outside the mosque, people grow sluggish and do not come until they hear the iqāmah; as a result they may miss the first rakʿah, or even more than one, depending on how near or far they live from the mosque. Yet since the very same thing occurred in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the iqāmah could be heard by those outside, we maintain that there is no harm in it.

What does give rise to sin, however, is what some people do when they broadcast the entire prayer itself through the loudspeakers fixed to the minaret. This disturbs the surrounding residents—especially during the loud night prayers—upsetting households and distracting the neighbouring mosques. We have even heard of worshippers who, when they hear the loudspeaker of a nearby mosque and the imam has a pleasant voice and recitation, find their hearts following that distant imam; indeed, we were told that some of them actually said “Āmīn” when the other imam finished the verse wa lā ḍ-ḍālīn (“nor those who go astray”).

This is not far-fetched, for once the heart becomes absorbed in something it turns away from whatever is before it. If they are listening to the neighbouring mosque, and that imam’s voice and delivery are appealing, the heart may well be distracted from the imam who is leading them.

It is authentically reported in the Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik (d. 179 AH) that the Prophet ﷺ came out one night while his Companions were praying in the mosque and their voices had grown loud in recitation, so he said,