Any unwanted sound that causes annoyance, irritation and pain to the human ear is termed as noise.
Noise pollution is generally defined as regular exposure to elevated sound levels that may lead to adverse effects in humans or other living organisms. According to the World Health Organization, sound levels less than 70 dB are not damaging to living organisms, regardless of how long or consistent the exposure is.

It is important to understand exactly what a decibel is. A decibel is a unit of intensity of sound, abbreviated dB. The decibel scale is incredibly large, because ears are so sensitive to sound—people with normal hearing can hear anything from a light touch on skin to the roar of a plane’s engine. The decibel scale is logarithmic, meaning it increases by the power of 10 each time. The smallest audible sound is 0 dB. A sound that is 10 times more powerful is 10dB, a sound that is 1,000 times more powerful is 30 dB, and so on (it helps to count the zeroes in the scale to keep track!)

How loud is too loud?
Continued exposure to noise above 85 dBA (adjusted decibels) over time will cause hearing loss. The volume (dBA) and the length of exposure to the sound will tell you how harmful the noise is. In general, the louder the noise, the less time required before hearing loss will occur.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (US), the maximum exposure time at 85 dBA is eight hours. At 110 dBA, the maximum exposure time is one minute and 29 seconds. If you must be exposed to noise, it is recommended that you limit the exposure time and/or wear hearing protection. A three dBA increase doubles the amount of noise, and halves the recommended amount of exposure time.

The following decibel levels of common noise sources are typical, but will vary. Noise levels above 140dBA can cause damage to hearing after just one exposure.

0dB: The softest sound a person can hear with normal hearing
10dB: Normal breathing
20dB: Whispering from five feet away
30dB: Whispering nearby
40dB: Quiet library sounds
50dB: Refrigerator/Rainfall
60dB: Normal conversation
70dB: Washing machine
80dB: Alarm clock
85dB: Heavy traffic
90dB: Subway train/ shouted conversation
100dB: Factory machinery
110dB: Car horn/ shouting in ear/baby crying
120dB: Ambulance siren/thunder
140dB: Airplane taking off
Gensets have varying dB from silent gensets of around 30dB to 120dB.
An average indoor speaker comes with a sensitivity of around 87 dB to 88 dB while an outdoor speaker may reach between 110 dB and 120 dB or more.

The Adhan and Loudspeakers
In the beginning of Islam the call to prayer (Adhan) was made on an elevated platform for the sound to go further and reach the people. Following the invention of loudspeakers sound waves are now carried easily to people. So it is permitted to use the microphone and outdoor loudspeaker to call the Adhan. But the outdoor speaker should not be placed in such a way that the sound waves emanating from it does not disturbs the peace of the neighbor.

Disturbing the Neigbours
A neighbour is someone who lives close to you, which includes houses that are next to yours, according to scholarly consensus or as it is defined customarily.

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, Al-Masakin (the poor), the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and those (slaves) whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allah does not like such as are proud and boastful”
[an-Nisa’ 4:36].

Al-Bukhaari (5185) and Muslim (47) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him not annoy his neighbour.”
Al-Bukhaari (6015) and Muslim (2625) narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Jibreel kept urging me that neighbours should be treated well until I thought he would make them heirs.”

As we can see from the above it is compulsory to be good to the neighbour whether they are Muslims or not.

Using the Loudspeakers for Lectures, Qur'an Recitations, Adhkar, etc.
It is rewarding to do lectures, recite the Qur'an and Adhkar in the mosques or anywhere else that is suitable as described in the Sunnah. But as regards using the outdoor Loudspeakers this is not necessary. One may install an indoor speaker for this purpose so that the words of the Imaam may be carried around the mosque and it stops in the Mosque.
Reciting over the Loudspeakers disturbs the neighbors especially in the morning when there is silence and people are still sleeping. The Qur'an is to be listened to but most who listen to it over the Loudspeaker will still be involved in other things hence treating the verses with no attention.

