Verily all praise is due to Allah 'The Exalted', we praise Him and we seek His aid and we ask

His
forgiveness, we seek shelter from the evil of ourselves and from the wickedness of our deeds.
Whomsoever Allah guides, there is none can misguide him and whomsoever Allah sends astray, there is
none who can guide him. Praise be to Allaah Who has perfected our religion for us, and has completed
His Favour upon us. And blessings and peace be upon His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad, the
Prophet of repentance and mercy. And I testify that there is none of worthy of worship except Allah,
Alone without partners and I testify that Muhammad, Peace and Blessings be upon him, is His slave
and His Messenger.

Nothing in this universe Allah has created is useless. However there are somethings which can be
harmful for man. Moreover it is not necessary that these harmful things are always related to physical
health but they can also hurt spiritually and morally. Allah has forbidden for humans everything that
can make us suffer in this world and here-after and then He made it attractive and delectable so that
man can be tested in better way.

Being a Muslim it is obligatory for us to check if Islam permits to enjoy music and dance. If Islam
permits it or order it so it is clear that it is safe and good but if Islam prohibits it so no doubt it is satanic
and misguiding.

A brief analysis on music in the light of Quran and Sunnah:

Allaah says in Quran in Soorat Luqmaan (interpretation of the meaning):

“And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of
Allaah…” [Luqmaan 31:6]

The scholar of the ummah, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: this means singing.
Mujaahid (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: this means playing the drum (tabl). (Tafseer al-Tabari,
21/40).
Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: this aayah was revealed concerning singing
and musical instruments (lit. woodwind instruments). (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 3/451).
Ibn Mas’ood about the aayah (interpretation of the meaning), ‘“And of mankind is he who purchases
idle talks’ [Luqmaan 31:6]” said, “By Allaah, besides Whom there is no other god, this means singing”.
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that this means singing. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan,
1/258-259)

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among my ummah there
will certainly be people who permit zinaa (fornication), silk, alcohol and musical instruments…”
(Bukhari: 5590; Silsila al-Saheeha: 91)

This hadeeth indicates in two ways that musical instruments and enjoyment of listening to music are
haraam. The first is the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “[they]
permit” which clearly indicates that the things mentioned, including musical instruments, are haraam
according to sharee’ah, but those people will permit them. The second is the fact that musical
instruments are mentioned alongside things which are definitely known to be haraam, i.e., zinaa and
alcohol.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said, “ My Lord has prohibited alcohol, gambling and playing drum for me and
every intoxicant also.” (Abu-Dawd: 3792; Bayhiqi; Musnad Ahmad; Silsilah al-Saheeha: 1807)

Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet Muhammd (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said, “Two voices are cursed: first is the voice of bugle at a celebration and the
other is the cry and scream at times of problem, worry and difficulty.” (Musnad al-Bazaar: 793; Silsila
al-Saheeha: 467)

Imran bin Hussayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet Muhammd (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “My ummah will experience rain of stones, distortion of faces
and submerging in Earth.” the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was then asked,
“When will this happen?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, “When music,
women singers and drinking of alcohol will be a common sight”. (Tirmizi: 2212)

Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet Muhammd (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) once said, “A group amongst my ummah will be transformed to monkeys and
pigs. They would be punished like this because they would have permitted drinking alcohol, ribaa
(usuary), keeping female singers and musicians, wearing silk and breaking relationships”. (Mustadrak
Hakim: vol 4, page 515; Silsilah al-Saheeha: 1604)

Anas bin malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet Muhammd (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said, “When people of my ummah will make halaal for them six things, the will
be destroyed. Those things are: slandering and cursing each other, drinking alcohol, wearing silk,
abundance of women singers and homosexuality”. ('Al-Muajam al-Awsat' Tabrani: vol 1, page 59,
hadees: 1060)

It was reported from Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not sell singing slave women, do not buy them
and do not teach them. There is nothing good in this trade, and their price is haraam. Concerning such
things as this the aayah was revealed (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And of mankind is he who
purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of Allaah…’ [Luqmaan 31:6].”
Then Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “By the One who sent me
with truth; Allah unleash two devils to sit on the shoulders of the person who takes out his musical
instrument to play. Those devils keep on kicking his chest till he stops playing”. ('Al-Mu'ajam al-
Kabeer” Tabrani: Vol 8, hadees: 7749, 7805, 7825; Silsilah al-Saheeha: 2922)

Views of the scholars of Islam:

Al-Qaasim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Singing is part of falsehood. Al-Hasan (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: if there is music involved in a dinner invitation (waleemah), do not accept the
invitation (al-Jaami by al-Qayrawaani, p. 262-263).

