FACT-CHECK: Did Saudi Muftis Prohibit Quranic Verses for Ringtones, Caller Tunes as ‘Haram’?

FACT-CHECK: Did Saudi Muftis Prohibit Quranic Verses for Ringtones, Caller Tunes as ‘Haram’?

CLAIM: A Facebook post accompanying the pictures of 30 Islamic scholars tagged as ‘Saudi Muftis’ has emerged online claiming that they have prohibited the use of Qur’an verses as ringtones and caller tunes. 

FULL-TEXT: The post wherein the claim was made reads, “Dear Muslims, Saudi Council of Muftis have given the Fatwa that, the ringtones and caller tones of QURAN AAYAT and Azan are haraam, because The AAYAT are not completed when we pick up the phone, and meaning of the AAYAT changes when they are not completed. QURAN is for Hidayat, not for ringtone. Please pass this information to as many Muslims as possible…SEND MORE IF YOU HAVE FREE S.M.S. PLEASE. DON’T IGNORE, FORWARD NOW[sic] Jazak Allah.

Advice –

Do not send it later. Send now.

May Allah grant success to everyone who reads and sends [sic].” 

VERIFICATION: PRNigeria conducted a keyword search to trace the origin of the story or dictate any media outlets that have ever published it but the results turned negative, as not even one medium was traced or dictated. 

However, PRNigeria has sighted a research publication containing the religious legal opinion on using Qur’an Verses as ringtones in Arabic which it translated into English. 

The translated version reads, “Messenger of Allah, it is not permissible for a Muslim to assign the sound of the phone ringing to the sound of the recitation of the Holy Qur’an; Because this exposes the Qur’an to what is not appropriate, such as interrupting the recitation, not paying attention to its meaning, and using it for purposes other than what it was revealed for, such as contemplation, contemplation, and action. 

It was stated in the decision of the Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Muslim World League No. (107) (1/19) as follows: “It is not permissible to use verses of the Holy Qur’an for alerting or waiting on mobile phones and the like because this use exposes the Qur’an to vulgarity and disgrace by interrupting and neglecting the recitation, and because the verses may be recited in inappropriate situations. And Allah knows the best.”

PRNigeria observed that the Fatwa in question was issued on August 6th, 2010 by the global committee on Fiqh (philosophy of Islamic law) and was reviewed by General Sheikh Abdul Kamin Al-Khasawweh, subjected as “the ruling on setting the phone to the sound of the Qur’an,” not by the “Saudi Muftis.”

The scholars’ intersubjectivity is numbered as 758 passed by the apex religious council in the world. 

Meanwhile, another investigation revealed that the Times of India has published that Mufti Arif Qasmi of Darul Uloom has passed an opinion prohibiting the use of Qur’an verses as ringtones and caller tunes. 

He said, “The phone caller may be in the toilet at the time the call is made. In such a state, hearing Quran ayats and azaan (call for prayer) as ringtone or caller tune is quite un-Islamic. Whether it is Arabia, India, or any other part of the world, Islam is the same everywhere, so a fatwa issued in Arabia is no less important here.” 

Similarly, Dar Al-iftar issued a fatwa —a legal religious opinion—in 2013 that using verses from the Quran or the call to prayer as ringtones for mobile phones is haram— prohibited in Islam.

CONCLUSION: Based on the facts gathered by PRNigeria, the ruling on the impermissibility of the use of Qur’an verses as ringtones and caller tunes was issued by the council of the world’s Fiqh senior scholars. 

Therefore, PRNigeria concludes that the claim that Saudi Muftis have issued a fatwa prohibiting the use of Qur’an verses as ringtones and caller tunes is UNTRUE. 

Meanwhile, using Qur’an verses as ringtones and caller tunes has been termed “Haram” by Islamic organizations. 

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By PRNigeria