Music: The Vain Speech of the Devil

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

The venomous influence of modernity, secularity and Western/European culture on the Muslim World is a cause of considerable consternation. Islam is set apart from the religions and cultures of the world in many cultural issues which may be dubbed cultural sensitivities of Islam. When Islamophobes and other critics of Islam condemn our Religion they often cite the laws of the Shari’a as being not only incompatible with their own cultures but posing an imminent threat to them. The typical examples cited are the Shari prohibitions on alcohol, pork, music, dance, fine arts like sculpting and painting, pet dogs, dating and gambling. But some Muslims who are ignorant, and others who are hypocritical, having become infatuated with “modernity” seek to water down or altogether deny these rulings of the sacred Shari’a, in order to deflect criticism of Islam, or to integrate into their non-Muslim host societies, or simply to follow their devilish desires. The Holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم foretold of such a state of affairs when he said:

لَيَكُونَنَّ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَقْوَامٌ يَسْتَحِلُّونَ الْحِرَ وَالْحَرِيرَ وَالْخَمْرَ وَالْمَعَازِفَ

There will be from my Ummah people who will consider fornication, wearing silk (for males), intoxicants and musical instruments permissible (Sahih al-Bukhari)

The prophecy has been literally fulfilled in our time with the appearance of pseudo-scholars who issue false Fatawa in an attempt to support the diabolical agenda of modernization, Westernization and cultural secularization of the Ummah. In Egypt “Sheikh Su‚ad Jalal, who declared that beer did not fall under the prohibition of alcohol (which earned him the nickname ‘Sheikh Stella’, after the Egyptian brand of beer)” (Muslim Extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and Pharaoh, p.80) Likewise, the Hadith—rejecters who call themselves “Quranists” do not recognize the Shari prohibition on men wearing silk as it is derived from the Hadith, and some of them have gone to the extent of saying that Islam does not forbid dating (boyfriend/girlfriend relationships) and what is termed “common-law partnerships” in which two individuals have a sexual relationship without legally being married, and that such kinds of relationships now common among non-Muslims should not be classified as Zina!

But of these four prohibitions that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said would one day be considered permissible by some people of his Ummah, the most argued for is music. Regarding it, Allah says:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنۡ یَّشۡتَرِیۡ لَہۡوَ الۡحَدِیۡثِ لِیُضِلَّ عَنۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ بِغَیۡرِ عِلۡمٍ ٭ۖ وَّیَتَّخِذَہَا ہُزُوًا ؕ اُولٰٓئِکَ لَہُمۡ عَذَابٌ مُّہِیۡنٌ

And of the people is one who takes in exchange idle talk to lead astray from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and to make fun of it. For such there will be a humiliating punishment

(Surah 31, Ayah 6)

The term لهو الحديث has been understood by the Mufassirin as referring primarily to singing and music. Certainly, listening to the type of pop music that is prevalent today, filled with vulgarity, sexual innuendos and even blasphemy is strictly forbidden, with there being no disagreement among the traditional, Sunni Ulama. Instead, Muslims should sing and listen to devotionals that are pure vocalizations. Musical instruments, with the possible exception of the daff (a simple hand drum) on certain occasions such as weddings and festivities, are explicitly prohibited in our Shari’a, especially the bell, which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم dubbed Satanic. The bell is strongly associated with Christianity, and undoubtedly it was the instrument through which the Devil swindled them. Muslims should hate the bell and consider its ringing sacrilegious. There is hardly a contrast as stark as the ringing of church bells on Sunday calling the people to gather to the portals of Hell against the beautiful words of the Adhan that is blared from the loudspeakers of the Mosque calling the people to testify to the Oneness of God and to make haste to worship.

The regular listening to music is ultimately something that deadens the heart. It is a sly and vain form of speech that lulls one into a kind of mental intoxication and a toxic addiction for the ears. Instead, Believers should listen to that which profits their souls and energizes their Faith, such as the melodious recitation of the Holy Quran and devotionals in praise of Allah and His Apostle صلى الله عليه وسلم