music in islam

[Adil Faiyaz]

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rehmatullah.

With regards to music, a comprehensive response by MI. Ismail Moosa approved by Mufti Ebrahim Desai has already been issued at askimam.com (the older version of the website). However, since the transition to the new website, I fail to find the detailed fatwa hence couldn't post the link. I have a copy of it saved. But I recently read the copyright thing at the bottom of the website. So I don't know whether it'll be permissible to quote his fatwa else where or not. If anyone like Mufti Abu Hajra or a reliable person from Mufti Sahab's Madrassah can state that is it permissible to quote their fatwas (general fatwas, regarding Shiítes, Music, Qadr etc) elsewhere then I'll post it.

Jazak'Allah Khayr

[a.s.]

This should help

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHhve...eature=related

I think this video here sums up all we need to know about Music

[alharith]

I think this video here sums up all we need to know about Music

Strangest thing, too, is that in the comments section a hadith-rejector is making bold, "rational" claims for devaluing the prohibition of music...

[AbdurRaheem2]

Suhaib Webb has opined that gustakh of Rasulullah should not be punished as the Sahabah punished it on the basis that 'times are different, we can't force people to believe.'

This is a 'scholar' to you?

Whether he says things we like or we don't like he is a scholar, and one who has spent the last several years at al-Azhar as well brother.

[AbdurRaheem2]

What is your view regarding music?

I agree to your comment generally..despite of his opinion here, he's a Mufti now so let us give him some respect. We congratulated a moderator recently graduating as a Mufti on SF..let's not forget Sh. Suhaib Webb is a Mufti now too.

Personally I don't listen to it, but it is a real difference of opinion and I think we shouldn't deny that it is.

The fact that the learned scholars allowing it are a minority doesn't mean that they are wrong to take this view so long as they sincerely believe that they are correct.

Indeed Allah only knows who is right in this, but those who follow the learned view of a scholar who sinserely got it wrong will have the protection that they followed a suitable qualified scholar whether he was on the correct view or a mistaken view.

So as far as I can see there is no point in anyone arguing about it as to who is right and who is wrong.

Also from a pragmatic viewpoint music is a very powerful tool in the production of propaganda (like TV is). It is most commonly used against us. There is an intellectual war against Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat and pretty much every other type of people are involved.

I am absolutely certain that Muslims should use music, TV and film in effective ways to promote truth, just as the non-Muslims and Rafidites are using them to hide and argue against truth.

However, personally I would rather avoid listening to music (there have been eminent Maliki scholars both for and against it) as I can't help feeling that it confuses and pollutes my soul somewhat. If I need to listen to something beautful then I can listen to a recording of a beautiful reciter of the Qur'an, something which also heals and purifies us.

[mh16388]

Personally I don't listen to it, but it is a real difference of opinion and I think we shouldn't deny that it is.

The fact that the learned scholars allowing it are a minority doesn't mean that they are wrong to take this view so long as they sincerely believe that they are correct.

Indeed Allah only knows who is right in this, but those who follow the learned view of a scholar who sinserely got it wrong will have the protection that they followed a suitable qualified scholar whether he was on the correct view or a mistaken view.

So as far as I can see there is no point in anyone arguing about it as to who is right and who is wrong.

Also from a pragmatic viewpoint music is a very powerful tool in the production of propaganda (like TV is). It is most commonly used against us. There is an intellectual war against Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat and pretty much every other type of people are involved.

I am absolutely certain that Muslims should use music, TV and film in effective ways to promote truth, just as the non-Muslims and Rafidites are using them to hide and argue against truth.

However, personally I would rather avoid listening to music (there have been eminent Maliki scholars both for and against it) as I can't help feeling that it confuses and pollutes my soul somewhat. If I need to listen to something beautful then I can listen to a recording of a beautiful reciter of the Qur'an, something which also heals and purifies us.

you do not have much idea of what constitutes a valid difference of opinion. please ask a scholar you trust about it or if you cant do that there is plenty of stuff on this forum that will let you know.
rest what you have said regarding your favorable opinion of music is your own opinion and not a religious ruling. nor do i agree with it. think before you speak. lot of people read the threads. you do not want anyone doing haram after reading your words yes?

