Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Mr. Burhan,

I want to ask you a question about listning Quran on radio. I have developed a habbit of listning recitation of Quran almost all the time. Wheater I am in the house, in the car, in the shop or walking on the road. Obviously I have to do the other works also. Somebody recently told me that its not advisable to keep the recitation on if you are not concentrating to listen. Then sometimes you are not in ‘wudhu’, changing clothes in the house, or there are prescibed Sajdahs which goes unnoticed etc. Pls. suggest what shall I do? Your opinion is awaited.

Jazakallah Khair

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Listen to quran everywhere

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 204:

204 When the Qur'an is read, listen to it with attention and hold your peace: that ye may receive Mercy.

The Glorious Quran are indeed the very Words of Allah Subhanah, and without an iota of a doubt, one who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day must honor its recitation and listen to it with attention so that he may comprehend its wise guidance and commands and strive to implement them in their lives.

What is absolutely disallowed and should never happen is that the Quran is being recited, and people are engaged in talking or conversating amongst themselves without paying any attention to the recitation of the Glorious Quran.

But if one is driving a car or any vehicle, or if one is working or doing something monotonous alone, or if one is cooking or going about their chores alone, etc., and one wishes to listen to the recitation of the Quran, there is absolutely no harm and it does not violate the guidance of the Quran.

As long as you don’t talk or conversate with others and pay absolutely no attention to the Quran being recited, there is absolutely no harm and it would be deemed permissible to listen to the recitation of the Quran regardless of whether one is at home, or in the car, or while walking. As long as you are paying attention to the recitation of the Quran, regardless of where you may find yourself, it is absolutely permissible.

Your Question: Then sometimes you are not in ‘wudhu’, changing clothes in the house, or there are prescibed Sajdahs which goes unnoticed etc. Pls. suggest what shall I do?

Beloved brother in Islam, to be in a state of ‘wudu’ is only a pre-condition if one wishes to offer a prayer or perform the ‘tawaaf’ at the Sacred Mosque; there is absolutely nothing in Shariah which commands that one has to be in the state of ‘wudu’ to listen to a Quran recitation.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.185 Narrated by Ibn Umar

Whenever the Prophet (saws) recited the Sura which contained the prostration of recitation (sajdah-tilawah) he (saws) used to prostrate and then, we, too, would prostrate.

The absolute majority of the scholars and jurists in Islam are of the opinion that prostrations for the "'ayyat of sajdah" is a preferred Sunnah for the one who recites the Verse and for the one who hears it, and it is best done as soon as one recites it or hears it.

But if one comes across one of the Aayahs of Sajdah during the recitation of the Quran and, if for any genuine reason, one is unable to perform the prostration immediately, there is absolutely no harm if one delays the prostration. For example if one is in the car or in a plane, and one comes across an Aayah of Sajdah of the Quran during its recitation, there is absolutely no harm if one delays the performing of the sajdah when one reaches one’s destination.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan