MUSIC, SINGING & DANCING -THE PROBLEM OF THE
NIGERIAN MUSLIM
ASSEMBLED
BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA
https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana
TUESDAY 20TH
MUHARRAM 1439 AH – 10TH OCTOBER 2017 CE
Praise be to Allaah;
we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of
our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be
led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and
I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam) is His slave and Messenger.
PREMABLE
MUSIC, SINGING
& DANCING -THE PROBLEM OF THE NIGERIAN MUSLIM
In Nigerian culture from south west
to northern Nigeria, where people are predominately Muslims; we have variety of
culture influence over religion of Islam. Some say; is music haram or makrooh?
The most disgusting part is that some scholars popularly called Mallams and
imams or aladura fall in this category. So this article briefly gives whether
music falls under the category of haram or makrooh and few evidences or proofs
deduced from the Quran and hadiths.
The feeling among non-Africans is
that no matter how committed an average African is to religion (Islam or
Christianity), he is still loyal to his culture and tradition sometimes at the
expense of their faith.
It can be said without hesitation
that Islam is not against any culture, custom or tradition as long as NO
ELEMENT OF THE CULTURE CONTRADICTS THE TEACHING OF ISLAM.
Festivals and dancing also pre-date
Islam. There were various festivals among Arabs which they had long observed
before Islam, most of which were connected to their religious beliefs. For
example, when the Prophet (Sallalahu Alaihi Wa salaam) came to Medina he found
that the people of Medina had two days that they regarded as festival days. He
told Muslims that Allah had replaced these two festivals with ‘Idul-Adha and ‘Idul-al-Fir.’
These festivals have eliminated all excess, waste and other ungodly
practices such as nude dancing that characterized them before the advent of
Islam. Similarly, it has been a human tradition to mark the arrival of a new
baby, a marriage, etc., with feasting and dancing.
Islam does not object to them; for
feast of both naming and marriage, provided that any un-Islamic element is not
introduced. Islam regards them as signs of gratitude to Allah.
As for dancing, there is controversy,
as some Nigerian scholars frown on it. However, the majority opinion is that it
is allowed, provided that men and women are not dancing together or are not in
the same hall. In fact, some Muslim religious groups have adopted dancing as
part of their mode of worship. Islam forbids nude dancing, even if the person
is with other of their own sex. Today, however, an exception must be made
because of the way music and dancing have been commercialized. No Muslim
scholar who accepts dancing will condone how it has been seriously corrupted.
We have practical examples of Wedding Walimah conducted in Hotels in large
crowds where scholars preside with Adua and see dancers taking over the
scene.
The influence of
culture and tradition on the day-to-day practice of Islam in Nigeria
Experience has shown that day-to-day
practice of Islam comes under influence of local practices in the areas of
belief, known as tawhid, festivals, marriage and matrimonial
administration, naming ceremony, bereavement, greetings and similar customs. So
it is not surprising that major reforms of all religions particularly Islam
concentrates on these areas.
The influence of old customs and
traditions has made it difficult, however, for many
Muslims in Nigeria to observe in the
totality of these teachings. Among the Yoruba speaking Muslims, for example, it
is common to see Muslim swearing in the name of their ancestors while Hausas
swearing in the Quran in the market place. Another Nigerian tribe also swears
in the name of the Prophet (Sallalahu Alaihi Wa salaam).
Similarly, Yoruba Muslims prefers to
plead with you in the name of their mother, father or great ancestors.
The old belief in the unquestionable
power of witchcraft and black magic was not seriously influenced by the arrival
of Islam among the Eggon, Nupe and Yorubas, because these communities believe
that nothing negative occurs without the use of witchcraft, black magic or
juju. As a result, everything ranging from minor sickness, accident of any
kind, fire disaster and any other problem that is due to the carelessness of
the victim are blamed on evil forces, particularly witchcraft. The implication
of
this belief is that a large number of
Muslims, who are supposed to live freely, have been taken hostage by various
kinds of soothsayers. Many of them cannot embark on a journey of twenty
kilometers without consulting a soothsayer. The Boko Haram insurgency in Borno
State originally resorted to killing of more soothsayers and Mallams to stop
them from foretelling their camp or area of concentration to the authorities.
The poor among the people have
compounded their financial difficulties by giving a better part of their income
to jujumen in search of security. Many ventures that would have made
their fortunes better are often condemned by soothsayers on the ground that it
is against the luck of the person or because his ancestors may not be pleased
with it. Surprisingly, most of the jujumen or mallams who engage in the
act of soothsaying and other kinds of spiritual healing are not only Muslims
but learned scholars who know the Islamic position on such things.
MUSIC, SINGING AND DANCING
Ma’aazif is the plural of mi’zafah, and refers to
musical instruments (Fath al-Baari, 10/55), instruments which are played
(al-Majmoo’, 11/577). Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated
from al-Jawhari (may Allaah have mercy on him) that ma’aazif means
singing. In his Sihaah it says that it means musical instruments.
It was also said that it refers to the sound of the instruments. In al-Hawaashi
by al-Dimyaati (may Allaah have mercy on him) it says: ma’aazif means
drums (dufoof, sing. daff) and other instruments which are struck
or beaten (Fath al-Baari, 10/55).
EVIDENCE OF PROHIBITION IN THE QUR’AAN AND SUNNAH:
Allaah says 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…” [Holy Quran Chapter 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).
Al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: this includes all
manner of haraam speech, all idle talk and falsehood, and all nonsense that
encourages kufr and disobedience; the words of those who say things to refute
the truth and argue in support of falsehood to defeat the truth; and
backbiting, slander, lies, insults and curses; the singing and musical
instruments of the Shaytaan; and musical instruments which are of no spiritual
or worldly benefit. (Tafseer al-Sa’di, 6/150)
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The
interpretation of the Sahaabah and Taabi’in, that ‘idle talk’ refers to
singing, is sufficient. This was reported with saheeh isnaads from Ibn ‘Abbaas
and Ibn Mas’ood. Abu’l-Sahbaa’ said: I asked Ibn Mas’ood about the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning), ‘“And of mankind is he who purchases idle
talks’ [holy Quran Chapter Luqmaan 31:6]. He said: By Allaah, besides Whom
there is no other god, this means singing – and he repeated it three times. It
was also reported with a saheeh isnaad from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with them both) that this means singing. There is no contradiction between the
interpretation of “idle talk” as meaning singing and the interpretation of it
as meaning stories of the Persians and their kings, and the kings of the
Romans, and so on, such as al-Nadr ibn al-Haarith used to tell to the people of
Makkah to distract them from the Qur’aan. Both of them are idle talk. Hence Ibn
‘Abbaas said: “Idle talk” is falsehood and singing. Some of the Sahaabah said
one and some said the other, and some said both. Singing is worse and more
harmful than stories of kings, because it leads to zinaa and makes hypocrisy
grow (in the heart); it is the trap of the Shaytaan, and it clouds the mind.
The way in which it blocks people from the Qur’aan is worse than the way in
which other kinds of false talk block them, because people are naturally
inclined towards it and tend to want to listen to it. The aayaat condemn
replacing the Qur’aan with idle talk in order to mislead (men) from the path of
Allaah without knowledge and taking it as a joke, because when an aayah of the
Qur’aan is recited to such a person, he turns his back as if he heard them not,
as if there were deafness in his ear. If he hears anything of it, he makes fun
of it. All of this happens only in the case of the people who are most
stubbornly kaafirs and if some of it happens to singers and those who listen to
them, they both have a share of this blame. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan,
1/258-259).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “[Allaah said
to Iblees:] And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your
voice (i.e. songs, music, and any other call for Allaah’s disobedience)…” [holy
Quran Chapter al-Israa’ 17:64].
It was narrated that Mujaahid (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice”
– his voice [the voice of Iblees/Shaytaan] is singing and falsehood. Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This idaafah [possessive
or genitive construction, i.e., your voice] serves to make the meaning
specific, as with the phrases [translated as] “your cavalry” and “your
infantry” [later in the same aayah]. Everyone who speaks in any way that is not
obedient to Allaah, everyone who blows into a flute or other woodwind
instrument, or who plays any haraam kind of drum, this is the voice of the
Shaytaan. Everyone who walks to commit some act of disobedience towards Allaah
is part of his [the Shaytaan’s] infantry, and anyone who rides to commit sin is
part of his cavalry. This is the view of the Salaf, as Ibn ‘Abi Haatim narrated
from Ibn ‘Abbaas: his infantry is everyone who walks to disobey Allaah. (Ighaathat
al-Lahfaan).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Do you then
wonder at this recitation (the Qur’aan)? And you laugh at it and weep not,
Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)” [holy
Quran Chapter al-Najm 53:59-61]
‘Ikrimah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: it was narrated
from Ibn ‘Abbaas that al-sumood [verbal noun from saamidoon,
translated here as “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements
(singing)”] means “singing”, in the dialect of Himyar; it might be said “Ismidi
lanaa” [‘sing for us’ – from the same root as saamidoon/sumood]
meaning “ghaniy” [sing]. And he said (may Allaah have mercy on him):
When they [the kuffaar] heard the Qur’aan, they would sing, then this aayah was
revealed.
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning) “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime
and amusements (singing)” – Sufyaan al-Thawri said, narrating from his
father from Ibn ‘Abbaas: (this means) singing. This is Yemeni (dialect): ismad
lana means ghan lana [sing to us]. This was also the view of
‘Ikrimah. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).
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…’ [holy Quran Chapter Luqmaan 31:6].” (Hasan
hadeeth)
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said:
“Among my ummah there will certainly be people who permit zinaa,
silk, alcohol and musical instruments…” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari ta’leeqan,
no. 5590; narrated as mawsool by al-Tabaraani and al-Bayhaqi. See al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 91).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This is a saheeh
hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh, where he quoted it as
evidence and stated that it is mu’allaq and majzoom. He said:
Chapter on what was narrated concerning those who permit alcohol and call it by
another name.
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: if they (musical
instruments) were not haraam, why would they be mentioned alongside these
things? (adapted from al-Silsilah al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 1/140-141)
Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This
hadeeth indicates that ma’aazif are haraam, and ma’aazif means
musical instruments according to the scholars of (Arabic) language. This word
includes all such instruments. (al-Majmoo’, 11/535).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: And concerning the
same topic similar comments were narrated from Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi,
‘Imraan ibn Husayn, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas, Abu
Hurayrah, Abu Umaamah al-Baahili, ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib,
Anas ibn Maalik, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Saabit and al-Ghaazi ibn Rabee’ah. Then he
mentioned it in Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, and it indicates that they
(musical instruments) are haraam.
It was narrated that Naafi’ (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Ibn ‘Umar
heard a woodwind instrument, and he put his fingers in his ears and kept away
from that path. He said to me, O Naafi’, can you hear anything? I said, No. So
he took his fingers away from his ears and said: I was with the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he heard something like this, and he
did the same thing. (Saheeh Abi Dawood). Some insignificant person said
that this hadeeth does not prove that musical instruments are haraam, because
if that were so, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) would have instructed Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) to
put his fingers in his ears as well, and Ibn ‘Umar would have instructed Naafi’
to do likewise! The response to this is: He was not listening to it, but he
could hear it. There is a difference between listening and hearing. Shaykh
al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Concerning (music)
which a person does not intend to listen to, there is no prohibition or blame,
according to scholarly consensus. Hence blame or praise is connected to
listening, not to hearing. The one who listens to the Qur’aan will be rewarded
for it, whereas the one who hears it without intending or wanting to will not
be rewarded for that, because actions are judged by intentions. The same
applies to musical instruments which are forbidden: if a person hears them
without intending to, that does not matter. (al-Majmoo’, 10/78).
Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: the listener
is the one who intends to hear, which was not the case with Ibn ‘Umar (may
Allaah be pleased with them both); what happened in his case was hearing. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) needed to know when the
sound stopped because he had moved away from that path and blocked his ears. So
he did not want to go back to that path or unblock his ears until the noise had
stopped, so when he allowed Ibn ‘Umar to continue hearing it, this was because
of necessity. (al-Mughni, 10/173)
(Even though the hearing referred to in the comments of the two
imaams is makrooh, it was permitted because of necessity, as we will see below
in the comments of Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him). And Allaah
knows best).
The views of the scholars (imaams) 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).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The view of the four Imaams is that all kinds of musical instruments are
haraam. It was reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and elsewhere that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that there would be
among his ummah those who would allow zinaa, silk, alcohol and musical
instruments, and he said that they would be transformed into monkeys and pigs…
None of the followers of the imaams mentioned any dispute concerning the matter
of music. (al-Majmoo’, 11/576).