Reciting supplications over the Loudspeaker is highly undesirable. Is it the Loudspeaker that would take your voice to your Lord? Allaah is near to us.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright”
[al-Baqarah 2:186]

Making supplications over the loudspeaker is also contrary to humility as is stated in the following verses:

“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret”
[al-A’raaf 7:55]

“Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us”
[al-Anbiya’ 21:90]

“And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons”
[al-A’raaf 7:205]

Summary
1. Exposure to certain noises for some period of time is injurious to health.
2. Loudspeakers can be used for the Muslim call to prayer.
3. The placement of the Loudspeaker should not direct the sound waves to a particular house/building.
4. A Muslim is not to harm his neighbors with noise, etc.
4. Reciting or playing recorded Lectures, Qur'an, Adhkar, etc is not to be done over the outdoor Loudspeaker.
5. Indoor Speakers can be used for Lectures, etc in the Mosque.
6. Supplications are to be done humbly without loudness of words.
7. All Muslims are encouraged to follow the Qur'an and Sunnah as it was practiced by the pious predecessors.

One brown roof mosque here no dey allow me to rest

OfficialAPCNig:
One brown roof mosque here no dey allow me to rest

Are you deluded? (rhetoric)

How many non-brown roofed Churches are in your street that sings, clap, shout, scream, stamp their feet, speak in tongues in to the Loudspeaker in your community?

Na Hypocrisy go kill you!

Miracle peddlars! Na so so disturbance and noise pollution in the Bus, on the streets early in the morning...

AntiChristian:


Are you deluded? (rhetoric)


How many non-brown roofed Churches are in your street that sings, clap, shout, scream, stamp their feet, speak in tongues in to the Loudspeaker in your community?

Na Hypocrisy go kill you!

Miracle peddlars! Na so so disturbance and noise pollution in the Bus, on the streets early in the morning...

Calm down,it hasn't yet reached that level yet.

The mosque officials in my neighborhood really need to read this.... Good write up. ..Very objective..

Nice

Not only from Islamic scripts

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

Mark 12:31

Unfortunately we don't follow them, and if government intervene we called it an attack to freedom of religion.

Jazakum llahu Khairan, Op.
May Allah reward you.

May Allah bless you op. I wonder why people abuse almost everything in nigeria. I have always considered mounting huge speakers on mosques a source of noise pollution. I looked back with nostalgia to the time there were no public address systems and adhan, especially subhi, was rendered in sonorous natural voice - so pleasant to the ear. But the reverse is the case now, especially with the unnecessary proliferation of mosques. Instead of having a neighbourhood mosque where all the ummah converge, it looks like people are competing with each other in putting a small structure in their houses and calling it mosque. And huge loudspeakers are invariably mounted turning the neighbourhood into a babel at salat times. Christians have caught the noise bug too, and some are now turning their residences into worship centres with huge speakers mounted outside for maximum nuisance effect. For heaven's sake this madness should be stopped. Lagos state appears to be taking the lead in trying to stop the war of noise being imposed on the populace by overzealous but ignorant muslims and Christians who take noisemaking as worship (how can you say God is All-Hearing but have to use mega speakers to speak to the same God - if this is not madness, what is?)

I so much like this write up. Can't wait to spread the info.

Jazakallahu Khayra

OgaBuhari:
face your irresponsible religion and leave Christianity out of your stupidity

You see your problem - denying the obvious. Only recently lagos state shut down 70 churches and 20 mosques for noise pollution. In fact churches generate more noise than mosques in terms of duration and intensity.

OgaBuhari:
face your irresponsible religion and leave Christianity out of your stupidity

oga calm down. He made an unbiased comment. Truth be told both religion are guilty. Be like say them never use vigil noise kéep u awake all night

AntiChristian:


Are you deluded? (rhetoric)

How many non-brown roofed Churches are in your street that sings, clap, shout, scream, stamp their feet, speak in tongues in to the Loudspeaker in your community?

Na Hypocrisy go kill you!

Miracle peddlars! Na so so disturbance and noise pollution in the Bus, on the streets early in the morning...

Both mosques and churches are at fault.

...

badboy92:



Both mosques and churches are at fault.

But that of Churches are much worst than Mosques

AntiChristian:


Are you deluded? (rhetoric)

How many non-brown roofed Churches are in your street that sings, clap, shout, scream, stamp their feet, speak in tongues in to the Loudspeaker in your community?

