Firdous Khan

For the last few years, the issue of Azan and loudspeaker has been raging in India. Controversy regarding Azaan started when some members of the Hindu community complained that the morning Azaan disturbs their sleep and they demanded it should be stopped.

After these complaints, loudspeakers were removed from thousands of mosques in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Some Muslims raised their voice against this and knocked on the doors of the court. However, Saudi Arabia, the citadel of Islam will be a better example for us in this matter.

Azan, Arabic for announcement, is given from a mosque to call people for prayers.

The translation of Azan which is in Arabic is: I testify that Hazrat Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is the Messenger of Allah; come to worship. Come on towards success. Allah is the greatest. No one is worthy of worship except Allah.

For the Fajr namaz some words are added to this. These are: Prayer is better than sleep.

All the words of Azaan are repeated twice.

Islam means safety and Muslim means a follower of Islam. In Islam, anything that hurts others has been stopped. That's why the Indian Muslims should also not do something that hurts others.

Loudspeaker has nothing to do with Islam. People have installed loudspeakers for their convenience. When Azaan is given from loudspeakers in mosques, the sound goes far away and people come to know that it is time for Namaz.

If there are many mosques in the locality, then there is a difference in the time of azaan for all of them. It has also been seen that mosque committees get loudspeakers of their mosques installed on the roofs of many houses in the locality. Due to this, the sound of Azan is heard even where there are no mosques.

The sound of Azan gives peace to Muslims, but not necessarily to others. Because of the opposition of Azaan, it has become an issue across the country. In reality, these people do not have any problem with Azaan but with its high decibel levels.

The Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh had ordered in April last year that if more loudspeakers were installed at religious places than the prescribed number, they should be removed. Along with this, a warning was also given not to install fresh loudspeaker again.

The committee of Badaun's Noori Masjid filed an application in the Allahabad High Court, calling it a violation of fundamental rights.

After hearing the arguments of both the sides, the court rejected the application of the mosque committee. The court said in its order that bhanning azan through loudspeakers iss not a violation of fundamental rights. Azan is a part of Islam, but giving Azan through loudspeaker is not an essential part of Islam. So across UP the mosque committee are not allowed to give azaan through loudspeaker.

In a case related to loudspeakers, the Supreme Court had said in October 2005 that loudspeakers can be played till midnight on the occasion of festivals, but this cannot happen for more than 15 days in a year. Loudspeakers or any such sound making device will remain closed between 10 pm to 6 am. Earlier, in an order on July 18, 2005, the Supreme Court had set some standards regarding sound standards.

Based on the standards set by the World Health Organisation, the Central Pollution Control Board has set different norms for different areas.

For residential areas, the noise limit has been set at 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night. Similarly, 75 decibels have been fixed during the day and 70 decibels at night for industrial areas, 65 decibels during the day and 55 decibels at night for public areas, while 50 decibels have been fixed during the day and 40 decibels at night in quiet areas.

Areas up to a radius of 100 meters around hospitals, courts and educational institutions have been declared as quiet zones. Day time is considered from 6 am to 10 pm and night time is from 10 pm to 6 am.

Under Section-139 of the Indian Constitution, there is a provision for punishment and fine in relation to spreading any kind of pollution. Besides creating undue noise being a crime, it also leads to harmful pllutiuon and for which there is a provision of penalty and fine under section-278.

The Government of India has made the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules-2000 under the Environment (Protection) Act-1986 and its related rules. Loudspeaker cannot be used at night without the due permission.

The microphone can be used in auditoriums, conference rooms, community halls and banquet halls. Violation of the rules may result in punishment.

The Supreme Court has banned the use of loudspeakers as well as the use of firecrackers to cause noise and air pollution. The court has said that under the right to live given under Article-21 of the Indian Constitution.

In reality there Azan is a non-issue. If Muslims act wisely the controversy over it can end in a jiffy. Muazzin should give azan without a  mike; and if it is important to install loudspeakers, then these can be installed inside the mosque not outside.

Many may wonder how does one keep the time of Namaz without listening to the sound of Azan?  In every mosque, there is a list of the time of Azan daily and this can be used. Apart from this, many mobile apps are specifically meant for reminding users of their obligation to offer namaz at a specific time.

Today every home and each member of a family has a mobile phone; one can use its alarm for offering timely namaz.

In Saudi Arabia, loudspeakers are inside mosques, not outside. In June 2021, the government of Saudi Arabia limited the number of loudspeakers in mosques. The Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Dr. Abdul Latif bin Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh has fixed the number of loudspeakers for Azan in each mosque at four.

He instructed the Imams that if they have more loudspeakers, the same can be kept in godowns for later use or given to the mosques which lack loudspeakers.

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It’s ironic that while Indian Muslims follow Saudi Arabia in every matter, but not on such issues. That's why loudspeakers should not be installed outside mosques in India too. India is such a vast country, where people of many cultures and religions live together. That's why it becomes all the more important that we, the Muslims make sure, our actions don’t hurt others.

We must keep our faith to ourselves and not impose it on others.

(Firdouse Khan is the author of Fahm al Qu'ran)