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: The madhhab of Abu Haneefah
is the strictest in this regard, and his comments are among the harshest. His
companions clearly stated that it is haraam to listen to all musical
instruments such as the flute and the drum, even tapping a stick. They stated
that it is a sin which implies that a person is a faasiq (rebellious
evil doer) whose testimony should be rejected. They went further than that and
said that listening to music is fisq (rebellion, evildoing) and enjoying
it is kufr (disbelief). This is their words. They narrated in support of
that a hadeeth which could not be attributed to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). They said: he should try not to hear it if he
passes by it or it is in his vicinity. Abu Yoosuf said, concerning a house from
which could be heard the sound of musical instruments: Go in without their
permission, because forbidding evil actions is obligatory, and if it were not
allowed to enter without permission, people could not have fulfilled the
obligatory duty (of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil). (Ighaathat
al-Lahfaan, 1/425).
Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about playing
the drum or flute, if a person happens to hear the sound and enjoy it whilst he
is walking or sitting. He said: He should get up if he finds that he enjoys it,
unless he is sitting down for a need or is unable to get up. If he is on the
road, he should either go back or move on. (al-Jaami’ by al-Qayrawaani,
262). He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The only people who do things
like that, in our view, are faasiqs.” (Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 14/55).
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Among the
types of earnings which are haraam by scholarly consensus are ribaa, the fee of
a prostitute, anything forbidden, bribes, payment for wailing over the dead and
singing, payments to fortune-tellers and those who claim to know the unseen and
astrologers, payments for playing flutes, and all kinds of gambling. (al-Kaafi).
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).
The author of Kifaayat al-Akhbaar, who was one of the
Shaafa’is, counted musical instruments such as flutes and others, as being munkar
(evil), and the one who is present (where they are being played) should
denounce them. (He cannot be excused by the fact that there are bad scholars,
because they are corrupting the sharee’ah, or evil faqeers – meaning the
Sufis, because they call themselves fuqaraa’ or faqeers – because
they are ignorant and follow anyone who makes noise; they are not guided by the
light of knowledge; rather they are blown about by every wind. (Kifaayat
al-Akhbaar, 2/128).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: With regard to
the view of Imaam Ahmad, his son ‘Abd-Allaah said: I asked my father about
singing. He said: Singing makes hypocrisy grow in the heart; I do not like it.
Then he mentioned the words of Maalik: the evildoers (faasiqs) among us do
that. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan).
Ibn Qudaamah, the researcher of the Hanbali madhhab – (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: Musical instruments are of three types which are
haraam. These are the strings and all kinds of flute, and the lute, drum and
rabaab (stringed instrument) and so on. Whoever persists in listening to them,
his testimony should be rejected. (al-Mughni, 10/173). And he said (may
Allaah have mercy on him); If a person is invited to a gathering in which there
is something objectionable, such as wine and musical instruments, and he is
able to denounce it, then he should attend and speak out against it, because
then he will be combining two obligatory duties. If he is not able to do that,
then he should not attend. (al-Kaafi, 3/118)
Al-Tabari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The scholars of all
regions are agreed that singing is makrooh and should be prevented. Although
Ibraaheem ibn Sa’d and ‘Ubayd-Allaah al-‘Anbari differed from the majority, (it
should be noted that) the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “Adhere to the majority.” And whoever dies differing from the
majority, dies as a jaahili. (Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 14/56). In earlier
generations, the word “makrooh” was used to mean haraam, then it took on the
meaning of “disliked”. But this is to be understood as meaning that it is
forbidden, because he [al-Tabari] said “it should be prevented”, and nothing is
to be prevented except that which is haraam; and because in the two hadeeths
quoted, music is denounced in the strongest terms. Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have
mercy on him) is the one who narrated this report, then he said: Abu’l-Faraj
and al-Qaffaal among our companions said: the testimony of the singer and the
dancer is not to be accepted. I say: if it is proven that this matter is not
permissible, then accepting payment for it is not permissible either.
