True Virtues

I came across this article by Ismail Moosa which serves as a concise summary of the proof texts on the prohibition of music and I wished to reproduce it here in short installments. The final installment in this series will not be from Ismail Moosa’s article, but rather our own collection of points of naseeha for the modern youth on how to deal with this issue of Music

What follows in blue is the first portion of Ismail Moosa’s article:

Proofs from the Qur’an

(1) Allah Taala mentions

((وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ))

((From amongst men there are those who purchase ‘lahw al hadith’ without knowledge, to mislead from the Path of Allah and they ridicule it. For them there is a humiliating punishment)). (Luqmân: 6)

The following great Commentators state that ‘lahw al hadith’ in the above verse refers to music….

a) Abdullah ibn Mas‘ûd radiyallâhu ‘anhu

b) Jâbir ibn ‘Abdillah radiyallâhu ‘anhu

c) Abdullâh ibn ‘Abbâs radiyallâhu ‘anhu

d) Hasan al-Basrî rahimahu Allah

e) Ikrimah rahimahu Allah

f) Ebrahim an Nakhi rahimahu Allah

g) Maymoon bin Mahran rahimahu Allah

h) Qatada rahimahu Allah

i) Sa‘îd ibn Jubayr rahimahu Allah

j) Mujâhid rahimahu Allah

k) Amr ibn Shu`ayb rahimahu Allah

l) Ali ibn Badhîmah rahimahu Allah

m) Habeeb rahimahu Allah

n) Makhûl. rahimahu Allah

o) Abd al Kareem rahimahu Allah

p) Ibn Zakhr rahimahu Allah

q) Ataa al Khuraasaani rahimahu Allah

The two greatest commentators of this Ummah, Abdullah bin Masood and Abdullah bin Abbaas (radiyallâhu ‘anhuma), used to take an oath and say that this verse refers to music.

[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 5/132, Al Mustadrak lil Hakim 2/211, Sunan al kubra lil Bayhaqi 10/223, Ad Durr al manthoor 8/76, Al Hawi al Kabeer 17/388, An Nukat wal uyoon 3/332, Tafseer Ibn Katheer 6/330, Tafseer al Qurtubi 14/52, Tafseer al Baghwi 6/283, Tafseer al lubaab libni Adil 13/10, Tafseer al Khaazin 5/145, Tafseer at Tabari 20/127, Zad al maser 5/105, Ma’arif al Quraan 7/28, Dhamm al malahi 5-6, Ahsan al fatawa 8/380]

(2) In Surah Bani Israeel, Allah Ta’ala mentioned to the devil

((وَاسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُمْ بِصَوْتِكَ ….الخ )) (64)

((And gradually befool those who you can from them with your voice (songs, music etc)….) (Bani Israeel 64)

The following illustrious commentators opined that ‘…your voice’ in the above mentioned verse refers to music…

a) Mujahid rahimahu Allah

b) Dhahaak rahimahu Allah

c) An Nasafi rahimahu Allah

d) At Tabri rahimahu Allah

e) As Suyuti rahimahu Allah

[Tafseer al Baghawi 5/105, Al muharrar al wajeez 4/258, Tafseer an Nasafi 2/209, Ad Durr al manthoor 6/297, Tafseer Al Bahr al muheet 7/372, Tafseer al lubaab 10/340, Tafseer at Tabari 8/108, 17/490, Ma’ani al Quraan lin Nuhaas 4/172, Adhwa al bayaan 3/230, Tafseer al Qurtubi 10/288,14/52, Ruh al ma’ani 11/11, Tafseer al Jalaalain 1/372, Al Ikleel 144, Ahsan al fatawa 8/381]

(3) The third verse which proves the impermissibility of music is the concluding verses of Surah Furqan where Allah has enumerated that one of the outstanding qualities of His slaves is that they distance themselves from music.

وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا

((And they are those who do not witness ‘Zoor’, and when they pass by futile activities, they pass in a dignified way)) (Furqan 72)

The following illustrious Commentators are of the opinion that ‘Zoor’ means music…

a) Mujahid rahimahu Allah

b) Imam Abu Hanifa rahimahu Allah

c) Abu Jafar rahimahu Allah

d) Muhammad bin Hanafia rahimahu Allah

e) Makhool rahimahu Allah

f) Ikramah rahimahu Allah

g) Abu al Jihaf rahimahu Allah

h) Hasan Basri rahimahu Allah

[Tafseer al Baghawi 6/98, Tafseer Ibn Abi Hatim 10/375, Ad Durr al manthoor 7/377, Tafseer at Tabari 19/313-315, Tafseer an Nisaburi 6/68, Fath al Qadeer 5/294, Zad al maser 4/484, Tafseer Ibn Katheer 6/130, Ruh al ma’ani 14/147, Ahkam al Quran 3/427, Al Mabda sharh al Maqna 10/290, Ma’alim at tanzeel 4/251, Ahsan al fatawa 8/382]

(4) Allah rebukes those who listen to music in the following verses

أَفَمِنْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ تَعْجَبُونَ (59) وَتَضْحَكُونَ وَلَا تَبْكُونَ (60) وَأَنْتُمْ سَامِدُونَ (61) فَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ وَاعْبُدُوا (62)

((Are you astonished at this recitation (the Quran)? And you laugh and do not cry, (Wasting your time) in vanities (music). So fall in prostration to Allah and worship him)) (An Najm 59-62)

The following distinguished commentators suggest that ‘vanities’ refers to music…..

a) Ibn Abbaas radiyallâhu ‘anhu

b) Abu Ubaidah radiyallâhu ‘anhu

c) Ikrimah rahimahu Allah

d) Mujahid rahimahu Allah

e) Baydhawi rahimahu Allah

[Zad al maser 5/448, An Nukat wal uyoon 4/195, Tafseer al Qurtubi 14/51, Tafseer al Baydhawi 5/245, Fath al Qadeer 7/85, Tafseer Ibn Katheer 7/468, Tafseer at Tabari 22/559, Ruh al ma’ani 20/44, Bahr al uloom lis Samarqandi 4/217, Tafseer Abd ar Razzaaq 7/13, Ahsan al fatawa 8/381]

(5) Another verse which could be cited is the following…

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنَا إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاءَ سَبِيلًا (32)

((And go not close to unlawful sex, verily it is a ‘fahisha’ (anything that that transgresses its limits: a great sin) and (it is) an evil way.)

Music plays a great role in stimulating one’s emotions, lusts and passions and also leads to various physiological disorders. This is a proven concept in psychology. Our pious predecessors also understood this well….

Yazeed bin Waleed An Naqidh (rahimahullah) has advised: “Oh Bani Ummayah, save yourselves from music, as it would decrease your modesty, increases your lust and demolish your morality. It would create within you the fondness of wine and it will lead you to do what a drunken person does. If (as a last resort) you really have to listen to music then, at least save your womenfolk from it for verily music leads to fornication.” (Narrated by Ibn Abi ad Dunya in dham al malahi and Al Bayhaqi in Shuab al Iman)

Fuzail bin Ayaaz (rahimahullah) has said: “Music is the catalyst to zina” (Narrated by Ibn Abi ad Dunya in dham al malahi and Al Bayhaqi in Shuab al Iman)