Answered by: Alimah Zakiratul Hoque
Question
In hifz class, whilst a student is reciting his own Quran, sometimes he also indirectly hears the recitation of other students who are reciting next to him.
1. If he happens to hear a verse of sajda being recited by someone else next to him, does he has to perform a sajda tilawa, even though he only heard it indirectly with one ear?
2. Does he have to concentrate on what the other students recite so that he doesn’t miss a verse of sajda that is recited next to him?
3. If he clearly hears the recitation of another student but does not know that the verse recited is a verse of sajda (he is not a hafiz), will he be held accountable for not performing a sajda tilawa?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Sajdah Tilaawah must be done if a person recites or hears a Sajdah Ayah, regardless of how it’s heard.
As it is written in Badai Al Sanai:
سبب وجوبها أحد شيئين : التلاوة أو السماع كل واحد منهما على حاله موجب
“The reason for it (Sajdah Tilaawah) being obligatory is one of two things: recitation or listening, each of them makes it Waajib.” (Badai Al Sanai, Vol 1, Pg 557)
A student will not need to concentrate on the recitation of other students to avoid missing a Sajdah Ayah. Rather, he should continue his own recitation and if he happens to hear a Sajdah Ayah, a Sajdah will become Waajib.
If a person is unaware that it is a Sajdah Ayah and nobody informs him, then InshaaAllah he will not be held responsible as that was out of his control.
Allah says in the Qur’an (2:286):
“God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear: each gains whatever good it has done, and suffers it’s bad” And Allah teaches us a Dua regarding this (Qur’an 2:286): “‘Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes. Lord, do not burden us as You burdened those before us. Lord, do not burden us with more than we have the strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelievers.’”
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Alimah Zakiratul Hoque
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham