The recital of the tarhim (readings before the azan) or zikir (praises to Allah) before the the pre-dawn azan broadcast by a mosque in Pasir Gudang does not disrupt sleep, the Johor Bahru Kadi's Office said today.

Kadi Ahmad Hanif Naim said the recitals only took five minutes and allowed people to prepare to come to the mosque to perform the dawn prayers together.

“The tarhim is not long, only five or six minutes. I don't think it's a problem. It allows Muslims to get ready to come to the mosque.

“Had the reading been an hour long, then we it might be a nuisance. But five minutes is not very long,” Ahmad Hanif said when contacted today.

The kadi was responding to a police report lodged by a Muslim man who said that his sleep was being distrupted by the volume of the azan and recitals broadcast by the mosque.

The 56-year-old man was reported to have lodged a report with the Johor Islamic Affairs Office and the Pasir Gudang Local Council.

Ahmad Hanif said the complaint was not new as the man, a factory worker, had raised the matter with the mosque committee in 2011.

Only complainant from neighbourhood

However, he was the only one from the neighbourhood to complain.

“We have already informed the mosque committee to prioritise the azan for broadcast. For other recitals, they should only use internal speakers.

“After all, we live in a society and we need to compromise. We don't want this to be an issue to the extent that it becomes a (syariah) crime,” Ahmad Hanif said.

He added that the man also has the choice to move to a more suitable place as it is understood that he is only renting in the area.

Ahmad Hanif also said that his staff had called at the man's home yesterday to discuss his complaint, but nobody was at home.

“We spoke to the neighbours. His neighbours said he generally does not like anything loud. Once a neighbour held a gathering and the man lodged a police report.

“He also complained to the residents' association about children playing near his house... so perhaps he has some personal problems that we don't know of,” he said.

Ahmad Hanif said his office would continue to try to talk with the complainant to ensure that the matter does not blow up or smear the image of Islam.

“We can discuss the matter in a civil manner. There is no need for the whole of Malaysia to know. This is not a criminal investigation,” he added.