Google ‘azaan in court’ and you would see that there have been many cases, with regards to Azaan, that have been taken to courts throughout the world.
One can brush off the matter by saying that it is a conspiracy by non-Muslims against our religion or we can try to analyse and try to understand the root causes for these conflicts and perhaps come up with solutions that could work for all. Just, maybe, there is something that we, as Muslims, are not doing right from our part.
With the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful,
Firstly we need to understand that Islam is a balanced religion. It’s about being just and fair to all immaterial of religion.
“(He explains this to you) that you should not violate the (law of) harmony and balance. Hold balance with justice (giving everyone his due avoiding extremes). Do not disturb the (law of) harmony in the least. – And He has set the earth for (the common good of) all (His) creatures.” Al Quran 55:8/10.
Is our Azaan too loud? Are there too many Azaans from different mosques in one area? Are the Azaans going off at different times such that a person living in an area has to listen to the Azaan twenty times a day? These are some of the questions we need to ask ourselves so that we can figure out whether our Azaan is being a nuisance to other people living in the community. Azaan is something that should inspire the listener and make him feel an awaking in his inner being. It should not be something that annoys the listener to the point where he has to go to court to shut down the Azaan in his neighbor hood.
From my personal experiences over the years, the volume of the Azaan from the local mosque I attend has increased. Every time there is new technology there is an upgrade to the PA system and the Azaan gets louder. If I am standing in front of the mosque when the Azaan goes then it is unbearable in terms of loudness, the volume hurts my hearing. Instead of feeling that awe in me, I frown and have the urge to block my ears and run away. I cannot imagine how the people living in houses all around the mosques bare this all their lives.
Coincidently there is now law in place in Saudi Arabia to restrict the volume of the Azaan. Please do not misconstrue – this is not about trying to stop the azaan but it is about doing it the proper way so that it is not a problem for others.
The bottom line – our louder Azaans are not inviting people to our Deen but, instead, chasing them away.
In the time of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, there was no amplification system and the muzzien had to climb up a tower to give the Azaan. The object was to try to give the azaan as loud as possible. However with, technology improving all the time we have to draw the line somewhere. We just cannot go on turning the volume up.
On the other hand, we do have technology today that can call people to prayer without the loud Azaan but this is not an option we should take. The Azaan is soothing, people can live with it, it’s just the volume that needs to be addressed.
So people, let’s think about this, let’s discuss it amongst ourselves and even with those living in the neighborhood of our mosques and try to come up with solutions that makes everyone happy. in-shah-lah.
Peace and salutations be upon Allah’s Messengers who are responsible for guiding humanity throughout time. Ameen.
An article on “Friends from an Islamic perspective.”
TAP to get to HOMEPAGE for more articles.