Al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The four madhhabs are agreed that all musical
instruments are haraam. (al-Saheehah, 1/145).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, explaining the view of Imaam al-Shaafa'i: His
companions who know his madhhab (point of view) stated that it is haraam and denounced those who
said that he permitted it. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/425).

Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It is not permissible to make musical instruments.
(al-Majmoo’, 22/140). And he said: According to the majority of fuqahaa’, it is permissible to destroy
musical instruments. (al-Majmoo’, 28/113)

Ibn Abi Shaybah (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported that a man broke a mandolin belonging to
another man, and the latter took his case to Shurayh. But Shurayh did not award him any compensation
– i.e., he did not make the first man pay the cost of the mandolin, because it was haraam and had no
value. (al-Musannaf, 5/395).

An appropriate exception
The exception to the above is the daff – without any rings (i.e., a hand-drum which looks like a
tambourine, but without any rattles) – when used by women on Eids and at weddings and other joyful
occasions. But the men at his time did not play the daff or clap with their hands. It was narrated in al-
Saheeh that he said: “Clapping is for women and tasbeeh (saying Subhaan Allaah) is for men.” And he
cursed women who imitate men and men who imitate women.
As mentiond in ahadith:
Narated By 'Aisha : Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to my house
while two girls were singing beside me the songs of Buath (a story about the war between the two
tribes of the Ansar, the Khazraj and the Aus, before Islam). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) 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 (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) ?" Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned his face towards him and
said, "Leave them." When Abu Bakr became inattentive, I signalled to those girls to go out and they
left. It was the day of 'Id, and the Black people were playing with shields and spears; so either I
requested the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) or he asked me whether I would like
to see the display. I replied in the affirmative. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) made me stand behind him and my cheek was touching his cheek and he was saying, "Carry on!
O Bani Arfida," till I got tired. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked me, "Are
you satisfied (Is that sufficient for you)?" I replied in the affirmative and he told me to leave. (Bukhari,
Vol 2, Book:15: The two festivals of Eid, Hadith Number 70)

Narated By 'Aisha : Abu Bakr came to my house while two small Ansari girls were singing beside me
the stories of the Ansar concerning the Day of Buath. And they were not singers. Abu Bakr said
protestingly, "Musical instruments of Satan in the house of Allah's Apostle !" It happened on the 'Id day
and Allah's Apostle said, "O Abu Bakr! There is an 'Id for every nation and this is our 'Id." (Bukhari,
Vol 2, Book:15: The two festivals of Eid, Hadith Number 72)

Hence Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq called it “the musical instruments of the Shaytaan”. And the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of this appellation and did not deny it when he
said, “Leave them alone, for every nation has its Eid and this is our Eid.” This indicates that the reason
why this was permitted was because it was the time of Eid, and the prohibition remained in effect at
times other than Eid, apart from the exceptions made for weddings in other ahaadeeth. Shaykh al-
Albaani explained this in his valuable book Tahreem Aalaat al-Tarab (the Prohibition of Musical
Instruments). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of young girls singing
at Eid, as stated in the hadeeth: “So that the mushrikeen will know that in our religion there is room for
relaxation.”

Musical instruments hav been declared by the Salaf and Khalaf as haraam and also the enjoyment from
its playing and there are no two views on this matter amongst the righteous. As for singing and
humming poetic verses in which there is praise of Allah or commending some good characteristics and
other good meanings without music is permissible. But it should be free of any message that is against
sharee'ah - i.e. shirk, bidah, romance, imitation of kuffar etc.

And Allah knows the best. May Allah bless and grant peace to His Messenger who made clear the path
of believers and to his companions and those who follow them in truth until the Day of Judgement.

Mohamamd Hasan Ashraf.