Will others be required to be silent and listen to it? Whether or not would it be obligatory (wajib)on them? The positions taken by Muslim jurists in this matter differ. Some consider listening and remaining silent in this condition too as wajib and doing against it a sin. It is for this reason that they have ruled that it is not permissible for anyone to recite the Qur'an in a loud voice at places where people are busy doing their chores or are resting. They have also said that anyone who recites the Qur'an in a loud voice in such surroundings shall be a sinner. This is as it appears in Khulasatu 1-Fatawa and other juristic works.
But, some other jurists have distinguished different situations from one another by saying that listening attentively is wajib only on occasions where the Qur'an is being recited for the express purpose of being listened to - such as, in Salah and Khutbah etc. And should it be that someone is reciting on his own, or some people are doing their own recitation at one place, then, it is not wajib to listen and be silent.
The reason is that it stands proved on the authority of sound Ahadith that the Holy Prophet
used to recite the Qur'an in his nightly prayers in a raised voice. At that time, his blessed wives would be sleeping. At times, his voice could also be heard from outside his roomette.