Before loud speakers became common, worshippers at large mosques needed a “muballigh.” His job was to repeat the imam’s words as loudly as possible so that everyone in a large congregation heard the words of the imam. These days, however, when loud speakers are widely used in mosques, the muballigh has become somewhat of an annoyance; he shouts the imam’s words in a musical voice and the worshippers have to wait until he has finished. By that time half the short time set apart for bowings or prostrations is over and the worshipper is forced to listen to the voice of the muballigh, either believing the repetition an indivisible part of the prayer or because of the force of the man’s voice.
This happens even though the powerful microphone is capable of carrying the voice of the imam to the farthest corners of the mosque.
Some people who don’t hear the imam’s voice argue that the voice of the muballigh is a substitute for it. This is not true because if the microphone does not function due to electrical or mechanical problems, neither the voice of the imam nor the muballigh is heard by those who are far away from them.
It is quite clear that the muballigh does not have the status of the imam. The false impression that listening to the muballigh is almost a compulsory part of the prayer is comparable to the line marked at a point in the courtyard of the Kaaba to indicate the starting point for the tawaf (circumambulation) around the Kaaba.
The line has caused a rush to stand on it at the beginning of each leg of the circumambulation causing great inconvenience to all. When the mark was removed recently, the crowd at that point disappeared to the relief of the worshippers. If it were not removed, the practice would have continued and the next generation would have viewed it as an inseparable part of the worshipping and stopping the practice would have been very difficult.
Some would even argue that loud words from the muballigh pose no danger to anyone. This is, of course, true.
It must be pointed out that the muezzins (prayer callers) are posted at every minaret of the holy mosques of Makkah and Madinah. However with the invention of the loud speaker, the muballiqh is confined to a position near the imam and minarets are no longer used. While the prayer call from minarets have been cancelled, there is no justification for retaining the muballigh as though he is part of the ritual of prayer.
