Mahim Juma Masjid Trust launch Online Azan app amid loudspeaker row

Amid the ongoing chaos surrounding Mosque loudspeaker restrictions, Mahim Juma Masjid has come up with an alternative and introduced a dedicated mobile app that streams the Azan live, allowing devotees to hear it in real-time without violating any regulations.

According to the Mahim Juma Masjid Trust, due to the restrictions on the use of loudspeakers for the call to prayer (Azan) in several urban areas of Mumbai, Juma Masjid launched a dedicated mobile app, which was developed with technical support from a team of professionals led by a team in Tamil Nadu.

The name of the app is Online Azan app, and so far, over 100 users have downloaded it. The app gets the Masjid registered, and people associated with the particular masjid can be selected and listened to. Before the Azan time, users receive notifications alerting them to the start of the prayer.

“The initiative comes after a police crackdown on the use of loudspeakers, where officers visited the mosque and warned that loudspeaker use could result in action. This led to the mosque temporarily disabling its sound system. Besides, the Court order of the 45-56 decibel restriction on the speakers does not serve the purpose. So, this is an alternate,” the Managing trustee of Mahim Juma Masjid, Fahad Khalil Pathan told The Hindu.

This comes after the delegation of Muslim leaders complained of campaigns against loudspeakers by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya in several areas of Mumbai, as well as police action on removing the loudspeaker. Despite compliance with the court’s order of permissible noise levels under 56 decibels, Muslim representatives alleged that police have been harassing mosque committees. On Wednesday (June 25, 2025), a delegation of Muslim leaders and top police officials met Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar on the issue of loudspeakers at mosques in Mumbai.

The app plays a live audio stream of the Azan through mobile phones exactly when it is delivered from the mosque, says a Trust member.