Na Hypocrisy go kill you!

Miracle peddlars! Na so so disturbance and noise pollution in the Bus, on the streets early in the morning...

IF YOU AND THOSE LIKE YOUR POST THINK YOU ARE A GOOD MUSLIM, YOU ARE DECEIVIN YOURSELF.

Shafiiimran99:
IF YOU AND THOSE LIKE YOUR POST THINK YOU ARE A GOOD MUSLIM, YOU ARE DECEIVIN YOURSELF.

Can you explain what law i have broken?

AntiChristian:


Can you explain what law i have broken?

AS A MUSLIM, WE NEED TO TREAT THE ISSUE AS IF IT WERE ONLY MUSLIMS THAT ARE CAUSIN ONISE POLLTTION OTHERWISE NOTHIN WILL BE ACHIEVED. THEREFORE YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSE TO REPLY LIKE THAT. MOREOVER, WE ALWAYS DEFINE ISLAM AS A RELIGION OF PEACE. SO IF WE REALLY NEED PEACE IN A MATTER LIKE THIS, WE NEED TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH IRRESPECTIVE OF WHO SAYS IT.

AntiChristian:


Are you deluded? (rhetoric)

How many non-brown roofed Churches are in your street that sings, clap, shout, scream, stamp their feet, speak in tongues in to the Loudspeaker in your community?

Na Hypocrisy go kill you!

Miracle peddlars! Na so so disturbance and noise pollution in the Bus, on the streets early in the morning...

why you dey bear this username? There is freedom of religion naa. Why anti Christian?

Jazakalluhu Khair

OkikiOluwa1:
why you dey bear this username? There is freedom of religion naa. Why anti Christian?

Cos I am against modern Christian ideology!

Shafiiimran99:
AS A MUSLIM, WE NEED TO TREAT THE ISSUE AS IF IT WERE ONLY MUSLIMS THAT ARE CAUSIN ONISE POLLTTION OTHERWISE NOTHIN WILL BE ACHIEVED. THEREFORE YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSE TO REPLY LIKE THAT. MOREOVER, WE ALWAYS DEFINE ISLAM AS A RELIGION OF PEACE. SO IF WE REALLY NEED PEACE IN A MATTER LIKE THIS, WE NEED TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH IRRESPECTIVE OF WHO SAYS IT.

You still haven't told me what error i commited.

1. I asked a question if he is deluded? Of cos i know he is not.

2. He is just being an hypocrite by saying the mosque disturbs him. Churches too disturbes and why can't he mention that?

You sounded so harsh, that is it!!!
What is hypocrisy go kill u or miracle peddler.
U can pass the same message in a lighter tone

AntiChristian:


Cos I am against modern Christian ideology!

What's modern Christian Ideology?
Also, can't you edit your name to AntiModernChristianIdeology or the definition of what you are against?
Using only anti Christian makes you look like an illiterate!

OkikiOluwa1:
What's modern Christian Ideology?
Also, can't you edit your name to AntiModernChristianIdeology or the definition of what you are against?
Using only anti Christian makes you look like an illiterate!

I am antichristian but l have nothing against Jesus.
Call me illiterate. I will answer you.

Predator1:
You sounded so harsh, that is it!!!
What is hypocrisy go kill u or miracle peddler.
U can pass the same message in a lighter tone

Before you judge a person in this way then you have to judge with equity less you become an unfair judge. Check the person I replied to. Check his profile and former posts. He did not start from here.

AntiChristian:


I am antichristian but l have nothing against Jesus.
Call me illiterate. I will answer you.

Oh, I now see.
Hope you are also Anti Budhahism, Sango, Ogun, Krishna etc. You need to be against them too in order to enjoy Islam. Don't you think so?

OkikiOluwa1:
Oh, I now see.
Hope you are also Anti Budhahism, Sango, Ogun, Krishna etc. You need to be against them too in order to enjoy Islam. Don't you think so?

That's non of you biz bro!

AntiChristian:


That's non of you biz bro!

It's my biz. We need to know the kind of problem you have. If it's spiritual or psychological!