“Zulm” does not merely consist of unjustly depriving someone of his money and goods, or lifting one’s hands to inflict physical harm upon another. Rather in Arabic “zulm” is defined as employing anything at an improper place. Use of anything at an improper location has the potential of causing physical distress. Every improper use is included in the definition of “Zulm”. It becomes a major sin if an individual is actually distressed by that action. But many such major sins of this sort have become common place and a matter of routine in our society. Lately, even the sense of it being a major sin has been lost in our culture. One painful type of torture being inflicted in our society, among the myriads of other kinds, is the merciless use of the loudspeakers. A few days ago, the English newspaper published a complaint that in a certain marriage hall, a loud speaker kept on piping a program of songs and musical extravaganza till about 3 in the morning. The poor folks living in the neighborhood were left to toss and turn restlessly in their beds. The problem is not limited to just this one marriage hall, but is ubiquitous in our society. Once someone installs a loudspeaker anywhere, he simply does not care to curtail its sound to the level needed. He does not spare even the sick and the weak among the neighbors who have no interest in receiving the sounds he mercilessly thrusts upon them. There is twice the harm in disseminating the sounds of music and songs in such a loud and obnoxious manner. The shariat definitely does not consider it legitimate to use the loudspeakers to forcibly include other people into your program, even if it was of a religious and spiritual nature. In our society even folks who organize a religious or political program flaunt this important command of the shariat. What a sorry state of affairs! Whenever that happens, nobody is able to sleep in his own home; nobody has enough peace and quiet to accomplish anything. Conveying the sound of azaan to every home is warranted; but there is no justification to force into every home the sermons and speeches, or the recitations and zikar that go on in the mosques. It has often been observed that only a few people are sitting in the mosque listening to the sermon, and a loud speaker is not even necessary to convey the sermon to them. At most, an internal horn can be utilized to boost the sound. Yet one finds the external loud speakers turned on at top strength. As a result every home in the neighborhood receives the sound, and no one can escape its effects. I remember I went to Lahore once. The house where I stayed was surrounded on three sides by three mosques, each a short distance away from the other. It was a Friday. Right after Fajr the loudspeakers at all three mosques were turned on full blast. They began with a teaching program and then they transmitted tilawat by the children. After that they started a program of poetry and “naats”. From dawn till the Friday prayers, the broadcast on the loudspeakers continued tirelessly and without interruption. At home, no one could hear anyone else speak. Thank god that no one at home was sick. But if God forbid someone had been sick, there was no way to lay down in peace and quiet in that surrounding. One hears that in some mosques a tape is played on the loudspeakers, while the prayer halls are empty. There are no listeners in the mosque, but the entire neighborhood has to listen to that tape against their will. Those who have a proper understanding of the faith, regardless of their school of thought, cannot ever do such things. But this goes on in mosques that are managed by folks who are unaware of the precepts of faith. Often this is done with a sincerity of purpose. They consider it a way to propagate their faith, and they sincerely believe that they are serving the cause of their faith. A wrong principle has taken root and is quite popular in our society now. Unfair deeds carried on with a fair intention are considered to be fine _ allowable and proper. The fact is, the sincerity of intentions per se, does not make the deed proper. It is also necessary for the methods to be proper. And such a merciless use of the loud speakers is not only contrary to the basic principles of propagation and conveyance of faith, but it also produces exactly the opposite results. To those folks who harbor some misgivings in this regard, I present some points below with concern and compassion. 