Question # 008
Is music haraam? Explain, please.
In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salaamu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullaahi wa-barakaatuh.
The majority opinion in the four schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali) is that the use of musical instruments aside from the duff (a specific type of drum) is not permissible. Amongst the multiple proofs and reasons for this is the following hadith narrated by Al Imam al Bukhari in his famous book:
حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَامِرٍ ـ أَوْ أَبُو مَالِكٍ ـ الأَشْعَرِيُّ وَاللَّهِ مَا كَذَبَنِي سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " لَيَكُونَنَّ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَقْوَامٌ يَسْتَحِلُّونَ الْحِرَ وَالْحَرِيرَ وَالْخَمْرَ وَالْمَعَازِفَ، وَلَيَنْزِلَنَّ أَقْوَامٌ إِلَى جَنْبِ عَلَمٍ يَرُوحُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِسَارِحَةٍ لَهُمْ، يَأْتِيهِمْ ـ يَعْنِي الْفَقِيرَ ـ لِحَاجَةٍ فَيَقُولُوا ارْجِعْ إِلَيْنَا غَدًا. فَيُبَيِّتُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَضَعُ الْعَلَمَ، وَيَمْسَخُ آخَرِينَ قِرَدَةً وَخَنَازِيرَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ".
(رواه البخاري في كتاب الأشربة باب ما جاء فيمن يستحلّ الخمر ويسميه بغير اسمه - ٥٥٩٠)
Narrated Abu 'Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash'ari: that he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful. And there will be some people who will stay near the side of a mountain and in the evening their shepherd will come to them with their sheep and ask them for something, but they will say to him, 'Return to us tomorrow.' Allah will destroy them during the night and will let the mountain fall on them, and He will transform the rest of them into monkeys and pigs and they will remain so till the Day of Resurrection." (7.106, Hadith number 5590, Tawq ul Najah edition)
The scholars have mentioned many more proofs as to why music is haram, and this is the relied-upon opinion. For more information, please refer to the book "The Music made me do it" written by Dr. Gohar Mushtaq. It discusses music in light of Islamic jurisprudence and then goes on to speak about its effects at a spiritual, mental, and physical level, as well as many more important topics surrounding music.
We pray to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala that he protects us from such acts and purifies our hearts.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Regards,
Student - Jamiah Islamiyah Abu Bakr
Checked & Approved by Shaykh Kasim Ingar
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