loudspeaker in Masjid : The Hindu News Paper on 10.02.2013

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KOCHI, February 10, 2013

Shun loudspeakers at mosques, says theologians’ body

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High Court order against noise pollution by places of worship

The Kerala Samsthana Jamiyathul Ulema says there is no need for use of loudspeakers for religious purposes at the mosques.

The Kerala Samsthana Jamiyathul Ulema, an association of Muslim theologians, has said that there is no need for use of loudspeakers for religious purposes at the mosques.

Najeeb Maulavi, secretary and spokesman for the association, told The Hindu that loudspeakers could be dispensed with during khutba (sermon as part of the Friday prayers or during the Id prayers) and for ‘baank’ (the call for prayers given from mosques five times a day.) He said his organisation had for long opposed the use of loudspeakers for Islamic religious purposes, particularly khutba.

The Kerala High Court had, in a recent order, asked the police to take strict action against the indiscriminate use of loudspeakers for religious purposes.

“No religion prescribes performing prayers through amplifiers and the use of microphones and loudspeakers by religious denominations are to be within the limits prescribed under the Environmental Laws and Police Acts,” a division bench comprising Chief Justice Manjula Chelloor and Justice K. Vinod Chandran said in their decision on a public interest litigation (PIL) appeal.

The petitioner had complained that the prayers and devotional songs, amplified using loudspeakers, at the Mannaramala Devi temple and the Assembly of God Spiritual Fest Centre, both in Pathanamthitta district, had caused noise pollution.

Najeeb Maulavi, referring to the court order, said prayers should not cause nuisance to the people living in the vicinity of the places of worship. The Kerala Samsthaana Jamiyyathul Ulema opposed the use of loudspeakers at mosques. It had recently held a seminar on ‘the use of loudspeaker and ethics’ in Malappuram.

However, the association’s opposition is based on Islamic principles. “The use of loudspeaker is not in line with Islamic principles and traditions,” Najeeb Maulavi said. He noted that the Sunni Muslims in Kerala started using the loudspeaker hardly half a century ago.

Back in the 1960s, there had been a heated debate among Muslim theologians over the use of loudspeaker. The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema had, in April 1967, decided that the loudspeaker could be used for khutba. But the then president of the ‘Samastha,’ K.K. Sadaqathulla Maulavai, who furiously opposed this decision, resigned his position, and later formed the breakaway group Kerala Samsthana Jamiyyathul Ulema.

Najeeb Maulavi contended that khutba was meant for those who assembling for the mass prayers on Friday and for the two Id prayers a year. No loudspeaker was needed for these occasions. As for the ‘baank’ prayer call, it was meant for people living in the immediate vicinity of the mosque. The practice of ‘baank’ was started by Bilal during Prophet Mohammed’s time. Later on, it also served as a marker of time. These days, there was no need of giving the ‘baank’ through the loudspeaker, just uttering it within the mosque premises would do.

He pointed out that around 500 mosques in Kerala, mainly in the Malabar region, did not use loudspeakers for khutba, and a few mosques did not amplify the ‘baank’ using public address system.

The Maulavi said the use of loudspeakers by places of worship in densely populated neighbourhoods was a big nuisance for people and it would affect inter-community relations.

Islamic Body Set to Ban Amplification of Mosque Sermons in Indonesia

Islamic Body Set to Ban Amplification of Mosque Sermons

By Jakarta Globe on 12:21 pm May 29, 2013.
Category Featured, News
Tags: Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), Jusuf Kalla, loudspeaker, mosque

Loudspeakers and telecommunication antennas from various telecommunication companies are installed on the minaret of Jami Babus Salam mosque in Jakarta.(AFP Photo)

Indonesian cities may soon be a bit quieter, as an influential Islamic body has announced it will issue a ban on the amplification of mosque services.
“We’re discussing the technical detail and the concept,” said Jusuf Kalla, head of Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
Jusuf, who’s also a former vice president of Indonesia, said that it’s alright for the mosque to use the loudspeaker for azan (call for prayer) but not for other purposes.
“If it is for azan, it’s alright as everywhere in the world the mosques use speaker for azan. Azan is a call for people [to pray] and the duration is only three minutes,” he said.
Many of Indonesia’s 800,000 mosques use loudspeakers to blare Koranic recitals, lengthy sermons and Islamic songs throughout the day and night.
DMI deputy chairman Masdur Farid Masudi said that it’s acceptable for mosques to use loudspeakers within their premises for sermons, but that amplification devices facing outward may disturb nearby residents.
“If people come to the mosque it means they need to hear the sermon, but it’s not clear whether anonymous people outside the mosque need to hear it or not,” Masdar said. “People outside might not agree with the fiery preaching.”
Masdar said that in addition to disrupting the neighborhood, amplified sermons also could reveal the “secret of Islam.”
“If it’s being heard outside, it would strip us naked. People will know all the good and bad information about us,” Masdar said.
In Banda Aceh, a 75-year old man named Sayed Hassan won a rare victory against the noisy speaker in one of the local mosques in February. Sayed filed a lawsuit against local religious officials alleging that the noise from a nearby mosque’s six loudspeakers had negatively impacted his life.
He was forced to withdraw the legal action and an angry mob threatened to kill him. But after he dropped the case, the mosque volume was significantly turned down by about half.