Shaykh al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said: What Ibraaheem
ibn Sa’d and ‘Ubayd-Allaah al-‘Anbari said about singing is not like the kind
of singing that is known nowadays, for they would never have allowed this kind
of singing which is the utmost in immorality and obscenity. (al-I’laam)
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, such as the tanboor [a stringed instrument similar to a
mandolin]. This is the view of Maalik and is the more famous of the two views
narrated from Ahmad. (al-Majmoo’, 28/113). And he said: …Ibn al-Mundhir
mentioned that the scholars were agreed that it is not permissible to pay
people to sing and wail… the consensus of all the scholars whose views we have
learned about is that wailing and singing are not allowed. Al-Shu’bi,
al-Nakha’i and Maalik regarded that as makrooh [i.e., haraam]. Abu Thawr,
al-Nu’maan – Abu Haneefah (may Allaah have mercy on him) – and Ya’qoob and
Muhammad, two of the students of Abu Haneefah said: it is not permissible to
pay anything for singing and wailing. This is our view. And he said: musical
instruments are the wine of the soul, and what it does to the soul is worse
than what intoxicating drinks do. (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 10/417).
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).
Al-Baghawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated in a fatwa that it
is haraam to sell all kinds of musical instruments such as mandolins, flutes,
etc. Then he said: If the images are erased and the musical instruments are
altered, then it is permissible to sell their parts, whether they are silver,
iron, wood or whatever. (Sharh al-Sunnah, 8/28)
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. This is indicated by saheeh
reports. Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: But the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made allowances for certain types
of musical instruments at weddings and the like, and he made allowances for
women to play the daff at weddings and on 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. Because
singing and playing the daff are things that women do, the Salaf used to call
any man who did that a mukhannath (effeminate man), and they used to call male
singers effeminate – and how many of them there are nowadays! It is well known
that the Salaf said this.
In a similar vein is the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her), when her father (may Allaah be pleased with him) entered
upon her at the time of Eid, and there were two young girls with her who were
singing the verses that the Ansaar had said on the day of Bu’aath – and any
sensible person will know what people say about war. Abu Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: “Musical instruments of the Shaytaan in the house of
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)!” The
Messenger of Allaah had turned away from them and was facing the wall – hence
some scholars said that Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) would not
tell anybody off in front of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), but he thought that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not paying attention to what was
happening. And Allaah knows best. He (the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)) said: “Leave them alone, O Abu Bakr, for every nation has
its Eid, and this is our Eid, the people of Islam.” This hadeeth shows that it
was not the habit of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
and his companions to gather to listen to singing, 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.” There is no indication in the hadeeth about the two young
girls that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
listening to them. The commands and prohibitions have to do with listening, not
merely hearing, just as in the case of seeing, the rules have to do with
intentionally looking and not what happens by accident. So it is clear that
this is for women only. Imaam Abu ‘Ubayd (may Allaah have mercy on him) defined
the daff as “that which is played by women.” (Ghareeb al-Hadeeth, 3/64).
An inappropriate exception
Some of them make an exception for drums at times of war, and
consequentially some modern scholars have said that military music is allowed.
But there is no basis for this at all, for a number of reasons, the first of
which is that this is making an exception with no clear evidence, apart from
mere opinion and thinking that it is good, and this is wrong. The second reason
is that what the Muslims should do at times of war is to turn their hearts
towards their Lord. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“They ask you (O Muhammad) about the spoils of war. Say: ‘The spoils are
for Allaah and the Messenger.’ So fear Allaah and adjust all matters of
difference among you…” [al-Anfaal 8:1]. But using
music is the opposite of this idea of taqwa and it would distract them
from remembering their Lord. Thirdly, using music is one of the customs of the
kuffaar, and it is not permitted to imitate them, especially with regard to
something that Allaah has forbidden to us in general, such as music. (al-Saheehah,
1/145)
“No people go astray after having been guided except they developed
arguments amongst themselves.” (Saheeh)
Some of them used the hadeeth about the Abyssinians playing in the
mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as evidence
that singing is allowed! Al-Bukhaari included this hadeeth in his Saheeh
under the heading Baab al-Hiraab wa’l-Daraq Yawm al-‘Eid (Chapter on
Spears and Shields on the Day of Eid). Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said: This indicates that it is permissible to play with weapons and the like
in the mosque, and he applied that to other activities connected with jihaad. (Sharh
Muslim). But as al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
whoever speaks about something which is not his profession will come up with
weird ideas such as these.
