[Q 155] Music in Islam

Question

What is the Islamic ruling regarding songs, musical instruments and music?

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

The ruling regarding music and musical instruments in Islam is that they are considered impermissible and unlawful (Haram) actions that can lead to Hell.

There are many Ahadith and sayings of the Prophet ﷺ that warn against these acts, to the extent that one Hadith mentions that one of the purposes for which the Prophet ﷺ was sent was to break musical instruments. Another Hadith states that Allah will cause those who indulge in such acts to sink into the earth, and turn some of them into monkeys and pigs. والعیاذ باﷲ تعالیٰ

In the Quran, Allah سبحانه وتعالىٰ says:

وَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ یَّشْتَرِیْ لَهْوَ الْحَدِیْثِ لِیُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِیْلِ اللّٰهِ بِغَیْرِ عِلْمٍ  وَّ یَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًاؕ-اُولٰٓىٕكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِیْنٌ

Translation taken from Kanz Ul Iman: “And some people buy words of amusement (i.e. fake stories, music, etc.) in order to mislead (others) from Allah’s path without understanding, and to make fun of it (i.e. the verses); for them is a disgraceful punishment.”

(Juz 21, Surah Luqman, Verse 6)

The prominent scholar Ala al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad al-Khazin رحمة الله عليه, writes in his commentary on this verse in Tafsir Khazin:

وعن ابن مسعود وابن عباس والحسن وعكرمة وسعيد بن جبير قالوا لهو الحديث هو الغناء والآية نزلت فيه ومعنى يشتري يستبدل ويختار الغناء والمزامير والمعازف على القرآن. وقال أبو الصهباء: سألت ابن مسعود عن هذه الآية فقال هو الغناء والله الذي لا إله إلا هو يرددها ثلاث مرات

Translation: Abdullah bin Mas’ud, Abdullah bin Abbas, Hasan Basri, ‘Ikrimah and Sa’id bin Jubayr رضی اللہ تعالی عنہم, said in the interpretation of the word “لھو الحدیث” in this verse that it means “music”. And “buying the amusement of speech” means that they prefer to listen to music and musical instruments instead of the Quran and like this instead. Abu Sahba says that I asked Abdullah bin Mas’ud, رضی ﷲ تعالیٰ عنہ, about the interpretation of this verse and he said three times: I swear By Allah, the true God, by “لھو الحدیث” it means music.

(Lubab al-Ta’wil, Surah Luqman, vol. 3, p. 396, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut)

The eminent scholar Qadi Sanaullah Pani Pati رحمة الله عليه states in his commentary “Tafseer al-Mazhari” regarding this verse:

اتخاذ المعازف والمزامير حرام باتفاق فقهاء الأمصار… قالت الفقهاء الغناء حرام بهذه الاية لكونه لهو الحديث وبما ذكرنا من الأحاديث. ملخصا

Translation: The jurists of all Schools of cities agree that making or keeping musical instruments is unlawful (Haram)… The jurists state that singing the songs, in light of the aforementioned verse of the Qur’an and Ahadith narrations, is unlawful (Haram).”

 (Tafseer al-Mazhari, Surah Luqman, Volume 7, Page 247, 248, Published in Pakistan)

It is narrated in a hadith in Sahih Bukhari that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

”ليكونن من امتي اقوام، يستحلون الحر والحرير، والخمر والمعازف“

Translation: There will be people in my Ummah who will consider thick and thin silk, wine and musical instruments as lawful (Halal).

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Drinks, Chapter on What Came Regarding Those Who Regard Wine as Lawful, p. 1374, Hadith: 5590, al-Risalah Foundation)

The word “معازف” includes all kinds of musical instruments, as it is in ‘Umdat al-Qari, Mirqat and Taj al-‘Arus, etc.:

“واللفظ للآخر: المعازف: الملاهي التي يضرب بها، كالعود والطنبور والدف، وغيرها”

Translation: Ma’azif are such instruments of amusement which are played, such as the violin, the sitar, the drum etc.

 (Taj al-Aroos, Volume 24, Page 155, Dar al-Huda)

Similarly, it is stated in Fatawa Razawiyyah: Ma’azif and Mazamir are instruments of amusement and pleasure that have been devised to produce musical sounds for the pleasure of the inner desires and the excitement of the devil.