With additional reporting from AFP

Bahrain renews ban on mosque loudspeakers/“Prayers are between a person and Allah,

Bahrain renews ban on mosque loudspeakers

Saturday, 14 August 2010

Yateem mosque in Bahrain, located in a busy area in the country's capital, Manama (File)

By DUBAI (Al Arabiya)

Bahrain renewed a ban on the use of exterior loudspeakers in Mosques during prayers, ending a year-long contentious debate on the religiously sensitive issue in the Kingdom.

The decision was made by the Bahraini Sunni Endowment Department (Awqaf) of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs , which said that the blaring loudspeakers in mosques should not be used for anything other than the traditional Muslim call to prayer.

 Prayers are between a person and Allah, and there is no need to make one's prayers heard by people walking in the streets in markets 

Mohammed Ali al-Sitri

The religious authorities used SMS text messaging to instruct all callers to prayer, known as Muezzins, to respect the ban, but said the move is merely a regulatory one and an offense is only made if a complaint received.

“Prayers are between a person and Allah, and there is no need to make one's prayers heard by people walking in the streets and in markets,” said Mohammed Ali al-Sitri , the King's Advisor for Legislative Authority Affairs.

Former Member of Parliament Hamad al-Mahindi opposed the ban saying, “There should be a manifestation of God’s rituals during the holy month of Ramadan.”

“There are people that want to hear the prayers through the loudspeaker,” al-Mahindi added.

Taaju Shariah : 26th among those influenced the World Muslim Society

THE TOP 50

1. His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, King of

Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques

2. His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of the

Republic of Turkey

3. His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Hajj Sayyid Ali Khamenei,

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran

4. His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of the

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

5. His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco

6. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Sa’id al Sa’id, Sultan of Oman

7. His Eminence Professor Dr Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad al

Tayeb, Grand Sheikh of the Al Azhar University, Grand Imam of

the Al Azhar Mosque

8. His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hussein Sistani, Marja

of the Hawza, Najaf, Iraq

9. His Excellency President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President

of Indonesia

10. His Eminence Sheikh Dr Ali Goma’a, Grand Mufti of The Arab

Republic of Egypt

11. His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Aal al Sheikh,

Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

12. Dr Mohammed Badie, Supreme Guide of the Muslim

Brotherhood

13. Hodjaefendi Fethullah Gülen, Turkish Muslim Preacher

14. Sheikh Dr Yusuf al Qaradawi, Head of the International Union

of Muslim Scholars

15. Amr Khaled, Preacher and Social Activist

16. Hajji Mohammed Abd al Wahhab, Amir of Tablighi Jamaat,

Pakistan

17. Sheikh Dr Muhammad Sa’id Ramadan al Bouti, Leading Islamic

Scholar in Syria

18. Seyyed Hasan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah

19. Dr KH Said Aqil Siradj, Chairman of Indonesia’s Nahdlatul

Ulama

20. His Royal Highness Shah Karim al Hussayni, The Aga Khan IV,

49th Imam of the Ismaili Muslims

21. His Highness Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of

Qatar

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Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander

of the UAE Armed Forces

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Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III, Sultan of Sokoto

24. Her Eminence Sheikha Munira Qubeysi, Leader of the Qubeysi

Movement

25. Sheikh Salman al Ouda, Saudi Scholar and Educator

26. Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan Qaadiri Al Azhari, Grand

Mufti of India, Barelwi Leader and Spiritual Guide

27. His Excellency Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Brother Leader of the

Revolution of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

28. His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin

Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam

29. His Eminence Mohammad bin Mohammad al Mansour, Imam

of the Zaidi Sect of Shi’a Muslims

30. His Eminence Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, Deputy-Head of the

International Union of Muslim Scholars

31. His Eminence Justice Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani, Leading

Scholar of Islamic Jurisprudence

32. His Excellency President Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic

of Turkey

33. Her Majesty Queen Rania al Abdullah, Queen of the Hashemite

Kingdom of Jordan

34. Sheikh Mohammad Ali al Sabouni, Scholar of Tafsir

35. Dr Aaidh Al Qarni, Saudi Scholar

36. His Eminence Sheikh Ahmad Tijani Ali Cisse, Leader of the

Tijaniyya Sufi Order

37. Sheikh al Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Director of Dar Al Mustafa,

Tarim, Yemen

38. Khaled Mashaal, Leader of Hamas

39. Professor Dr M Din Syamsuddin, Chairman of the

Muhammadiyah, Indonesia

40. Maulana Mahmood Madani, Leader and Executive Member of

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, India

41. Sheikh Habib ‘Ali Zain al Abideen al Jifri, Director General of

the Tabah Foundation, UAE

42. Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, Founder of Zaytuna Institute,