[abdulwahhab]

These prerequisite form part of the juristic tradition in Islam - again I sincerely ask you to read up on this. I famously remember when Tantawi issued issued his opinion on the niqab controversy, Shaykh Yusuf al Qaradawi came out against this fatwa (in a very respectful manner not like these rabid sub-continental scholars) by citing that he was simply not qualified with the resources of the juristic tradition to pass such an opinion. And Shaykh Qaradawi always remained respectful of Shaykh Tantawi even though they had a very fundamental disagreement. Please see this:

http://www.suhaibwebb.com/personaldv...ammad-tantawi/

It is such a beautiful example of the etiquettes of disagreement in action - to say so humbly that I totally disagree with your opinion but I love you as my brother and do not accuse of you anything sinister. So unlike the disgusting attitude of certain members on this board. Learn something form Shaykh Qaradawi guys - grow up.

The other things you mention are totally irrelevant - people have come to a consensus on the PRINCIPLE (drinking alcohol is wrong) but disagree on the specifics and practical nature of applying these principles in our daily lives. No scholar has said that drinking alcohol normally is the right thing to do.

As for the Shia, Al Azhar and the Amman Declaration recognize their fiqh as being valid and I much rather take their broad minded and tolerant approach thank you very much. Furthermore, on the issue of the companions certain Shia do certainly curse them but I cited apostasy not cursing or slandering. As for praying 5 times a day - the Shia do recognize there being 5 sets of prayers to be performed - Fajr, Dhur, Asr, Magrib and Isha - but certain Shia jurists say that you can combine certain prayers together so it seems like they pray 3 times but they do PERFORM 5 sets of prayers.

And the rest of your post of using the Alawis and Druze is a tactic of using straw-men to somehow suggest that if one disputes the permissibility of music it somehow means we can also dispute the central truth of monotheism. Absolutely bonkers my friend, absolutely bonkers. What type of nonsense is this - we are disputing a matter that is not even central to the deen whatsoever. Some people listen to music some don't - the important thing is that if you do listen to music that you are a conscientious and cautious about the type of music you listen to. And that quite frankly is none of your business so stop with the ''holier-than-thou'' attitude and live and let live in the shade of scholarly disagreement.....

You've completely dodged the point and my point about the Alawis and the Druze is not a strawman because some Shi'a consider the Alawis to be Muslims as well and some Druze count themselves amongst Muslims.

No, there are scholars that have said that only wine from dates and grapes is haraam. This implies that alcohol by itself is NOT haraam just how not all meat is haraam but meat from pigs and incorrectly slaughtered animals is haraam. It's easily understood logically.

Again, why the heck are you continuing to bring up Sh. Qaradawi? No one here is insulting him. What people do have an issue with is Suhaib Webb, as he has changed from one group to another, one position to another. He has taken or promoted opinions that are minority and tried to present them as mainstream, such as touching ghayr mahram women and listening to music. Even though Sh. Qaradawi permits listening to music, he has not made it a duty of his to bring forth every minority opinion and present it as valid. Does he accept the opinion of some "scholars" who say that those who commit suicide bombings are just committing suicide? Sh. Qaradawi believes that those who carry out these attacks are martyrs and he does not bring about accommodating opinions to promote cohesiveness at the expense of the truth. So, even if Sh. Qaradawi promotes music, I can respect his opinion more than someone who tries to present every minority opinion as legitimate. This has never been the way of the ulama. Look throughout history and you'll see that even those that held lax opinions on some things would hold stricter opinions on others, rather than trying to say this or that opinion is also valid and may be followed.

As for the Shi'a, there are some Shi'as who don't agree with the 5 prayers at all, such as the Isma'ilis. And if you believe that the Shi'as don't see the sahaba as apostates, you are sorely mistaken. Even the Shi'as that do not say that the sahaba apostatized are not willing to say that those who claim such things have become non-Muslim. Same thing with the issue of tahreef of the Qur'an, where many Shi'as believe in it and those that do not, they refuse to say that such a belief is tantamount to kufr. So, when you say that there is ijma' that believing that the sahaba were apostates, you're being disingenuous and regarding the Shi'a viewpoint, where they don't believe in this and many of their greater scholars have held and promoted these beliefs. Even now, many Shi'a hold conferences about not just cursing, but making takfeer of the sahaba and the pure wives . And you even listed amongst your list of "ijma" that cursing was not permitted, yet the Shi'a do so.

You walk on very thin ice when you try to include every opinion under the sun as being legitimate.

And you've yet to show how being a faqih is a prerequisite for promoting opinions since there is NO IJMA on this.

You're also being extremely delusional if you think I care about what "type of music" anyone listens to because I consider all music to be haraam, regardless of what it is about and this opinion is shared not just by me, but by the majority of ulama throughout history and has been explicitly mentioned in the ahadeeth and aathaar.

