MUSIC
THE ISLAMIC VIEW

Dr. Shariffa Carlo   

Recently, someone asked me to write on the subject of music. I agreed, a bit hesitantly, for several reasons. The first reason was that I know that of all the vices I had to give up when I became Muslim, music was the hardest, even harder than giving up a nasty cigarette habit, if you can believe that. Second, the subject is a bit disputed by those who make it Hallal to sing the praise of Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) and of Hadhrat Mohammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) and think it as form of worship. May Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) keep us and the whole Ummah from innovations in Deen. Aameen! So they had to say that that music is Halaal. Last, but not least was the fact that it is not an easy one to logically explain, and so many people, unfortunately, expect only humanly logical explanations for all the do’s and don’ts of Islam, too. We have come to expect it as a given that we will be able to explain everything. The reality is that there are many things that we may never understand, but here I will make my best attempt to explain it in as logical a fashion as possible.

In researching music, references to it in the Quraan and in the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), its non-permissibility is obvious. We shall start with the verses:

“Do ye then wonder at this recital? And will you laugh and not weep? While ye amuse yourselves in vanities? Rather prostrate yourselves before Allah and serve Him. (53:59-62)

Here, Allah, the Blessed and the Exalted, addresses the dis-believers from the Quraish. The part of the verse Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) uses is “wa antum saamidoon” (while you amuse yourselves in vanities). The term Saamidoon has various possible meanings including “singing noisliy and amusing themselves with music and idle play”

The second Quraanic proof is in the verse:

And beguile whomsoever of them you can with your voice, and collect against them your forces riding and on foot, and share with them in wealth and children, and hold out promises to them; and the Shaitaan makes not promises to them but to deceive: (17:64).

Some of the Taabi’een (the students of Sahaabah) like Mujahid and Ad-Dahaak interpreted it to be the voice of Shaitaan through music, song and amusement. Others like Ibne Abbas says the voice refers to any invitation to disobeidience of Allah that of course includes the music by nature. At-Tabari says, “The most correct of these views expresses that verily, Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) said to Iblees, ‘And beguile whomsoever of them you can with your voice’ and He did not specify any particular type of voice. Thus every voice which is not an invitation to Allah’s worship and to His obedience, including music, is included in the meaning of Shaitaan’s voice which is referred to in the Quraanic verse.

So, now we look to the third verse which is commonly used to show that music is haram. This verse is the most clear and the most often quoted on in this issue. Allah says:

“But there are, among men, those who purchase idle tales, without knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path): for such there will be a Humiliating Penalty. (31:6)

Ibne Jareer At-Tabari, in his Jaami’ul Bayaan, while mentioning meaning of the term, “lahwal hadeeth” (idle talk) included in it:

(a) singing and listening to songs
(b) the purchasing of male or female singers and
(c) the purchase of instruments of amusement, namely the drum.

This clearly refers to the blameworthy usage of instruments of idle amusement, in short, music and song. This view was held by a number of Sahaabah as well, such as Hadhrat Ibne Mas’ood, Hadhrat Jaabir and Hadhrat Ibne Abbas.

Since a word is, sometimes, interpreted with various meanings in the Arabic language, the matter can be decisive if we go back to the other source of Islamic Shari’ah i.e. the Hadeeth.

Narrated Hadhrat Abu ‘Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari that he heard the Prophet saying, “From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful... Saheeh al Bukhari Vol:7, Book 69, No:494v)

Now, I have looked to this Hadeeth many times. It strikes me that the Hadeeth is written in the negative. It does not directly say that these items are Haram, nor does it command us to avoid these acts, but when we look to the structure and the contents, this becomes glaringly clear. First: Why would our beloved Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) care that people declare Halaal to be Halaal. That is illogical. Therefore, it must mean that all the objects in this statement are Haraam, and understood to be so. Second, we know from many other Hadeeths that the other items are Haraam. Few people will deny that silk (for men), intoxicants and illegal sexual intercourse are forbidden in Islam. And about these items I offer a blurb of proof: the following evidences:

About intoxicants, Allah says: “O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination, of Satan’s handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper. (5:90)

About fornication and adultery, Allah says: “And come not near unto adultery. Lo! it is an abomination and an evil way.” (17:32)

About silk, narrated Hadhrat Abdullah bin Umar: Umar bin Al-Khattab saw a silken dress (cloak) being sold at the gate of the Masjid and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Would that you buy it and wear it on Fridays and when the delegates come to you!” Allah’s Apostle said, “This is worn by the one who will have no share in the Hereafter.” Later on some silk dresses were brought and Allah’s Apostle sent one of them to Umar. Umar said, “How do you give me this to wear while you said what you said about the dress of "Utaarid" (name of the person selling clothes at the gate of masjid)?"Allah’s Apostle said, “I have not given it to you to wear." So, Umar gave it to a his brother in Makkah who was still non-Muslim. (Saheeh al-Bukhari: Vol:3, Book:47, No:782)

Yet, regardless of the evidences, we find that two of these four are being currently declared as lawful by so-called modern Muslim intellectuals, silk and music. Silk is said by some to be ok in the form of a tie — Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) Knows Best why some people have begun making this distinction. But, that is another topic on its own. Amazingly — is this not what the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) warned us about?

Now, when we look at these four items, another element appears. They are not just Haraam, but considered “abominations”, “of those who will have no share in the Aakhirah”, and Shaitaan’s handiwork”. These are mighty strong words that Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) and His Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) are using. Therefore, we can conclude that these sins are not minor sins. If this is so, what can we conclude about the grouping of the four together? It is a possibility — at the very least — that enjoying music is also not a minor sin.

Another Hadeeth which supports this is, “Hadhrat Anas bin Maalik related from the Prophet (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) that “two cursed sounds are that of the mizmaar (winded instrument of Shaitaan — can also be understood to be a specific term for the general category — musical instruments — This can be understood by Umar’s usage of the term even though he was speaking of the “Duff” in a Hadeeth that will come later.) played on the occasion of joy and happiness and woeful wailing upon the occurrence of adversity.” 

Now, we can add the term cursed to the list of descriptions of the severity of the sins in this list, and this one has been directly attributed to music for those who doubt its seriousness.

After exploring the Verses and the Ahaadeeth as a simple student of the Deen, I must now turn to those great scholars who have preserved and explained the Deen to us. I will give a brief summary of the opinions of the Sahaabah (who learnt Islam directly from Prophet, SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam), the Taabi’een (who learnt Islam directly from Sahaabah) and the four schools of thought which I recommend to anyone who wants to seriously study the subject.

“……….The companions unanimously agreed upon the prohibition of music and song but allowed particular exceptions specified by the authentic Sunnah. Many authentic narrations (Aathaar) traced to the various Sahaabah bear witness to this. Also, the four Khalifahs (Califs), the Fuqahaa (Jurisprudents) among the Sahaabah such as Hadhrat Ibne Abbas, Hadhrat Ibne Umar, and Hadhrat Jaabir bin Abdullah as well as the general body of Sahaabah”. (Tafseer Al Qurtubi, Vol:14, pp51-52, and Tafseer Roohul Ma’aani by Al-Aaloosi, Vol. 21, pp. 66-68)

Imam Abu Haneefah is the toughest of the four in his understanding. He forbids “listening to all musical instruments, all types of tamborines, hand drums (duff), and even the striking of sticks.”

As for Imam Maalik, it is generally understood that he found it to be Haraam, but some forms of innocent singing (of children without instruments) were allowed by him.

As for Imam Shaafi’ee, while in one of his books he is reported to have said it was Makrooh (Undesirable), this has been carefully and conclusively disputed by many of his students. One student, Ibne Hajaar Al Haythami related that Shaafi’ee student, Al Haarith Al Muhaasibi (d.243H) said, “Song is Haraam, just as the Maytah (carcass) is.”

Next, we have Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal. He forbids all but those which have been mentioned as exceptions in the Sunnah.

Since, I have made references to the exceptions that do exist, I will now try to explain them. The exception that is made is singing and playing the duff. The duff is a round hand drum which resembles a tambourine without the metal attachments. We know that at least on special occasions, like weddings and Eid, duff in its very primitive and crude was allowed for children. Because we never found any adult Sahaabi involved in such thing. This is the exception made to the rule. 

It is not carte blanche to say that music we have today is ok for man and woman simply because this exception was made. Nothing else than duff and the song by children have ever been known to have been allowed, so we have no freedom to generalize.

Now, as to the reason why music is generally forbidden, I can not offer much in the way of logic. I must start with the fact that Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) is the Most Wise, and while we may not be able to understand all that is encompassed in that Wisdom, we are not exempt from obeying Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) and His Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) because something is not understood by our limited minds.

Having said this, Anyone can observe that there are effects upon ourselves when we listen to music. I can quote few excerpts from a research paper “Music and the Emotions” presented by John Sloboda in British Association Festival of Science 1996, on 11th September 1996 under the head “The Psychology of Music”.

“Music has a great emotional significance in many people’s lives. Some examples are given of the types of claims that people make about the importance of music to them. In extreme cases, people can claim that their relationship to music is far more important to them than their relationship to any other human being.”

“Music can intensify and change emotional states…. Much response to music is unobservable, and quite difficult to describe. But one group of responses is quite common, and has behavioural outcomes. This group includes crying, and skin sensations (hair standing on end, shivers down the spine). 90% of people experience such reactions, usually in combination with the experience of strong emotion.”

“A set of common musical devices (found in all tonal music from 15 to 20th Century) seem to trigger these responses. They include appogiaturas, sequences, and certain harmonic changes. They appear to work by playing on subconscious expectations. Strong emotions in or out of music are triggered by confirm-ations or violations of expectancy .………women experience stronger reactions to music than men…….”

Just logically — anyone who has listened to music knows that it affects him or her. Even a child is naturally moved to sway at hearing musical tones. Music has a kind of control over minds.

Last but not least, we have to recognize that Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa), at times gives us commands which we are simply to obey. They may never be explained. He told us as much in the verse: “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or the West (in Salaah), but righteousness is the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets, and gives of his wealth, in spite of his love for it, to his kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to al Masakeen (the poor), and to the way-farer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs his Salaah and gives Zakaah and who fulfill their covenant when they make it, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment at such time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of Truth and the Muttaqun (pious).” (2: 177)

This Verse refers to the change of the Qiblah. There is no logical reason for the change. Allah so much as tells us that it is not the direction that counts. What counts is that we hear Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa)’s command and we obey. Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) will test us many times in our life to see if we will obey, without explanation, but simply because He and / or His Prophet commanded us to do a thing. It is the duty of the Muslim to live by the words we say when we go to Hajj – “Labbaik”. What is “Labbaik” — it is a statement which says, “Here I am — command me and I will obey”. So, we have received the command — Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa) and His Messenger (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) forbid musical instruments. Now the choice is ours — will we be saying “Labbaik Allahuhamma Labaik” or “Labaik “Nafsi (self) Labaik”? (A little adapted version is reproduced in view of making it more clear and understandable without creating confusions.)

Back