1 Hazrat Umar bin Shibba wrote a very detailed history of the city of Madina in four volumes. He was a famous mohaddis whom many other celebrated ulemas and mohaddiseen have often quoted. In his book he narrates an incident on his own authority. It involves a preacher who used to deliver a sermon in a loud voice right in front of the house of Hazrat Aisha, RA. Apparently, those were times before the loud speakers. He was very loud and his voice disturbed the peace and quiet of Hazrat Aisha’s home. Hazrat Umar, RA, was the Khalifa at the time. She lodged a complaint with him saying that she is being distressed by a man’s sermon. He preaches in a loud voice right in front of my home and during the speech I cannot hear anyone else speak. Hazrat Umar RA, contacted him and forbade him to preach there anymore. But after a while that preacher started again. When Harat Umar RA came to know of it, he personally came down there, arrested him and imposed the shariat punishment on him. (Akhbar al medina le Umar al shibba V 1 page 15) 2 It was not just that Hazrat Aisha desired to have her distress and a nuisance remedied. She actually wanted to have a principle of the Islamic society imposed and implemented. She wanted it known that no one should be physically harmed and distressed by any other. Further she wanted to explain the elegant and eminent way of propagating and conveying the faith. Imam Ahmed has quoted a narration in his musnad. He says that once the mother of the believers, Hazrat Aisha, RA detailed for a preacher of medina the etiquettes of propagation and conveyance of faith. She says: “Keep your voice lowered to a level that is sufficient for those in your meetings to hear. Even to those present, preach only till their faces are turned towards you. When they turn their faces away, you must also quit. You should never interrupt people to start your own subject when they are talking to each other. Rather remain silent on such occasions. Then tell them the things about the faith when they make such a request.” (Mujmaa uzzwaid Vol 1 pg 191) 3) Hazrat Atta bin Abi Rabbah was among a follower of the companions of the prophet SAW of a very high status. His authority of the knowledge of tafseer and hadith is well established. He says: A scholar should see to it that his voice does not reach beyond his own meetings. (Adab al imla wal istamlaa lil samaani pg 5) 4) The proper conduct was actually taught by the prophet SAW by his sayings and deeds. The famous narration states that once the prophet SAW passed by the house of Harat Umar farooq RA. He was reciting the Quran loudly in salat al Tahajjud. The prophet SAW asked him why he was reciting the Quran so loudly. Hazrat Umar replied, “I am awakening up those that are asleep and I am chasing away the shaitaan.” The prophet of Allah SAW said, “lower your voice a little” (Mishkaat V 1 page 107) There is also a narration from none other than Hazrat Aisha RA. She says: “After waking up for tahajjud, the prophet SAW used to leave his bed silently, (so as not to disturb those who are sleeping)” 5) In the light of these ahadith and traditions, reciting the Quran loudly and disturbing those asleep during the salat of tahajjud is definitely not allowed. The Fuqaha (jurists) of the Muslim nation are unanimous in that. They have written that a person reciting the Quran in a loud voice at a time when people are asleep is actually committing a sin, even if he was on his own roof. (khulasatal fatawa vol I pg 103 and shami vol I pg 403 & 444) Seeking a fatwa, someone once framed and asked the following question: some mosques transmit the recitation of the taraveeh over the loud speakers. The sound is so loud that it makes it difficult for women to complete their salat at home. The sick and the weak, whose treatment plan include going to bed early, cannot fall asleep. Besides, people on the outside are incapable of listening to the recitation with the required reverence. Often a verse is recited that mandates the listeners to fall prostrate. They cannot, because they are either unaware or are not in the state of wudo at the time, and later they forget. Given these circumstances, is it allowable according to the shariat to turn on the external loudspeaker at full strength during the taraweeh? The above question was sent to several ulema, and all of them gave the same answer. The shariat forbids the loudspeakers to be turned on at full strength during the recitation of taraweeh, without a specific need. This fatwa was printed in the 1407 AH Moharram issue of “Albalagh”. In fact this is not one of the divisive issues among the scholars. On this the scholars of all schools of thought have a consensus. The holy month of Ramadhan is approaching again. This month demands a strict adherence to the dictates of the shariat. Acts of worships in this month _ prayers, recitation, and remembrance of Allah are a source of exaltation and excellence. But we should perform these acts in such a manner that we do not become a source of distress to others. By adopting ways that are disallowed and illegitimate, let us not squander away the rewards of this month. Loud speakers should be used only when they are absolutely needed, and only to an extent they are needed. Not more than that. From the above mentioned statements, one can see that the shariat goes to such lengths to protect people from being distressed by the acts of others. It expects the believers to keep their voices low and confined only to the places of need, even during the sacred acts like the recitation of the Quran and the religious sermons and speeches. One can imagine how much worse is the use of the loudspeakers to propagate the songs and music and other shenanigans. Do they not carry a double jeopardy of evil consequences?
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 01:39:14 +0000
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