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Quranic mobile ringtones un-Islamic

Muslim clerics at a leading seminary in India have asked people not to use verses from the holy Quran as ringtones for their mobile phones, saying the practice was un-Islamic. Clerics at the Darul Uloom seminary in the northern Indian town of Deoband issued an edict banning the use of holy Quran verses or Muslim call to prayers as ringtones, saying doing so violates Islamic law. Holy Quran verses “are not meant for entertainment,” seminary official Asumin Qazmi said on Saturday. “Anyone who persists in using these should be ostracised from society,” he said by telephone from Saharanpur. Mufti Badrul-Hasan, a leading cleric in Lucknow, said he supported a ban on such ringtones. “One should hear the complete verse of the holy Quran with a pious mind and in silence. If it is used as a ringtone, a person is bound to switch on the mobile, thus truncating the verse halfway,” he said. “This is an un-Islamic act.” AP