Some of them use as evidence the hadeeth about the singing of the
two young girls, which we have discussed above, but we will quote what Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, because it is valuable:
I am amazed that you quote as evidence for allowing listening to
sophisticated songs the report which we mentioned about how two young girls who
were below the age of puberty sang to a young woman on the day of Eid some
verses of Arab poetry about bravery in war and other noble characteristics. How
can you compare this to that? What is strange is that this hadeeth is one of
the strongest proofs against them. The greatest speaker of the truth [Abu Bakr
al-Siddeeq] called them musical instruments of the Shaytaan, and the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of that
appellation, but he made an exception in the case of these two young girls who
had not yet reached the age of responsibility and the words of whose songs
could not corrupt anyone who listened to them. Can this be used as evidence to
allow what you do and what you know of listening (to music) which includes
(bad) things which are not hidden?! Subhaan Allaah! How people can be led
astray! (Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/493).
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: ‘Aa’ishah (may
Allaah be pleased with her) was young at that time; nothing was transmitted
from her after she reached the age of puberty except condemnation of singing.
Her brother’s son, al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad, condemned singing and said that it
was not allowed to listen to it, and he took his knowledge from her. (Talbees
Iblees, 229). Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: A
group of the Sufis used this hadeeth – the hadeeth about the two young girls –
as evidence that singing is allowed and it is allowed to listen to it, whether
it is accompanied by instruments or not. This view is sufficiently refuted by
the clear statement of ‘Aa’ishah in the following hadeeth, where she says,
“They were not singers.” She made it clear that they were not singers as such,
although this may be understood from the wording of the report. So we should
limit it to what was narrated in the text as regards the occasion and the
manner, so as to reduce the risk of going against the principle, i.e., the
hadeeth. And Allaah knows best. (Fath al-Baari, 2/442-443).
Some people even have the nerve to suggest that the Sahaabah and
Taabi’een listened to singing, and that they saw nothing wrong with it!
Al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said: We demand them to show
us saheeh isnaads going back to these Sahaabah and Taabi’een, proving what they
attribute to them. Then he said: Imaam Muslim mentioned in his
introduction to his Saheeh that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak said: The
isnaad is part of religion. Were it not for the isnaad, whoever wanted to could
say whatever he wanted to.
Some of them said that the ahaadeeth which forbid music are full of
faults. No hadeeth was free of being criticized by some of the scholars. Ibn
Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The ahaadeeth which were narrated
concerning music being haraam are not full of faults as has been claimed. Some
of them are in Saheeh al-Bukhaari which is the soundest of books after
the Book of Allaah, and some of them are hasan and some are da’eef. But because
they are so many, with different isnaads, they constitute definitive proof that
singing and musical instruments are haraam.
All the imaams agreed on the soundness of the ahaadeeth which forbid
singing and musical instruments, apart from Abu Haamid al-Ghazzaali, but
al-Ghazzaali did not have knowledge of hadeeth; and Ibn Hazam, but al-Albaani
(may Allaah have mercy on him) explained where Ibn Hazam went wrong, and Ibn
Hazam himself said that if any of (these ahaadeeth) were saheeh, he would
follow that. But now they have proof that these reports are saheeh because
there are so many books by the scholars which state that these ahaadeeth are
saheeh, but they turn their backs on that. They are far more extreme than Ibn
Hazam and they are nothing like him, for they are not qualified and cannot be
referred to.
Some of them said that the scholars forbade singing because it is
mentioned alongside gatherings in which alcohol is drunk and where people stay
up late at night for evil purposes.
Al-Shawkaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The response to
this is that mentioning these things in conjunction does not only mean that
what is haraam is what is joined together in this manner. Otherwise this would
mean that zinaa, as mentioned in the ahaadeeth, is not haraam unless it is
accompanied by alcohol and the use of musical instruments. By the same token,
an aayah such as the following (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, he used not to believe in Allaah, the Most Great, And urged
not on the feeding of Al‑Miskeen (the poor).” [holy Quran Chapter al-Haaqqah
69:33-34]
would imply that it is not haraam to disbelieve in Allaah unless that is
accompanied by not encouraging the feeding of the poor. If it is said that the
prohibition of such things one at a time is proven from other reports, the
response to that is that the prohibition of musical instruments is also known
from other evidence, as mentioned above. (Nayl al-Awtaar, 8/107).
