Perlis mufti backs Penang’s fatwa on use of mosque loudspeakers
The Malaysian Insider
Penang’s proposed ban on the use of external loudspeakers in mosques and surau, other than for the call for prayer, is in line with Prophet Muhammad’s teachings, Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Asri Zainul Abidin said today.
Asri said the prophet would have frowned upon the use of loudspeakers to recite long Quranic verses, as it could disturb others and would create misunderstanding among the people.
The prominent Islamic scholar took to his Facebook today to urge all Muslims to emulate Penang in limiting the use of loudspeakers to the azan and iqamah, which last less than five minutes.
“Muslims should stop their recitation through the loudspeakers, which can disturb the people outside and inside the mosque.
“Abiding by this is not just a matter of politics, but it is also on the orders of the prophet to protect the harmony of Islam.
“The amplified voices will not increase the people’s love for Islam, on the contrary, it will create misunderstanding among many quarters,” he said on Facebook.
He said Islam only required the call for prayers to be amplified and any other recitation was prohibited by the prophet to preserve the peace.
He cited a hadith, or prophetic tradition, which related how the prophet had stopped a group of people from reciting the Quran loudly in the mosque, saying that it could disturb others.
“If even those in the mosque, who are preparing to perform their prayers, are not allowed to recite loudly until it disturbs others’ concentration, what more the use of loudspeakers to recite to the point that it disturbs people outside.
“They may have children, they may be sickly, and the like.”
He said many Muslim ulama of the past and present supported this view, including one Al-Syeikh Al-Syeikh Muhammad Salih al-Uthaimin of Saudi Arabia, who said the practice was best abandoned.
Asri also noted that reciting the Quran through loudspeakers left non-Muslims with a negative impression of Islam, as many could not differentiate between the recitation and the azan.
“They assume that the recitation is the azan that is ordered in Islam, and they will have negative views about Islam, especially when the recitation takes a long time, even though the real azan takes less than five minutes.”
Bernama reported that the decision to ban the use of loudspeakers outside mosques and surau except for the purpose of azan and iqamah in Penang will be gazetted soon.
The decision was stated in a letter from the Penang State Mufti Department dated September 1 after it was decided by the Penang State Fatwa Committee on July 1 and 2, and endorsed by the committee meeting on August 23 and 24. – October 2, 2015.
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