United States of America

43. His Eminence Sheikh Professor Dr Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti

of Bosnia and Herzegovina

44. His Excellency Professor Dr Ekmelledin Ihsanoglu, Secretary

General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference

45. Adnan Oktar, Authority on Islamic Creationism

46. His Excellency Mir-Hossein Mousavi , Iranian Opposition

Leader

47. His Holiness Dr Syedna Mohammad Burhannuddin Saheb, The

52nd Da‘i l-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras

48. Professor Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Scholar of Islamic Philosophy

49. Sheikh Mehmet Nazim Adil al Qubrusi al Haqqani, Leader of

Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order

50. His Excellency Dr Abd al Aziz bin ‘Uthman Altwaijiri, Secretary

General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization

26

Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Raza

Khan Qaadiri Al Azhari

Barelwi Leader and Spiritual Guide

Country: India

Date of Birth: 23 November 1943

Source of Influence: Administrative,

Scholarly

Influence: Approximately 2 million

Barkatiya Barelwis worldwide

School of Thought: Traditional Sunni,

Hanafi, Sufi

Rank: 2010:26

Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan is the

leader of the Indian Barelwis and consid-

ered by his followers as the Grand Mufti of

India. He is the great-grandson of Ahmed

Raza Khan (d. 1921), who founded the

Barelwi movement in South Asia.

Scholarly Lineage

Mufti Akhtar Raza was ordained at the age

of 20 by his predecessor Mufti Mustafa Raza

Khan. He was subsequently granted per-

mission to lead the Qaadriya, Barakaatiyah,

and Nooriyah Sufi orders in India. He was

also appointed to the position of Muslim

Chief Justice of India in 2006.

Dynamic Mufti

Mufti Akhtar Raza is esteemed for his exten-

sive collection of English-language rulings,

the Azharul Fatawa. He became involved in

issuing Islamic rulings from the age of 17

and is noted for having issued over 5,000

rulings since attaining leadership as mufti.

Spiritual Tradition

The Barelwis are an apolitical Sufi com-

munity based in a volatile region where

religion has been used as a platform for vio-

lence—despite this, it thrives as a socially

engaged mystical movement. A missionary

movement, the Barelwis have spread their

message within South Asia and also among

diaspora communities. This group is dis-

tinct from Deobandi Muslims—who prac-

tice a more conservative brand of Islam.

Pakistan to curb loudspeakers including Masjids

Palestine ban Quran over loudspeaker

Palestinian Authority bans Qur'an recitation over mosque loudspeakers

http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/1241-palestinian-authority-bans-quran-recitation-over-mosque-loudspeakers-

Thursday, 01 July 2010 18:15

• 
• 

The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah has banned the recitation of the Qur'an and the call to commence prayer, the Iqaama, over the loudspeakers of mosques in the occupied West Bank.
The banning order announced a strict prohibition of the use of loudspeakers in mosques for the recitation of the Qur'an or the call to commence prayer. It further specified that no sounds were allowed to emanate from mosques by way of loudspeakers during preparations for prayer or during the call to prayer itself. Loudspeakers are now only permitted for use inside mosque buildings. The decision also states that anyone wishing to listen to the Qur'an should carry a small copy for personal worship.

In many of the West Bank's mosques, worshippers expressed strong condemnation, dissatisfaction and rejection of this order, particularly after realising that copies of the PA's decision had been displayed in numerous mosques across Ramallah. Worshippers also noticed that a number of mosques were "silent", with neither the usual Qur'an recitation nor the Iqaama being heard. Mosque caretakers have as a matter of custom followed such procedures prior to the start of the congregational prayers.

Opponents of the PA decision say that Ramallah's Ministry of Endowments is not satisfied with its detention of imams, muezzins (those who call people to the prayers) and mosque elders and so has started to threaten dozens of those holding these positions in local communities. As is the case in most Middle East countries, the Friday sermons delivered in mosques across the West Bank are written by the Ministry of Endowments as if to emphasise its complete authority over religious affairs.

Source: The Palestinian Information Centre