While Umoja Estate in Nyali is surrounded by umpteen numbers of mosques, there's a new one that's been built within hearing and visual distance from us and which has since Thursday, 25th March 2021, acquired one of the LOUDEST public address systems around. The 2nd loudest one is the mosque at Ratna Square.
After having suffered from the EXTREMELY LOUD call to prayer at 4.30 am on the 25th of March 2021 over an hour nearly before the actual morning prayers, the imam then gave another call about 45 minutes later and another one after 5 to 10 minutes. Soon after the actual prayer started which is normally led by the imam.
Now, can anybody tell me (I am a muslim, too, who gets up for prayers in the mornings), what is the point of leading prayers so loudly that the whole neighbourhood and those farther afield can hear, depending on how loud is the PA system that is being used? For the information of non-muslims and quite a few fellow ignorant Muslims, this is invalid. It is invalid for me for example to follow this offensive imam. Since we cannot follow that loud imam who seems to think that what he's doing is a meritorious act, what is the point of him doing this? The ONLY people who have to hear him are the ones inside the mosque! So why are these mosques heard leading entire prayers and sermons outside the mosques? Why not have speakers inside the prayer hall/s so that all the congregants can hear him and not the entire neighbourhood?
In fact, he's disturbing others who are praying and also the non-muslims among us not to mention the sick, the elderly, and the children.
When I went to see the mosque imam the next day to request him to lower the volume of everything including the call to prayer, him and his companions (there were several guys with him), completely denied that the racket emanates from their mosque! My neighbours have all heard them and this mosque, Al Buraq, is awfully loud and we are ALL fearing what they are going to do during Ramadhan when almost ALL mosques will become even louder for an entire month!!!
One of the guys there challenged me to make a recording and then go there to accuse them of being loud. Unfortunately, I cannot do this since I am praying at this time, too. I would also like to ask all those Muslims who seem to find my post offensive to please let me know where in the Qur'an or the practice of the Prophet (saw), is this behaviour allowed and THEN come back to me with your accusations.
Other than the call to prayer, no other part of the prayer is supposed to be heard outside! Also, since there are so many mosques around there's no need for the call to prayer to be so loud that the sound from other mosques overlaps it! It is TERRIBLE. One would think that the various PA systems are competing with each other.
Will somebody in authority please act on this?
2 comments:
This certainly is noise pollution.
Definitely! Unfortunately our officialdom like NEMA and the County environment offices can't seem to separate freedom of religion from noise making. And this noisy outfits also encourage this kind of thought process as it allows them to continue with their noise!
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