Some of them said that “idle talk” does not refer to singing; the
refutation of that has been mentioned above. Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said: This – the view that it means singing – is the best that has been
said concerning this aayah, and Ibn Mas’ood swore three times by Allaah besides
Whom there is no other god, that it does refer to singing. Then he mentioned
other imaams who said the same thing. Then he mentioned other views concerning
the matter. Then he said: The first view is the best of all that has been said
on this matter, because of the marfoo’ hadeeth, and because of the view of the
Sahaabah and the Taabi’een. (Tafseer al-Qurtubi).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him), after quoting this Tafseer,
said: Al-Haakim Abu ‘Abd-Allaah said in the Tafseer of Kitaab
al-Mustadrak: Let the one who is seeking this knowledge know that the
Tafseer of a Sahaabi who witnessed the revelation is a hadeeth with
isnaad according to the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim). Elsewhere in
his book, he said: In our view this hadeeth has the same strength as a marfoo’
report. Although their tafseer is still subject to further examination, it is
still more readily acceptable than the tafseer of those who came after them, because
they are the most knowledgeable among this ummah of what Allaah meant in his
Book. It was revealed among them and they were the first people to be addressed
by it. They heard the tafseer from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) in word and in deed. And they were Arabs who understood the true
meanings of (Arabic) words, so Muslims should avoid resorting to any other
interpretation as much as possible.
Some of them said that singing is a form of worship if the
intention is for it to help one to obey Allaah!
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: How strange!
What type of faith, light, insight, guidance and knowledge can be gained from
listening to tuneful verses and music in which most of what is said is haraam
and deserves the wrath and punishment of Allaah and His Messenger? … How can
anyone who has the least amount of insight and faith in his heart draw near to
Allaah and increase his faith by enjoying something which is hated by Him, and
He detests the one who says it and the one who accepts it? (Madaarij
al-Saalikeen, 1/485)
Shaykh al-Islam said, discussing the state of the person who has
gotten used to listening to singing: Hence you find that those who have gotten
used to it and for whom it is like food and drink will never have the desire to
listen to the Qur’aan or feel joy when they hear it, and they never find in
listening to its verses the same feeling that they find when listening to
poetry. Indeed, if they hear the Qur’aan, they hear it with an inattentive
heart and talk whilst it is being recited, but if they hear whistling and
clapping of hands, they lower their voices and keep still, and pay attention. (Majmoo’
al-Fataawa, 11/557 ff)
Some say that music and musical instruments have the effect of
softening people’s hearts and creating gentle feelings. This is not true,
because it provokes physical desires and whims. If it really did what they say,
it would have softened the hearts of the musicians and made their attitude and
behaviour better, but most of them, as we know, are astray and behave badly.
MUSIC
AND SUNNAH IN NIGERIAN CULTURE
Many did say; music is HARAM while
some you say Makrooh? That’s why we have unaccountable musicians all over at
ceremonies, political parties, festivals etc.
BUT
WHAT IS THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF MUSIC FROM PRACTICAL ATTESTATION
1. Music takes you away from the
remembrance of Allah because Music and Qur’an can’t sit in the heart at the
same time. True or False?
2. A waste of precious time:
Research proved that an average youth spends at least five hours a day
listening to music. True or False?
3. It is an audio pornography that
makes you lose your moral senses – use of vulgar, shameless and violent words.
True or False?
4. Music leads to zina: as it
arouses the sexual desires. True or False?
5. Music is a degradation to the
status of women in Islam: Just look at video clips. True or False?
6. Leads to hypocrisy and deprives
you from the Rahmah of Allah - that music in one’s heart makes one move away
from Allah’s Rahmah. "Music is the nest of hypocrisy." True or False?
7. Takes away the eemaan like the
fire takes away the bush in the harmattan season. True or False?
8. Music is the primary cause for
calamities in the duniya. And music and songs give rise to hypocrisy and is one
of the ways leading towards poverty and hunger. True or False?
9. It creates a temporal illusion of
madness and sometimes permanent madness because of the tension in the brain. It
is an intoxicant and one is unaware of his immediate environment. True or
False?
