Apps, notifications and home systems for azaan
Faisal Malik
MUMBAI: The morning Azaan (call for the first prayer of the day referred to as Fajr) usually goes out before 6 am, and many city residents are receiving it in different ways from mobile applications to Whatsapp group reminders. An apartment complex in Panvel has loudspeakers installed in every house which connects to a prayer room constructed in the building, and the Juma Masjid in Crawford Market has announced plans to launch an app that will help people hear the Fajr within their homes.
Across Maharashtra, the use of the loudspeaker is not permitted before 6am and after 10 pm according to Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. The norms were further reinforced by a Supreme Court verdict from October, 2005. Accordingly, a loudspeaker or a public address system cannot be used without written permission from the authorities; there are also limits to the decibel levels during permissible hours (50 to 75 decibels).
Over the past month, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has come under fire from Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which took umbrage against the use of loudspeakers used by mosques across the state.
Political leaders threatened to chant Hindu prayers outside the chief minister’s residence, and others from the opposition party questioned the Shiv Sena’s Hindutva ideology in light of its stance that the state would not permit any disturbance to the law-and-order situation.
Altamash Saeed (30) a civil engineer who runs a modular kitchen business, started using mobile application Quran Majeed to be notified for morning Azaan from May 3. “Those who want to pray will find a way. I was already using this mobile application to be notified about Namaz timings, which is useful while I’m at work but now I’ve started using it especially for ‘Fajr’ Azaan as mosques have stopped using loudspeakers in the morning,” the Kurla resident said.
Arif Khan (51), who works in the digital marketing division of a chocolatier specialising in luxury chocolates, said he uses ‘Muslim Pro’ app that plays the Azaan 15 minutes before the prayers. “The primary function of Azaan is to call the faithful to prayer. All should bring the Azaan into their homes and offices by downloading free apps on mobile phones,” the Navi Mumbai resident said.
There are several mobile applications notify the time for Namaz for different cities (the time for prayer changes according to the latitude and longitude of a place); there are also apps that provide recorded Azaans.
Sarfaraz Arzoo, Editor, Hindustan Daily, an Urdu newspaper, said that many people would use these applications if they lived or worked in a place where no mosque was nearby. “However in today’s scenario, members from the community have started using them for morning prayers as there is no Azaan from loudspeakers which used to help people to get informed for prayers. In fact, they are coming up with more innovative ideas to deal with the situation,” he said.
The Juma Masjid, one of the largest and oldest mosques in Mumbai located in Crawford Market has plans to develop a mobile application that will help the faithful hear the Azaan while at home.
“We are developing our own mobile application which will help people hear Azaan while being at their homes without disturbing anyone. It will be ready in the next eight days and will be used for prayers five times a day,” said Shoaib Khatib, trustee and chairperson of the Juma Masjid of Bombay Trust. The app will also be used for Khutbah — sermon delivered by an Imam (head priest of a mosque) before mass prayer — on Fridays, he said.
In Panvel, a residential society named Bhaiji Cooperative Society has a loudspeaker connection in each and every house. “When our society went for redevelopment we asked the builder to provide us a prayer room in the newly developed building as one of the residents has already donated his flat for a prayer room in the old society. The builder not only fulfilled the promise but also provided loudspeaker connection in each and every flat, which we are using for the three years for hearing Azaan and Namaz at home without disturbing nonMuslim residents of the society,” said one of the residents, Tahir Ali Khan. The society has 28 families and most of them are Muslims and the Azaan emerges from a prayer room located in the building.
Shahid Latif, editor, Urdu daily Inquilab, said that the community is responded to the changing times. “The issue is not new and has been a subject of discussion. Muslims have great respect for the Supreme Court. The Babri Masjid case verdict is an example, it was accepted despite being unexpected. I would say that the community’s response is appropriate to the situation,” Latif said.
“Muslims did not react to the political controversy which was not expected by them (MNS). Consequently, those looking to get advantage out of it failed miserably and communal harmony and peace was also maintained,” Maulana Mahmood Dariyabadi, general secretary, All India Ulema Council said.
There were no loudspeakers when Islam first emerged and the loudspeaker was simply a tool to reach out to more people, he said. “With changing times, such mobile apps are facilitating the believers in a different way,” Dariyabadi said.
Those looking to get advantage out of the political controversy failed and peace was maintained. MAULANA MAHMOOD DARIYABADI, General secretary, All India Ulema Council