Ruling on Loud Dhikr in the Mosque in Light of the Qur’an and Hadith
Excerpted from: Ahkam-o-Masa’il in the Light of the Qur’an, Volume 01
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to engage in loud dhikr (remembrance of Allah) in the mosque? Kindly clarify in light of the Qur’an and Hadith.
❖ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
Reciting the prescribed post-prayer adhkār aloud is permissible. In this regard, Sayyidunā Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) narrates:
“كان رفع الصوت بالذكر حين يفرغ الناس من المكتوبة على عهد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 841)
Translation:
In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, when the people would finish the obligatory prayer, they would engage in dhikr audibly.
✿ Conditions for Loud Dhikr
① If someone is performing prayer, then it is better to recite quietly so as not to disturb or distract the worshipper.
② The dhikr should be done individually.
③ Collective loud dhikr is an innovation (bidʿah).
✿ General Dhikr Outside of Prayer
① If general adhkār are established through the Sunnah, they may be recited while walking or moving about.
② However, even these should not be performed collectively in the manner seen in some modern gatherings, as this too is an innovation, with no evidence in Sharīʿah to support such a practice.
هذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
