DAMMAM — It was the beginning of the Taraweeh prayers at Badar Mosque in Dammam’s Thubaishi area and the mosque was full of worshipers. The imam instructed people to stand in line and fill the gaps between them. He also told them to switch off their mobile phones in order to concentrate on the prayer. The prayer barely started when worshipers were suddenly regaled with a romantic Arabic song because someone did not switch off his mobile phone before starting his prayer. He could not turn off his phone completely and the ringtone would not stop until the prayer finished. The worshipers and the imam of mosque turned to look at the culprit with disapproval. Irritating ringtones in mosques are a common scene nowadays. Complaints from imams regarding phones going off during prayers are increasing. They say despite issuing warnings and posting big signboards asking worshipers to switch off their phones at the entrances of mosques, people are simply not respecting the sanctity of the mosque. Abu Khalid, a Saudi national, said: “It is very common to hear at least one mobile phone ring during the course of a congregational prayer. “A mobile going off happens three or four times at every payer. Prayers are supposed to have a soothing effect, but some worshipers are not switching off their phones or putting them on silent. “They are even not obeying the imam’s instruction before the prayer and the result is that the phone goes off, disrupting all worshipers’ concentration during the prayer.” Kabeer Ahmed, another regular worshiper at Dammam’s King Fahd Mosque, told Saudi Gazette: “It is absolutely disrespectful to have a song playing as a ringtone during prayers or after that.” According to him, music is prohibited or not recommended in Islam. “Anyone who faces this issue could complain to the Department of Islamic Affairs. “However, the bigger issue is the fact that some people do not make a conscious effort to have their mobiles on silent mode in order to avoid disturbing a fellow worshiper’s prayer.” Another worshiper said: “If some people think that they are so important and cannot miss a single phone call, they should pray at home and should not come to the mosque.” Especially in Ramadan, arguments and confrontations inside mosques due to this issue are common. Moreover, devoted worshipers get offended at this small group of careless individuals, thus creating a division inside the mosque that can lead to cursing and arguments. A solution put forward is to install mobile jamming devices in every mosque, discouraging people from taking their phones with them to pray.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:15:52 +0000
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