The Issue of Music

Now and then the issue of music in Islam is raised in this newsgroup. 
In order to help to clarify this matter, here are two opinions on
singing and music -- one view from a scholar of today, and one from
one of the great scholars of the past.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi says:

    Among the entertainments which may comfort the soul, please the
    heart, and refresh the ear is singing.  Islam permits singing
    under the condition that it not be in any way obscene or harmful
    to Islamic morals.  There is no harm in it being accompanied by
    music which is not exciting. (Y. al-Qaradawi, "The Lawful and the
    Prohibited in Islam," p. 300)

In this book, he gives the support of hadiths regarding his view on
singing and music.  An example is the following hadith:

    `Aishah narrated that when a woman was married to an Ansari man,
    the Prophet (s.a.w.) said,

    "`Aishah, did they have any entertainment?  The Ansar are fond of
    entertainment."
    [Reported by al-Bukhari.]

Another hadith which supports the permissability of singing is the
following:

    Ibn `Abbas said: `Aishah gave a girl relative of hers in marriage
    to a man of the Ansar.  The Prophet (peace be on him) came and
    asked, "Did you send a singer along with her?"

    "No," said `Aishah.

    The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) then said, "The Ansar are a people
    who love poetry.  You should have sent along someone who would
    sing, `Here we come, to you we come, greet us as we greet you.'"
    [Reported by Ibn Majah.]

In addition, the following hadith supports singing and playing of
drums during the celebration of `Eid:

    `Aishah narrated that during the days of Mina, on the day of `Eid
    al-Adha, two girls were with her, singing and playing on a hand
    drum.  The Prophet (s.a.w.) was present, listening to them with
    his head under a shawl.  Abu Bakr then entered and scolded the
    girls.  The Prophet (s.a.w.), uncovering his face, told him,

    "Let them be, Abu Bakr.  These are the days of `Eid."
    [Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.]\par 

Furthermore, Yusuf al-Qaradawi reports that

    [M]any of the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with
    them) as well as second generation Muslim scholars used to listen
    to singing and did not see anything wrong with it.  As for the
    ahadith, which have been reported against singing, they are all
    weak and have been shown by researchers to be unsound.  The jurist
    Abu Bakr al-`Arabi says, "No sound hadith is available concerning
    the prohibition of singing," while Ibn Hazm says, "All that is
    reported on this subject is false and fabricated."
    [From al-Qaradawi, p. 302.]

As for those who argue that singing is haram, some of them claim that
the following verse of the Qur'an to be against singing:

    And among the people is the one who buys idle talk (at the expense
    of his soul) in order to lead (people) astray from the path of
    Allah without knowledge, holding it in mockery; for such there
    will be a humiliating punishment.
    [Qur'an 31:6]

This, however, is not the correct understanding of this ayat (notice
that it does not even mention singing or music at all).  The correct
understanding of this ayat, according to Ibn Hazm, is this:

    This verse condemns a particular behavior, that of doing something
    to mock the path of Allah.  Anyone who does this is an unbeliever;
    if he even should buy a copy of the Qur'an, doing so in order to
    make it the object of his mockery and thereby leading people
    astray, he would be an unbeliever.  It is this type of behavior
    which is condemned by Allah and not the idle talk in which one
    may indulge for mere relaxation, without intending to lead people
    astray from the path of Allah.
    [Ibn Hazm, quoted in al-Qaradawi, p. 302.]

Some of those who condemn singing and music claim that this
condemnation is the meaning of the following verse of the Qur'an:

    And what is beyond the truth except error?
    [Qur'an 10:32]

However, commenting on this, Ibn Hazm reminds us of the hadith:

    The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) said, "Deeds will be
    judged according to intentions, and everyone will get what he
    intended."
    [Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.]

Following this hadith, Ibn Hazm (as quoted by al-Qaradawi, pp. 302-3)
goes on to say that one who listens to singing and music with the
intention of sinning or supporting sinning is himself a sinner, and
this holds true of anything other than singing as well.  On the other
hand, if someone listens to singing and music with the intention of
increasing his spiritual state, strengthening his soul, and increasing
his duty to Allah, such a person's actions are of the truth.  As for
those who listen to singing neither with the intention of disobedience
or obedience, Ibn Hazm says this is neutral and harmless.  Ibn Hazm
says listening to singing or music with a neutral intention is like
going to the park and walking around, or looking at the sky, or
wearing blue or green clothes, etc.

Yusuf al-Qaradawi then gives some limitations regarding listening to
music.  In summary, they are:

1. The subject matter of the songs must be in accordance with the
teachings of Islam.

2. Although the subject matter of the song may not be against Islam,
if the singing or music is accompanied with something haram, then it
is haram.  An example is music accompanied by suggestive sexual
movement, which is therefore haram.

3. Listening to singing or music should not be done to excess or
extravagance, in accordance with the general teachings of Islam
against taking things to extremes.

4. Each individual is the best judge of himself.  So if a person finds
that, for him or her, listening to certain singing or music arouses
one's passions and leads him or her towards sin, and dulls
spirituality, then he or she should avoid it.

5. If the singing or music is done in conjunction with haram
activities, then it is haram.  An example of this would be singing or
music at a party where people are drinking alcohol.

[Summarized from al-Qaradawi, p. 303.]

Point no. 5 is what is highlighted by the following hadith, in which
the Prophet (s.a.w.) said,

    "Some people of my ummah will drink wine, calling it by another
    name, while they listen to singers accompanied by musical
    instruments.  Allah will cause the earth to swallow them and will
    turn some of them into monkeys and swine."
    [Reported by Ibn Majah.]

-From Servants of Allah Mailing List