(Fatawa Razawiyyah, Book of Prohibition and Permission, vol. 15, p. 751, Imam Ahmad Raza Academy)

Regarding the unlawfulness (Haram) of music, it is written in the commentary of Mishkat Shareef, Lam’at and Mirqat:

“واللفظ للأول:وفي الحديث دليل على الحرمة، وقال الفقهاء: الغناء بآلات مطربة حرام”

Translation: In this hadith there is evidence of music being unlawful (haram), and the eminent jurists said: Singing with musical instruments is unlawful (haram).

(Lam’at al-Tanqih, Book of Hudud, vol. 6, p. 436)

Similarly, in Mir’at al-Manajih, under the mentioned Hadith, it is written: There will be such people in my Ummah who will either consider these unlawful (Haram) things as lawful (Halal), or use them as if they are lawful (Halal) or make excuses for their permissibility, for example, they will say that silk is unlawful (Haram) if it is attached to the body, otherwise not, we have worn the bottom layer of cotton silk, the upper layer is silk, or they will say that musical instruments are lawful (Halal) in qawwali, and musical instruments are unlawful (Haram) for illicit love, we listen for the love of Allah and His Messenger, etc.

(Mir’at al-Manajih, vol. 7, p. 123, The Statement of Crying and Fearing, Adabi Dunya, Delhi)

The Mercy To The Universe ﷺ said that I was sent to break the musical instruments, so in the Hadith of Musnad Ahmad it is narrated:

عن أبي أمامة قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن الله بعثني رحمة للعالمين وهدى للعالمين، وأمرني ربي بمحق المعازف والمزامير

Translation: Hazrat Abu Umamah, رضی ﷲ تعالیٰ عنہ, narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Allah sent me as a mercy and guidance for all the worlds, and my Lord commanded me to break all the musical instruments that are played by hand and mouth.

 (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith of Abu Umamah al-Bahili, vol. 36, p. 646, Hadith: 22307, al-Risalah Foundation)

It is narrated in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Mu’jam al-Kabir by al-Tabarani and Ibn Majah narrated in a Hadith, and the word for Ibn Majah:

عن أبي مالك الأشعري، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: ليشربن ناس من أمتي الخمر، يسمونها بغير اسمها، يعزف على رءوسهم بالمعازف، والمغَنيات، يخسف الله بهم الأرض، ويجعل منهم القردة والخنازير

Translation: Abu Malik al-Ash’ari narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: There will be people in my Ummah who will drink wine and call it by another name, musical instruments and female singers will be played on their heads, Allah will cause the earth to swallow them, and will turn some of them into monkeys and pigs.

 (Sunan Ibn Majah, Chapters of Tribulations, Chapter of Punishments, p. 697, Hadith: 4020, al-Risalah Foundation)

Allamah Ibn ‘Abidin al-Shami رحمة الله عليه writes in Radd al-Muhtar with reference to Fatawa Bazaziyyah:

’’وقد نقل في البزازية عن القرطبي إجماع الأئمة على حرمة هذا الغناء وضرب القضيب والرقص‘‘

Translation: It is narrated in Fatawa Bazzaaziyah from Imam al-Qurtubi that there is consensus of the Imams on the unlawfulness (Haram) of singing, striking a stick (to produce music), and dancing.

(Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Book of Jihad, The Matter of Disobedience., vol. 4, p. 259, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut)

The Greatest Reviver Ala Hazrat رحمة الله عليه states in his Fatawa:

“There are numerous authentic narrations reaching the level of recurrent transmission (tawatur) about the unlawfulness (haram) of musical instruments, foremost amongst them is the lofty and authentic Hadith of Sahih Bukhari Sharif where the Master of the Worlds ﷺ states:

“لیکونن من امتی اقوام لیستحلون الحروالحریر والخمروالمعازف”

Translation: There will certainly be people from my Ummah who will deem lawful (Halal) the private parts of women, i.e. fornication, and silk clothes, and wine, and musical instruments.’

حدیث صحیح جلیل متصل، وقد اخرجہ ایضا احم وابوداؤد وابن ماجۃ والاسمعیلی وابونعیم باسانید صحیحۃ لامطعن فیھا وصححہ جماعۃ اخرون من الائمۃ کما قال بعض الحفاظ قالہ الامام ابن حجر فی کف الرعاع

Translation: ‘Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Muhadith E Isma’il and Abu Nu’aym have narrated this Hadith with authentic chains containing no objections, and a group of other Imams have also declared it Sahih. It is said by some Huffaz. This is written by Imam Ibn Hajar in Kaff-ur-Ra’a.’

(Fatawa Ridhwiyyah, Book of Abstinence and Permissibility, Volume 16, Page 590, Imam Ahmad Raza Academy)

Answered by: Mufti Sajid Attari

Translated by: Shaheer Attari