DOHA - The fad of having verses of the Holy Quran as ring tones on cell phones has not gone down well with Islamic scholars and experts here. Certain websites also encourage the downloading of such tones saying they should be passed on to a certain number of people and the sender will be blessed or have a stroke of good fortune.
Islamic scholar Sheikh Abdul Azeem Abdul Haq states: "Verses from the Holy Quran should only be memorized and recited. It belittles the Holy Quran to have verses played as ring tones on mobile phones."
Haq called the fad "sinful", saying: "The Holy Quran is sacred. What if a phone with verses as the ring tone should ring in someone's bathroom? Although some people say it is better to have verses from the Holy Quran rather than obscene ring tones, I fully disagree. People who are encouraging the downloading of such tones are committing a sin and encouraging others to do likewise."
The scholar added that the Holy Quran should be felt consciously and not used as an alert.
Supervisor of an Islamic website here, Abdulla Faqih said: "A lot of people appear to be using the tones, especially women. But scholars in Saudi Arabia say that such tones absolutely should not be used. Verses and even qutbas (sermons) are being used. The phone could ring in someone's bathroom or a place like as football match where people are cheering. This destroys the solemnity of the Holy Quran."
He pointed out that some verses in the Holy Quran specifically state that it should not be misused. "When the Holy Quran is being recited, people should pay attention to its verses," Faqih said.
© The Peninsula 2006