10. Leads to Deafness: Experts says
that prolonged exposure to a noise level above 85 decibels will eventually
result in a reduction of hearing acuity in the frequency range most important
for understanding the human speech.
11. Will be deprived of listening to
the beautiful voice of Allah. True or False?
14. Music has no barakah and it will
never increase your Islamic knowledge… all the songs in the world couldn’t be
compared to Alif, Laam, Meem in barakah would not be equivalent to them. True
or False?
CONCLUSION
Perhaps – for fair-minded and objective readers – this summary will
make it clear that the view that music is permissible has no firm basis. There
are no two views on this matter. So we must advise in the best manner, and then
take it step by step and denounce music, if we are able to do so. We should not
be deceived by the fame of a man in our own times in which the people who are
truly committed to Islam have become strangers. The one who says that singing
and musical instruments are permitted is simply supporting the whims of people
nowadays, as if the masses were issuing fatwas and he is simply signing them!
If a matter arises, they will look at the views of fuqahaa’ on this matter,
then they will take the easiest view, as they claim. Then they will look for
evidence, or just specious arguments which are worth no more than a lump of
dead meat. How often have these people approved things in the name of sharee’ah
which in fact have nothing to do with Islam!
Strive to learn your Islam from the Book of your Lord and the
Sunnah of your Prophet. Do not say, So-and-so said, for you cannot learn the
truth only from men. Learn the truth and then measure people against it. This
should be enough for the one who controls his whims and submits himself to his
Lord. May what we have written above heal the hearts of the believers and
dispel the whispers in the hearts of those who are stricken with insinuating
whispers. May it expose everyone who is deviating from the path of Revelation
and taking the easiest options, thinking that he has come up with something
which none of the earlier generations ever achieved, and speaking about
Allaah without knowledge. They sought to avoid fisq (evildoing) and ended up
committing bid’ah – may Allaah not bless them in it. It would have been better
for them to follow the path of the believers.
Islam Q&A, 5000,
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
FINALLY
We remind you about our main purpose
on this Earth...Allah created us only to worship Him alone and to worship Allah
is to obey Him and abstain from what He forbids.
We all know music is difficult to
leave but we just have to make the sacrifice in order to please our Creator and
Allah says: perhaps you may like something but in reality it is bad for
you..Verily the ear, and the eye and the heart, all of them will be asked. The
ear and what it listened to, the eye and what it looked at and the heart and
what it intended."
So If you claimed to be a Muslim,
then you need to obey Allah by stopping listening to music, it might be hard at
first but with time you will get over it... Just be sincere with your
repentance, make a covenant with Allah not to do it again. How bad would have
been our position if we die with this habit.
Prophet says Allah will call those
who forgo music for His sake and give them Hur’ains to entertain them. The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among my
ummah there will certainly be people who permit zinaa, silk, alcohol and
musical instruments…” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari ta’leeqan, no. 5590;
narrated as mawsool by al-Tabaraani and al-Bayhaqi. See al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 91).
Brothers and sisters; let's use this
medium to reconsider to end the FITNAH
OF MUSIC AT WEDDING AND NAMING CEREMONIES IN OUR LIVES, let's repent
before Allah and ask for His forgiveness.
May Allaah bless and grant peace to His Messenger who made clear the path
of the believers, and to his companions and those who follow them in truth
until the Day of Judgement.
May He forgive us, have mercy on us
and accept our repentance.
And
Allah knows best
REFERENCES
1) Summary of a
paper entitled al-Darb bi’l-Nawa li man abaaha al-Ma’aazif li’l-Hawa by
Shaykh Sa’d al-Deen ibn Muhammad al-Kibbi.
2) Al-I’laam bi
Naqd Kitaab al-Halaal wa’l-Haraam, by Shaykh al-‘Allaamah Saalih
ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan
3) Al-Samaa’ by Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn al-Qayyim
4) Tahreem
Aalaat al-Tarab, by Shaykh Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani
(may Allaah have mercy on him)
7)
islamawareness.net/Music/music_fatwa005.html
8)
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090324223336AAYzcNY
9)
www.beautifulislam.net/halalharam/music.htm
10)www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDrPbgE9h58
11)www.themodernreligion.com/misc/hh/music.html
