We can’t use phones to call Muslims to prayers – Chief Imam’s office

The office of the National Chief Imam has rejected suggestions to Muslims in the country to adopt the modern ways of calling their members to prayers as against the old conservative way of using megaphones.

Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng on April 10 proposed the use of mobile applications like text messages and WhatsApp in calling Muslims to prayer.

He observed places of worship in the country had become places of noisemaking, and questioned why worshipers are unable to contain the noise they make within their auditorium or premises.

“In the house of worship, why is it that the noise will (not) be limited to the house of worship…and again maybe from the mosque, why is it that time for prayer would not be transmitted with a text message or WhatsApp so the Imam will send WhatsApp message to everybody that the time for prayer is up, so appear,” he said at a news conference.



However Mallam Adam Musah Abubakar, the Administrator at the office of the Chief Iman, said Muslims cannot subscribe to the suggestions by the minister.

He argued that the Adhan, the act of openly calling members for prayers is a tradition which was started by the Prophet Mohammed and that whatever they do is in consonance with the Holy Quran.

“We can’t accept it, we can’t accept it”, he stated on 3FM Wednesday in response to the suggestion.

“Why should we call our people to prayer on phone, why?, he quizzed, stating “that will not be possible”.

In his estimation, the suggestion by the minister is unfair to Muslims, saying “I don’t think the minister is being fair to Muslims”.

Mallam Abubakar claimed that the call to prayer is less than a minute, contending that it does not amount to noise pollution.

He stated that Muslims have conformed to a world standard practice of turning their speakers inside the mosque so as not to disturb the public.