Is Music Forbidden In Islam?
I am fond of music and I often play few musical instruments due to which some people argue with me over the controversial issue of music being prohibited in Islam. I had spent a week construing some hadiths regarding music as we nowhere find in Quran that music and singing are forbidden or prohibited. Music is in every corner of our universe, the birds, the animals, the trees, the oceans, the wind and the clouds are all created with their own music. So it’s naive to think that the One God who created all this music prohibited it and neither have we found any verse in Quran that prohibits music. One thing we all Muslims should understand is that prohibition laws only come from Allah, whenever our beloved Prophet (SAW) gave any prohibitions it was from the Quran only and was not from his own.
Music is a beautiful art, a mixer of the sound of different instruments and beautiful God gifted voices. Now here I would like to add a verse from Quran
“Say, “Who prohibited the nice things God has created for His creatures, and the good provisions?” Say,” Such provisions are to be enjoyed in THIS life by those who BELIEVE. Moreover, the good provisions will be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection.” We thus explain the revelations for people who know.” 7:32 (QURAN)
Isn’t music a nice thing? Music and singing were never prohibited by God. They are part of the most beautiful creations of God. As long as they do not misguide people to commit sins and take them apart from the religion, so there are types of music that should be listened to or not but music as a whole art is not prohibited in Islam so now we come up with a point that what kind of music is prohibited? According to different hadiths regarding music the prophet (SAW) ended up with the problem of adultery, by that he meant dancing of girls, music and liquor which are sins according to Islam and was a popular tradition of Arabs. So from here, we conclude that type music containing sensual, pagan, or unethical themes or subliminal messages as being categorically forbidden and was never preferred by Holy Prophet SAW. According to “sahih bukhari”
Aisha narrated
Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) came to my house while two girls were singing beside me the songs of Bath (a story about the war between the two tribes of the Ansar, the Khazraj and the Aus, before Islam). The Prophet (p.b.u.h) lay down and turned his face to the other side.Then Abu Bakr came and spoke to me harshly saying, “Musical instruments of Satan near the Prophet (p.b.u.h) ? ” Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) turned his face towards him and said, “Leave them.” When Abu Bakr became inattentive, I signaled to those girls to go out and they left.( Volume 2, Book 15, Number 70)
Now again I would like to add something from “sahih Bukhari”
Narrates Rabi‘, daughter of Mu‘wwadh: On the occasion of my transfer to my husband’s home after marriage, the Holy Prophet (sws) came to visit us and sat down on my bed just as you [the next narrator] are sitting before me now. Some slave girls were beating the daff and singing in lamentation of their forefathers who had been killed during the battle of Badr. Then one of the girls sang: ‘Among us is the Prophet (sws) who knows even what will happen in coming days. At this, the Holy Prophet (sws) said: ‘Do not say this but go on singing. 13 (Bukhari, No: 3779)
So we can notice that
- The Holy Prophet (SAW) attended a marriage ceremony where some slave girls were singing.
- Singing was not stopped on his arrival.
- The singers were using the Daff while singing.
- · He however ordered them to continue with what they were singing before.
So by the above examples, we can say music as a whole art is not prohibited by any means in Islam.
And those Islamic scholars who say that it takes us away from the religion or its part of law and law that Allah has forbidden as we go deep in music and get amused by it. Then I have one Question for those Scholars that isn’t watching television forbidden? If you amuse yourself by watching a cricket match while forgetting to offer your Prayers on time then you are committing a sin but this doesn’t make cricket haram or does it?
Originally Published in PAKISTAN TODAY