Furthermore, as has been mentioned before, the road of taqwa is the road of caution. If a person has taqwa, he would refrain from listening to music BECAUSE there is a difference of opinion on it. If one side believes music to be permissible and the other side believes music to be sinful - and these may be valid differences in opinion - what is the side of taqwa? It should be obvious. If the pro-music turns out to be right, then . If the anti-music side turns out to be right, then أعوذ با الله. This is the path of taqwa and we know this from the saheeh narrations and that there is no doubt upon this (unless of course you include minority opinions, such as the Shi'a, who disregard our ahadeeth altogether).

And you may adhere to the Amman message and other such pointless shows of unity, but I'll take the opinions of scholars greater than all those on the Amman message combined, such as Imam Bukhari who equated the Shi'a with the kuffaar.

[abdulwahhab]

Read this then:

http://web.youngmuslims.ca/online_li...slam/index.htm
http://www.onislam.net/english/shari...ns-part-2.html
http://www.onislam.net/english/readi...s.html?Values=
http://www.lamppostproductions.com/f...0Consensus.pdf

We can very much live and let live in the shade of scholarly disagreement - I do not mind what opinion another Muslim brother/sister takes on these issues - I respect them and love them for studying the faith and being conscientious in their decision. Alhamdullilah. I know people who do not listen to music and I see them as equals , and love them for being conscientious and admire them to sticking to their principles without being arrogant or overbearing. We learn to agree to disagree and as such no fitna ever arises - we do not doubt each other's faith like some people on this board.

I mind it when half literate Mullahs take the issue of Music and manipulate religious sentiment for point scoring by practising a deeply superficial and ostentatious politics. Using faith as a way of scoring political points is disgusting especially when the Mullah does it. I mind it when people use this issue to religiously blackmail their fellow Muslims and use it in an arrogant and self-righteous way to feed their ''religious Ego'' (''look at me I'm such a great Muslim blah blah blah'').

You've revealed yourself to be quite the hypocrite.

You refer to the ulama who hold anti-music viewpoints as mullahs who are trying to score political viewpoints. Do you know what is inside the heart of a person? Not even angels do. Our entire Islam is based on the outward expression of our deen. Our imaan, on the other hand, is based on our internal beliefs and only Allah knows who has a higher level of imaan. And then you have the guile to talk about manners when anyone talks about Suhaib Webb, who has most definitely become a controversial figure in recent times.

No one is doubting Suhaib Webb's imaan. There have been people like him who have promoted minority opinions in the past but the response has been to not pay such people heed. But, when people like you try to promote him as if he and others like him are the best representatives of Islam, breaking away from tradition and promoting all minority opinions, it becomes a problem, especially when people who don't know much about the deen fall into this trap.

What exactly do you mean by religious blackmail? The ulama who hold anti-music viewpoints and those who follow them have all the evidence in the world, without requiring much interpretation or twisting of the original sources. The pro-music side always has to twist and derive some hidden meanings from explicit proofs in Shari'ah. That may be their opinion but then to say that those who say and promote an anti-music viewpoint are somehow engaging in religious blackmail is not just abhorrent, but an outright lie. A person who drinks alcohol also feels the same way when he is told that it isn't allowed in Islam. A person who has boyfriends and girlfriends also feels the same way (and by the way, it seems like having boyfriends and girlfriends as long as there are no sexual relations is permissible if we take the fatwa that legitimizes touching ghayr mahram people, so I guess we are also religiously blackmailing people when we say that having boyfriends and girlfriends is haraam).

[a.s.]

Also from a pragmatic viewpoint music is a very powerful tool in the production of propaganda (like TV is). It is most commonly used against us. There is an intellectual war against Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat and pretty much every other type of people are involved.

I am absolutely certain that Muslims should use music, TV and film in effective ways to promote truth, just as the non-Muslims and Rafidites are using them to hide and argue against truth.

brother.

Bro, I dont think its a good idea to use Music, TV and films to promote Islam. That would be very contradictory as most scholars deem all this stuff as haram. Just because non-Muslims stoop so low as to use these things as propaganda against us, doesn't mean we have to compromise our deen and stoop as low as them.
Is it right to use alcohol to promote islam, or zina?

I get what you mean here, but we have the Qur'an and sunnah on our side. Thats what we should use to spread Islam. Good, clean, halal dawah.

[a.s.]

you do not have much idea of what constitutes a valid difference of opinion. please ask a scholar you trust about it or if you cant do that there is plenty of stuff on this forum that will let you know.
rest what you have said regarding your favorable opinion of music is your own opinion and not a religious ruling. nor do i agree with it. think before you speak. lot of people read the threads. you do not want anyone doing haram after reading your words yes?

relax brother, it was his own opinion, he's not giving a fatwa. No one has to follow it.