Once, a person saw Zubaidah, the wife of Haroon Ar-Rasheed in a dream sitting on a beautifully decorated throne. He asked her, “How did you achieve such a high rank?” She replied, “Once while I was seated with my friends and associates, relaxing and chatting away, I suddenly heard the muazzin call out the azaan. As soon as I heard the azaan, out of respect and honour for Allah Ta‘ala, I told the ladies around me to be quiet until the azaan is called out. It was due to this act that Allah Ta‘ala blessed me with such a lofty rank.” (Al-Ishaaraat fi ‘Ilmil ‘Ibaraat – Salafe Saaliheen ke Imaan afroz Waaqi‘aat pg. 61)
Lesson: Showing respect to the symbols of Allah Ta‘ala is an extremely important aspect of our deen. Many people earned their Jannah on account of respecting such aspects. Let us give due respect to the azaan, the Quraan Majeed and anything relating to deen. It would be tragic if the azaan is being called out, the Quraan Majeed is being recited, or some talk of deen is being delivered and we disregard it.
The same applies if it is played on a radio or a recording. Instead of leaving it switched on without paying full attention, we should rather listen for a little while with full attention, then switch it off and continue with our tasks.