The app plays a live audio stream of the azan through mobile phones, exactly when it is delivered from the mosque
NEW DELHI – The phrase “Necessity is the mother of invention” highlights how challenges and needs drive creativity and innovation. When faced with problems or limitations, individuals and societies often find new solutions, technologies, or approaches to overcome them.
In the backdrop of restrictions on the use of loudspeakers for the azan (Muslim call for prayer), at least half a dozen mosques in Mumbai have registered on a dedicated mobile phone application which relays the five-time-a-day call to prayer, directly to the faithful in real-time.
The app, Online Azan, developed by a Tamil Nadu-based company, helps relay the azan directly to worshippers from local mosques, media reports quoted Fahad Khalil Pathan, managing trustee of Mahim Juma Masjid, as saying on Sunday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Kirit Somaiya, has been spearheading a campaign against the use of loudspeakers on mosques in the capital city of Maharashtra. 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.
The free app initiative comes after a police crackdown on the use of loudspeakers, where officers visited the mosque (Juma Masjid) and warned that 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.
Users simply download the app, select their locality and preferred mosque, and receive live azan notifications. Over 500 residents near the mosque in Mahim have already registered in just three days. A total of six mosques in Mumbai have registered with the app’s server (located in India),” he informed.
Pathan clarified that the Bombay High Court has not banned loudspeakers but mandated sound limits of 55 decibels during the day and 45 at night. To comply, many mosques have replaced traditional loudspeakers with lower-volume box speakers.
Commenting on the development, Mumbai Congress general secretary Asif Farooqui welcomed the technological innovation. “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 a loudspeaker. There are multiple ways to communicate the call to prayer and it is good that mosques are adapting to the innovations,” the politician noted.
The app has been 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 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 10×15 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.
Mohammed Ali, one of the co-founders of Online Azan, said the company that developed the app is three years old and has 250 mosques in Tamil Nadu registered with it.
The company requires mosques to submit an application form, address proof, and the Aadhaar card of the muezzin, he said. – With inputs from Agencies
