When it is obligatory to listen attentively to recitation of the Qur’aan?

Question

Praise be to Allah.

The scholars differed concerning the ruling on listening
attentively to recitation of Qur’aan outside of prayer. There are two
opinions:

1 – The first view is that is it obligatory. This is the view
of the Hanafis, and some of them regarded it as an individual obligation,
whilst others said that it is a communal obligation. They quoted as evidence
the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and be
silent that you may receive mercy”

[al-A’raaf 7:204]

It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (4/86):

Listening to recitation of Qur’aan when it is recited outside
of prayer is obligatory if there is no legitimate shar’i excuse for not
listening.

The Hanafis differed with regard to this obligation: is it an
individual obligation or a communal obligation?

Ibn ‘Aabideen said: The basic principle is that listening to
Qur’aan is a communal obligation, because it is establishing its right to be
listened to and not ignored, which is achieved by some listening
attentively, as is the case with returning salaams (i.e., it is sufficient
for some members of a group to return the greeting).

Al-Hamawi narrated that his teacher, the prominent judge
Yahya who is better known as Minqaarizaadah, said that listening to the
Qur’aan is an individual obligation.

Yes, the verse in Soorat al-A’raaf, “So, when the Qur’aan
is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy” was
revealed to abrogate the permission to speak during prayer, but what counts
is the general meaning of the words, not the specific reason for its
revelation, and the general meaning includes recitation of Qur’aan both
during prayer and otherwise. End quote.

2 – The second view is that it is mustahabb and recommended.
They interpreted the verse in Soorat al-A’raaf as referring to recitation in
prayer only. Outside of prayer it is recommended and mustahabb. This is the
view of the majority of scholars.

Ibn Katheer says in Tafseer
al-Qur’aan il-‘Azeem (2/372):

‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas concerning the
verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and be
silent that you may receive mercy”

[al-A’raaf 7:204]:

i.e., in the obligatory prayer. Something similar was
narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mughaffal. Ibn Jareer said: Humayd ibn
Mas’adah told us, Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal told us, al-Jareeri told us, that
Talhah ibn ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn Kurayz said: I saw ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr and ‘Ata’
ibn Abi Rabaah talking whilst the storyteller was speaking, and I said: Why
don’t you listen to the reminder, lest you be subject to the warning? They
looked at me, then they went back to their conversation. I repeated it, and
they looked at me, then they went back to their conversation. I said it a
third time and they looked at me and said: That is only in prayer:
“So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and be
silent that you may receive mercy”

[al-A’raaf 7:204].

This is how it was narrated by more than one person from
Mujaahid. ‘Abd al-Razzaaq narrated from al-Thawri from Layth that Mujaahid
said: There is nothing wrong with speaking if a man recites Qur’aan other
than in prayer.

Something similar was stated by Sa’eed ibn Jubayr,
al-Dahhaak, Ibraheem al-Nakha’i, Qataadah, al-Sha’bi, al-Saddi and ‘Abd
al-Rahmaan ibn Zayd ibn Aslam, that what is meant (in the verse) is in
prayer.

This was the view favoured by Ibn Jareer, that what is meant
is listening attentively in prayer and during the khutbah, as it says in the
ahaadeeth which enjoin listening attentively behind the imam and during the
khutbah. End quote.

It seems that this view is the correct one, because in order
for a thing to be obligatory, clear evidence is required, otherwise obliging
the people to adhere to that will clause undue hardship without any evidence
for it.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked, as it says in Liqaa’aat al-Baab il-Maftooh (no. 197/ question
no. 26):

There was a group of people travelling by car, and one of
them put on a tape of Qur’aan; should they all listen to this tape, and is
anyone who speaks whilst the tape is playing sinning thereby?

The answer was:

Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning
this verse: This applies to prayer. He said: They were unanimously agreed
that this applies to prayer. Based on this, if I am next to a person who is
reciting Qur’aan out loud, but I am reciting tasbeeh and saying laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah, then I do not have to listen to him, rather that applies to
prayer only.

But I say to the brother who put the tape on: Do not put it
on when people are not paying attention, because the least that may said
about that is that it is like those of whom Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): “And those who disbelieve say: ‘Listen not to this Qur’aan,
and make noise in the midst of its (recitation) that you may overcome’”
[Fussilat 41:26]. If you see that your brothers do not want to listen,
and they are busy talking to one another, then do not put the tape on. If
you want to listen to it, then there are small headphones that you can put
in your ears, and you can listen to it by yourself. End quote.

It says in al-Muntaqa fi Fataawa al-Fawzaan
(3/question no. 437):

Sometimes I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, to prepare
food for my husband, and I want to make good use of my time, so I listen to
the Holy Qur’aan either on the radio or on tapes. Is this action of mine
correct or should I not do that, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): “So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and be silent
that you may receive mercy”[al-A’raaf 7:204]?

The answer is: There is nothing wrong with listening to the
Holy Qur’aan on the radio or on tapes when one is working, and that does not
go against the words “So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and
be silent”, because listening attentively is required as much as one is
able to do, and the one who puts on the tape should listen attentively to
the Qur’aan as much as he can. End quote.

Favouring the view that it is mustahabb does not mean that
one may be careless and deliberately fail to listen attentively to the words
of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, when they are recited. Keenness
to listen attentively should be the basic principle that is established in
the life of the Muslim, and he should not do otherwise except in the case of
work or need.

Al-Nawawi said in al-Tabyaan fi Adaab Hamalat al-Qur’aan
(92):

Something that attention must be paid to and which should be
affirmed is respecting the Qur’aan in cases where some of the negligent may
be heedless about it in gatherings where Qur’aan is recited, such as not
laughing, chatting or talking during the recitation, except in cases of
necessity; obeying the words of Allaah, “So, when the Qur’aan is recited,
listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy”; and following
the example that was narrated from Ibn Abi Dawood from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah
be pleased with him), that when the Qur’aan was recited he would not talk
until the recitation ended. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
Liqaa’aat al-Baab il-Maftooh (no. 146, question no. 9): It is not
good manners to ignore the Book of Allaah when it is being recited, even if
it is on a tape.” End quote.

And Allaah knows best.