Loudspeakers for Qur'an and dhikr in public places

A question about loudspeakers for Qur'an and dhikr in public places, in which Jordan's General Iftaa Department answered that broadcasting dhikr over loudspeakers is permitted in places that are noisy by nature, such as markets, at a volume suited to the place that harms no one, while in crowded residential areas any loud sound that disrupts their calm is not permitted, since disturbance and harm are prohibited. ¹

The questioner asked about using external speakers and loud amplifiers to broadcast Qur'an recitation and dhikr in markets and public places. ¹

The Department answered that Islam encourages remembrance of God and attaches great reward to it, citing Surat al-Ahzab 33:35, a hadith narrated by al-Tirmidhi whose meaning is that remembrance of God is the best and purest of deeds, the censure of heedlessness in Surat al-Anbiya' 21:1, and the unrestricted encouragement of dhikr in Surat al-Nisa' 4:103. ¹ It said that dhikr aloud, whether by the person himself or through recording devices, is prohibited if it causes disturbance or noise harm to people, citing a hadith in the Muwatta of Malik whose meaning is that one who prays is in private converse with his Lord, so none should recite the Qur'an aloud over another, and quoting Mir'at al-Mafatih (3/167) that the prohibition covers those inside and outside prayer, whether praying, sleeping or reciting, because it causes harm. ¹ It said that in places noisy by nature, such as markets and some parks, dhikr aloud is permitted in principle and should not be prevented, citing a report narrated by al-Bukhari that Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayra went out to the market in the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijja saying takbir and the people said it with them, and Ibn Abbas's statement, in a hadith agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim, that raising the voice in dhikr after the obligatory prayer was practised in the Prophet's time. The condition is that the volume suits the place and does not stop people communicating; a claim of disturbance from someone who simply does not wish to hear dhikr is not taken into account. ¹ As for crowded residential areas where people live, sleep and rest, the Department held that in principle any loud sound that disrupts their calm is not permitted, whether dhikr, recitation or anything else, since they contain the sleeping, the sick and those praying, and the Shari'a commands kindness to people. ¹

Jordan's General Iftaa Department published this fatwa on aliftaa.jo as no. 3778, dated 13 July 2023. ¹ The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.