Can We Listen to Quran Recitation While We Work, Drive, Etc.?

Q Is it ok for someone to listen to the Qur'an in the background while they're working or cleaning, or like driving, for example, when they can't focus on the meanings and such? Or do we have to really sit and listen carefully?

Answer

Short Answer:

Yes! Of course it’s not ideal, based on the verse 7:204, wherein God tells us to listen intently and focus.

But when someone is trying to build a relationship with the Quran, listening to it “in the background”, as it were, of their daily lives driving, working, studying, etc., this is a good thing! Make sure to set aside some time each day to actually focus on the Quran, though.

Asalaamu alaykum and thank you for sending us this question.

Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda from FaithIQ answers this question in the following video.

Transcript:

Sh. Abdul Nasir Jangda: Is it okay to listen to the Qur’an for pleasure?

For example when driving when doing house chores, cleaning, etc.

Somebody might be puzzled by the question, because they might say that okay… if you’re driving and doing just chores around the house, if you’re not listening to the Qur’an then what else are we supposed to be listening to?

Okay, maybe listening to some lectures or something like that, but that becomes a little bit difficult to do because you’re trying to follow someone’s train of thought.

Then what else? If we’re not supposed to listen to Qur’an, what do you want us to listen to? Music?

So somebody might be kind of puzzled by that question. Well, let me explain.

The question stems from a very real place.

There’s a verse of the Qur’an … Allah says that when the Qur’an is recited, when the Qur’an is read, then listen very, very carefully and be quiet so that you may receive the mercy of God.

Okay so that’s the verse, so that creates the framework for the fact that when the Qur’an is read, you’re supposed to pay attention and be respectful towards it.

But if I’m driving, while I’m driving of course I might get a little distracted here or there.

I might have to answer my phone or whatever… you’re not supposed to talk on your phone while you’re driving, but you get my point.

You might have… I have kids, right, so my kid from the back might be like “Abu! Abu! What about this? What about that?” and now all of a sudden I’m talking to my kid, but the Quran is still playing.

I might be doing chores around the house and then all of a sudden, somebody texts me and I pick up my phone.

I’m texting them back but the Qur’an is still playing.

So yes, ideally you try to sit down and have some quality time with the Qur’an.

I know some might agree with this, but this is just my very humble answer in this regard.

I feel that if somebody’s really trying to build a relationship with the Qur’an and they really enjoy spending time with the Qur’an, I personally am okay in recommending people to play it while they’re driving their car, to play it in their home while they’re doing chores, or just at home with their kids, or whatever the case may be.

I am personally okay with that, and I understand it’s not ideal, but then you make some 5, 10, 15 minutes of ideal time with the Qur’an.

But I’m personally okay with somebody playing the Quran “in the background”, so to speak.

I personally benefited tremendously from that as a child.

And that’s why when I sat down to start memorizing the Qur’an, I realized a couple of juz of the Quran I already knew them, and I didn’t recognize that I knew them just because they were played in my home so often during the years I was growing up.

May Allah, subhana wa ta’ala, make us from the people of the Quran…

I hope this answered your question, and please have a look at these other articles that touch on this topic: