In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
The worst-case scenario in the event of being inflicted with a disease is when
the one involved refuses to believe that he has been inflicted with that
disease. The way this phenomenon is accepted and recognised in diseases and
illnesses that affect the physical body, it is also true with regards to
spiritual diseases and ailments.
When a person commits a sin (May Allah save us all) believing that a sin is
being committed and feels regret and remorse in the heart, then this is far
better than committing the sin and believing it to be lawful (halal). In the
former situation, only one sin is being committed, and it is very likely that
the individual may repent out of the remorse felt in the heart. In the latter
case, however, in addition to the sin being committed, there is the greater sin
of trying to justify it. Normally, such an individual does not receive the
guidance to repent from his sin. (May Allah save us all, Ameen)
Music and Singing
The case with music and unlawful singing is the same. It has been decisively
prohibited in Shariah, as the evidences mentioned further along will
illustrate. Yet there are individuals who are not ready to believe that it is
unlawful (haram).
In the modern era, music has spread to such an extent that nobody is free from
it. Individuals are confronted with situations where they are forced to listen
to music. It is played nearly in all department stores and supermarkets. If you
sit in a taxi, make a phone call or even walk down the street, you will not be
saved from this evil. Young Muslims drive around in their cars with the music
fully blasted. The increasing popularity of music, which is prevalent in our
society, poses a great threat to the Muslims.
Music is a direct ploy of the non-Muslims. One of the main causes for the
decline of the Muslims is their involvement in useless entertainment. Today we
see that Muslims are involved, and at the forefront perhaps, of many
immoralities and evils. The spiritual power which once was the trait of a
Muslim is nowhere to be seen. One of the main reasons for this is music and
useless entertainment.
Harms and effects of music
We should be aware that nothing has been prohibited by the Almighty Creator
except that which is harmful to the Muslims and the society as a whole. There
are great harms and ill-effects of music.
Islam totally forbids adultery and also those things that lead to it. Allah
Most High says:
"And do not (even) come near to adultery, for it is a shameful deed and an
evil, opening the road (to other evils)." (al-Isra, 32)
Islam does not only prohibit adultery and fornication, but also those things
that may lead to it. This is the reason why the Quran orders Muslim men and
women to lower their gazes. It prohibits one from being alone with someone of
the opposite sex (khalwa). Informal interaction with the opposite sex has also
been made unlawful.
This is also one of the main reasons for the prohibition of music, as it
effects ones emotions, creates arousal, passion and excitement, and also leads
to various physiological changes in the person. It is a psychological proven
fact that two things are instrumental in arousing the human sexual desire, one
being the voice of a female (for males) and the other music.
This is the reason why Allah Most High says:
"O wives of the prophet! You are not like other women, if you are god-fearing.
So do not be soft in speech. Lest in whose heart is disease should be moved
with desire." (Surah al-Ahzab, v. 32)
Thus, Islam forbids listening to the female voice with lust and desire. The
great Hanafi Jurist, Imam Ibn Abidin (Allah have mercy on him) states:
"It is permissible for women to converse with non-Mahram men at the time of
need (and vice versa). However, what is not permissible is that they stretch,
soften and raise their voice in a melodious way." (Radd al-Muhtar, V.1, P. 406)
Similarly, it is also unlawful for women to listen to the voice of non-Mahram
men with lust and desire. One of the great western thinkers said: "The voice is
one of the quickest ways that make a woman fall in love with a man. This is the
reason why many women adore singers."
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) was also wary of this
fact when he said to the Companion Bara ibn Malik: "O Bara! Let not the women
here your voice." (Kanz al-Ummal, 7/322) The same has also been reported from
the Companion Anjasha (Allah be pleased with him).
Physical Effect of Music
Experiments carried out by doctors and researchers confirm that music is such
that it does not only affect the brain, but each and every organ of the body.
There is a close relationship between music and bodily movements.
It is also proved that music affects ones emotions, increases arousal in terms
of alertness and excitement and also leads to various psychological changes in
the person. In a psychological experiment, it was found that listening to
moderate type of music increased ones normal heart beat, whilst listening to
rock music the heart beat increased even further, yet people claim that music
has no effect.
In conclusion, music and the instruments used for singing are a cause for
arousing the sexual desire of an individual. It could lead a person to adultery
and fornication. Therefore, Islam takes the preventive measure rather than
suffer the consequences. This is also one of the principles of Islamic
Jurisprudence, namely blocking the means (sadd al-dhara'i). This is based on
the idea of preventing an evil before it actually materializes, and is taken
from the heart of the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah that, "Preventing harm
is given precedence even to achieving possible benefits."
Becoming Heedless of Allah
One of the harms of music is that it distracts one from his Creator. It serves
as a temporary means of pleasure and satisfaction, which makes one forget who
he really is and why he was created. This is the reason why musical instruments
are known in the Arabic language as malaahi meaning instruments that prevent
one from the remembrance of Allah Almighty.
Human has been created for a noble purpose. Allah Most High says:
"I have created jinn and humans only that they serve (worship) me." (Surah
al-Dhariyat, 56)
Music and temporary entertainments sink the human in physical pleasures and
prevent him/her from true spiritual gains. In conclusion, music has a great
role to play in preventing a human from realising the purpose of creation.
Un-Islamic Values
Another harm of music is that it instils the ideologies of the non-Muslims in
the heart and mind. The messages of todays music follow a general theme of
love, fornication, drugs and freedom.
We find that the whole world is obsessed with the Kufr idea of unrestrained
freedom, i.e. freedom of speech and movement, etc
This idea of freedom, "its
my life, Ill do what I want" is a predominant theme of music today. It is used
as a means of drilling western ideologies into the hearts and minds, which are
totally contrary to Islamic values and teachings.
The Difference between Legal Wisdom and Legal Reason
The above are just some of the harms and evil effects of music. One must
remember here that these are the wisdoms for the prohibition of music and not
the reason (illah). The Shariah ruling is based upon the reason, and not the
wisdom. In other words if the harms for the prohibition of music are taken care
of, it will not make music permissible.
An example for this is that the wisdom behind the prohibition of wine and
alcohol is that it creates enmity and hatred between people and it hinders one
from the remembrance of Allah. The reason, however, is that it is an
intoxicating substance. Now, if one was to say that wine will be Halal for me,
as I will lock myself up after drinking wine, thus no destruction will be
caused. Any sane person will conclude that he is wrong, as wine is Haram
whether you cause any destruction and damage to others or not. The reason being
is that the cause (illa) for the prohibition of wine is intoxication,
regardless of whether the wisdom (hikma) is present or not.
The same is with music. If one is saved from the abovementioned harms, even
then music will still remain Haram. It can not be held lawful even if one is
saved from its harms. This is a well established principle in the science of
Usul al-Fiqh.
Ruling on musical instruments and unlawful singing
In light of the evidences that will be mentioned shortly, the following are
unlawful in Shariah:
a) Musical instruments that are exclusively designed for entertainment and
dancing, and create charm, pleasure and bliss on their own (even without the
singing), such as the drum, violin, guitar, fiddle, flute, lute, mandolin,
harmonium, piano, string, etc are all impermissible and unlawful (haram) to
use.
There is a consensus of the whole Ummah on this. Since the first century, the
Companions (sahaba), their followers (tabiin), jurists (fuqaha) and the
scholars have been generally unanimous on this ruling.
b) Singing that is a cause for a sin is also unlawful with the consensus of all
the scholars, such as songs that prevent one from the obligatory (fard &
wajib).
c) Any singing that is accompanied by other sins, such as songs that consist of
unlawful, immoral, and sexual themes, or it is sang by non-Mahram women, etc
will also be unlawful. This ruling is also with the consensus of all the
scholars.
Evidences
There are numerous evidences in the Quran and Sunnah which support this view.
We will attempt to look at a few:
1) Allah Most High says:
"And there are among men, those that purchase idle tales, to mislead (men) from
the path of Allah and throw ridicule. For such there will be a humiliating
punishment." (Surah Luqman, V. 6)
The great Companion Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Masud (Allah be pleased with him)
states in the explanation of the word "idle tales":
"By Allah its meaning is music." (Sunan al-Bayhaqi, 1/223 & authenticated by
al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, 2/411)
Imam Ibn Abi Shayba related with his own transmission that he (Ibn Masud)
said: "I swear by Him besides Whom there is no God that it refers to singing."
(132/5)
The great Companion and exegete of the Quran, Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Abbas
(Allah be pleased with him) states:
"The meaning of the word is music, singing and the like." (Sunan al-Bayhaqi,
1/221& Musannaf Ibn abi Shayba, 132/5)
He also stated:
"Music and the purchase of female singers." (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba, 132/5)
Hasan al-Basri (Allah be pleased with him) said:
"This verse was revealed in relation to singing and musical instruments."
(Tafsir ibn Kathir, 3/442)
The same explanation has also been narrated from Mujahid, Ikrima, Ibrahim
Nakhai, Makhul and others (may Allah be pleased with them all).
The above verse of the Quran, along with the statements regarding its meaning
is clear in the prohibition of music. It also serves as a severe warning for
those who are involved in the trade of music in any way, shape or form, as
Allah warned them of "Humiliating punishment".
As for those that say, the verse refers to things that prevent one from the
remembrance of Allah and not music, they do not contradict the aforementioned
explanation. The interpretation of the verse with "things that prevent one from
the remembrance of Allah" is a more general interpretation which includes music
and song, as one of the foremost things that stop you from the remembrance of
Allah is music. This is the reason why the majority of the exegetes of the
Quran have interpreted the verse with music only, or with all those acts that
prevent one from the truth with music being at the forefront.
2) Allah Most High says whilst describing the attributes of the servants of the
Most Compassionate (ibad al-Rahman):
"Those who witness no falsehood, and if they pass by futility, they pass by it
with honourable avoidance." (Surah al-Furqan, V. 72)
Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas relates from Sayyiduna Imam Abu Hanifah (Allah be
pleased with him) that the meaning of "falsehood (zur)" is music & song. (Ahkam
al-Quran, 3/428)
3) Allah Most High said to Shaytan:
"Lead to destruction those whom you can among them with your (seductive)
voice." (Surah al-Isra, V.64)
One of the great exegete, Mujahid (Allah have mercy on him) interpreted the
word "voice (sawt)" by music, singing, dancing and idle things. (Ruh al-Maani,
15/111)
Imam Suyuti (Allah have mercy on him) quoted Mujahid as saying: "Voice (in this
verse) is singing and flute." (al-Iklil fi istinbat al-tanzil, 1444)
Another exegete, Dahhak (Allah have mercy on him) also interpreted the word
"Sawt" with flutes. (Qurtubi, al-Jami` li Ahkam al-Quran, 10/288)
Here also, a general interpretation can be given, as indeed some commentators
of the Quran have done, but this, as mentioned earlier, does not contradict
the meaning given by Mujahid and Dahhak, as it is included in the more broad
and general meaning.
Guidance of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace)
The are many Ahadith of the blessed Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give
him peace) which prohibit music and the usage of musical instruments to the
extent that some scholars have gathered approximately forty Ahadith, of which
the chain of transmission of some is authentic (sahih), some sound (hasan) and
some weak (daif). We will only mention a few here:
1) Sayyiduna Abu Malik al-Ashari (Allah be pleased with him) reports that he
heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) say: "There
will appear people in my Ummah, who will hold adultery, silk, alcohol and
musical instruments to be lawful." (Sahih al-Bukhari)
2) Abu Malik al-Ashari (Allah be pleased with him) narrates a similar type of
Hadith, but a different wording. He reports that the Messenger of Allah (Allah
bless him & give him peace) said: "Soon there will be people from my Ummah who
will consume alcohol, they will change its name (by regarding it permissible.
m), on there heads will be instruments of music and singing. Allah will make
the ground swallow them up, and turn them into monkeys and swine." (Sahih Ibn
Hibban & Sunan Ibn Majah, with a sound chain of narration)
In the above two narrations, the word maazif is used. The scholars of the
Arabic language are unanimous on the fact that it refers to musical
instruments. (Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab, V.9, P.189)
The prohibition of musical instruments is clear in these two narrations. The
first Hadith (recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari) mentions that certain people from
the Ummah of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give peace) will try to
justify the permissibility of using musical instruments, along with adultery,
silk and alcohol, despite these things being unlawful (haram) in Shariah.
Moreover, by mentioning music with the likes of adultery and alcohol just shows
how severe the sin is. The one who attempts to permit music is similar to the
one who permits alcohol or adultery.
The second Hadith describes the fate of such people in that the ground will be
ordered to swallow them and they will be turned into monkeys and swine (May
Allah save us all). The warning is specific to those that will hold music,
alcohol, silk and adultery to be permissible. It is something that should be of
concern for those who try and justify any of these things.
Also, to say that music will only be unlawful if it is in combination with
alcohol, adultery and silk is incorrect. If this was the case, then why is it
that the exception is only for music from the four things? The same could also
be said for adultery, alcohol and silk. One may then even justify that alcohol
and adultery is also permissible unless if they are consumed in combination
with the other things!
Thus, the above two narrations of the beloved of Allah (Allah bless him & give
him peace) are clear proof on the impermissibility of music and songs.
3) Imran ibn Husain (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of
Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "This Ummah will experience the
swallowing up of some people by the earth, metamorphosis of some into animals,
and being rained upon with stones". A man from amongst the Muslims asked: "O
Messenger of Allah! When will this be?" He said: "When female singers and
musical instruments appear and alcohol will (commonly) be consumed." (Recorded
by Imam Tirmidhi, Imam Ibn Majah in their respective Sunan collections, and the
wording here is of Sunan Tirmidhi)
4) Sayyiduna Ali ibn Talib (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the blessed
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "When my Ummah
begin doing fifteen things, they will be inflicted with tribulations, and (from
those 15 things He said): "When female singers and musical instruments become
common." (Sunan Tirmidhi)
5) Nafi reports that once Abd Allah ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them both)
heard the sound of a Sheppards flute. He put his fingers in his ears, turned
his mule away from the road and said: "O Nafi! Can you hear? I (Nafi) replied
with the affirmative. He carried on walking (with his fingers in his ears)
until I said: "the sound has ceased" He removed his fingers from his ears, came
back on to the road and said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him &
give him peace) doing the same when he heard the flute of the Sheppard."
(Recorded by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad and Abu Dawud & Ibn Majah in their
Sunans)
6) Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "Verily Allah has
forbidden alcohol, gambling, drum and guitar, and every intoxicant is haram."
(Musnad Ahmad & Sunan Abu Dawud)
7) Abu Umama (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah
(Allah bless him & give peace) said: "Allah Mighty and Majestic sent me as a
guidance and mercy to believers and commanded me to do away with musical
instruments, flutes, strings, crucifixes, and the affairs of the pre-Islamic
period of ignorance."(Musnad Ahmad & Abu Dawud Tayalisi)
8) Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Masud (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "Song makes
hypocrisy grow in the heart as water does herbage." (Sunan al-Bayhaqi)
9) Sayyiduna Anas (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of
Allah (Allah bless him & give peace) said: "On the day of Resurrection, Allah
will pour molten lead into the ears of whoever sits listening to a songstress."
(Recorded by Ibn Asakir & Ibn al-Misri)
10) Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "Bell is the flute
of Shaytan." (Sahih Muslim & Sunan Abu Dawud)
There are many more narrations of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him &
give peace) in prohibition of musical instruments and unlawful singing. I have
merely mentioned a few here as an example.
The great Imam of the Shafii school, Imam Ibn Hajr al-Haytami gathered all
these Ahadith which approximately total to forty in his excellent work Kaff
al-Raa an Muharramat al-Lahw wa al-Sama, and then said: "All of this is
explicit and compelling textual evidence that musical instruments of all types
are unlawful." (2/270)
Statements of the Jurists (fuqaha)
The great Hanafi jurist, Imam al-Kasani states:
"If a singer gathers people around him only to entertain them with his voice,
then he will not be considered an upright person (adil), even though if he
does not consume alcohol, as he will be considered the leader of sinners. If
however, he only sings to himself in order to eradicate loneliness, then there
is nothing wrong in doing so.
As far as the one who uses musical instruments is concerned, if the instruments
themselves are not unlawful, such as the bamboo and tambourine, then there is
nothing wrong with that and he will still be considered upright. However, if
the instrument is unlawful, such as the lute and the like, then he will not be
considered an upright person (to be a witness in the court. m), as these
instruments can never be considered lawful." (BadaI al-Sanai, 6/269)
It is stated in Khulasat al-Fatawa:
"Listening to the sound of musical instruments is unlawful (haram), as the
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "Listening to songs
is a sin." (4/345)
Imam Ibn al-Humam, the great Hanafi Mujtahid makes a decisive statement in his
famous Fath al-Qadir:
"Unlawful (haram) singing is when the theme of the song consists of unlawful
things, such as the description of a particular living persons beauty and
features, the virtues of wine that provoke wine-drinking, the details and
particulars of family affairs or those songs that mock and ridicule others.
However, songs that are free from such unlawful things and they consist of
descriptions of the natural things, such as flowers and streams, etc
will be
permissible. Yes, if they are accompanied by musical instruments, then it will
be unlawful even if the song is full of advice and wisdom, not because of what
the songs consist of, rather due to the musical instruments that are played
with it. And it is stated in the al-Mugni of Ibn Qudamah (Hanbali Madhhab) that
musical instruments are of two types:
1) Unlawful, Such as those that are specially designed for entertainment and
singing, like the flute and mandolin, etc;
2) Lawful, like the playing of the tambourine (daff) at weddings and other
happy occasions." (See: Ibn Humam, Fath al-Qadir, 6/36)
The same has more or less been mentioned in the other Hanafi works also, such
as al-Ikhtiyar, al-Bahr al-Raiq, al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya and others.
Imam an-Nawawi, the great Hadith and Shafii scholar states:
"It is unlawful to use or listen to musical instruments, such as, those which
the drinkers are known for, like the mandolin, lute, cymbals, and flute. It is
permissible to play the tambourine (daff) at weddings, circumcisions and other
times, even if it has bells on its sides. Beating the Kuba, a long drum with a
narrow middle, is also unlawful." (Mugni al-Muhtaj, 4/429, & Reliance of the
traveller, 775)
There are many other statements of the Fuqaha and scholars such al-Qurtubi, and
in each of the four Madhhabs, but due to the length of the article, I will
suffice with the above.
As for those who hold music to be lawful usually present the Hadith of Sahih
al-Bukhari in which two girls were singing in the presence of the Messenger of
Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) and Sayyida Aisha (Allah be pleased
with her).
However, the permissibility of music can not be justified with this Hadith. The
Hadith expert, Hafidh Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani has refuted this claim in length in
his Fath al-Bari, 2/345).
Firstly, these young girls were singing without any unlawful musical
instruments and secondly, the content of the song was regarding war, thus
perfectly lawful. Also, they were not professional singers as the words of the
Hadith clearly indicate.
Some try to justify music with the Hadith in which the permissibility of
playing the tambourine (daff) is mentioned.
However, as stated in the works of the Fuqaha, to play the tambourine is
permissible at weddings, as it is not designed for sole entertainment and
pleasure, rather for announcement, etc
Conclusion
In the light of the above evidences from the Quran, sayings of our beloved
Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give peace) and texts of the various
Fuqaha, the following is the decisive ruling with regards to music:
Musical instruments that are solely designed for entertainment are unlawful,
with or without singing. However, to play the tambourine (daf) at weddings (and
other occasions according to some fuqaha) will be permissible.
As far as the songs are concerned, if they consist of anything that is unlawful
or they prevent one from the obligatory duties, then they will be unlawful.
However, if they are free from the abovementioned things (and they are not
accompanied by instruments), then it will be permissible to sing them.
"O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will, and
should not treat them with harshness..." (An-Nisa 4:19)
"The power of iman is such that once it fills the heart of a true believing
Mumin it is impossible to be removed." (Sahih Bukhari)
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