Sound of innovation: Mumbai mosques go digital with 'azan app' to overcome loudspeaker curbs

Mumbai: In the backdrop of curbs over the use of loudspeakers, half-a-dozen mosques in Mumbai have registered on a dedicated mobile phone application which relays the 'azan', or call to prayer, directly to the faithful in real-time.

The app, Online Azan, has been developed by a Tamil Nadu-based company.

Given the restrictions and sensitivities surrounding the use of loudspeakers for the call to prayer, the dedicated mobile app helps relay the azan directly to worshippers from local mosques, Fahad Khalil Pathan, managing trustee of Mahim Juma Masjid, told PTI.

The free app will allow users to listen to the azan at home, especially during Ramzan (the Islamic holy month of fasting) and other times when public announcements are restricted, he explained.

"The initiative comes after a police crackdown on the use of loudspeakers, where officers visited the mosque (Juma Masjid) and warned loudspeaker use could result in action. This led to the mosque temporarily disabling its sound system," Pathan stated.

To ensure that spiritual experience remains uninterrupted, especially for the elderly and those residing nearby (the mosque), the Juma Masjid in the Mahim area has adopted the app, he said.

The app was developed with technical support from a team of IT professionals from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, and is now available on Android devices and iPhones.

The app plays a live audio stream of the azan through mobile phones, exactly when it is delivered from the mosque. Worshippers who cannot physically hear the azan due to sound restrictions can now receive it through this app in real-time, Pathan said.

The app also serves a larger community purpose by notifying users about prayer times and can be used like a smart watch alert system. Once installed and configured, it runs automatically.

Worshippers have praised the initiative, stating that even when loudspeakers are off, they can now still stay connected to their neighbourhood mosque's azan through their mobile phones.

Pathan said the 10x15 box speakers installed at mosques do not spread the sound of the azan as widely as the traditional loudspeakers. Many people who were accustomed to hearing the azan through loudspeakers have found it difficult to hear the call for prayers from the mosque.

In this backdrop, the Online Azan app has proven to be very helpful.

"We chose innovation over confrontation. Now, the faithful can stay connected to the azan timings regardless of the use of loudspeakers. In the past three days alone, 500 residents living near our masjid have registered on the app. A total of six masjids in Mumbai have registered with the app's server (located in India)," he informed.

Users simply need to download the app, select their locality, and choose the masjid nearest to them. They will then receive live notifications whenever the call to prayer is made from that mosque.

"It's important to clarify that the Bombay High Court has not ordered the removal of loudspeakers, but has set permissible sound limits -- 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night. In response and on recurring request from the police, we have voluntarily stopped using loudspeakers and have shifted to box speakers to comply with the guidelines," Pathan said.

Mohammed Ali, one of the co-founders of Online Azan, said the company that developed the app is three-year-old and has 250 mosques in Tamil Nadu registered with it.

The company asks for an application form, address proof of the mosque and the Aadhaar card of the person who gives the call to prayer, he said.

Mumbai Congress general secretary Asif Farooqui welcomed the move by mosques to adopt the new technology.

"Loudspeaker was just a medium to convey what needs to be said in a larger way. There should be no disturbance to others. Prayer is important and not loudspeaker. There are multiple ways to communicate the call to prayer and it is good mosques are adapting to new innovations," the politician noted.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has been spearheading a campaign against the use of loudspeakers on mosques in Mumbai.

The former MP has claimed that due to his campaign, 1,500 loudspeakers have been taken down in the metropolis, which he said were being used without permission from authorities.