Music And Islam: Wind, Strings And Fear of A Black Planet

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Music and Islam: Wind, Strings and Fear of A Black Planet

by Brother Dash

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Abridged Version Here
One of the most controversial and argument provoking issues amongst Muslims today is the issue of Music and Islam.  Muslims living in historically Non-Muslim societies, such as the United States, Canada and England, are identifying more and more with their unique cultural contexts.  These Muslims are engaging with certain aspects of culture that can at times conflict with the understandings of Islam and Culture by other Muslims in the same and certainly outside of the same society.  One of these conflicts relates to the very permissibility of music in Islam.  In the often emotionally charged atmosphere over the “halal/haram” of music in Islam a clear definition of this word “Music” is rarely articulated.  Before we delve into the details of the title of this article let us try to have an understanding if not definition of Music.

“How to define music has long been the subject of debate; philosophers, musicians, and, more recently, various social and natural scientists have argued about what constitutes music… Music may be defined according to various criteria including organization, pleasantness, intent, social construction, perceptual processes and engagement, universal aspects or family resemblances, and through contrast or negative definition.” (Wikipedia)

“In Africa there is no term for music in Tiv, Yoruba, Igbo, Efik, Birom, Hausa, Idoma, Eggon or Jarawa. Many other languages have terms which only partly cover what Europeans mean by the term music” (Wikipedia)

Based on the above a definition it would appear as though that which constitutes music is subjective or ambiguous at best.  But what makes a clear definition of music even more elusive is the fact that many languages, as you see above, and cultures don’t even have a word for it including by the way the Arabic language at the time of the Prophet Muhammad! (peace be upon him) . So when we talk about music being halal or haram (permissible or prohibited) what are we referring to as music? Part of this article is dedicated to addressing this.

The study of music including theory and structure has been a kind of science for centuries.  Music was used by Muslims and Non-Muslims to aid in understanding other sciences such as Astronomy.  However the Arabic word “musiqa”, derived from the Greek mousike (i.e. from the muses), came after the advent of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.   Pre-Islamic Arabs were not a scientific people and thus did not have such a word “music” until after Islam.  Instead the Arabs like many other people had names for certain aspects of cultural expression like poetry (Sha’yr) or song (ghina). But we are not living in Pre-Islamic Arabia nor vice-versa. Today whether you hear a “song” or an instrumental you consider it to be this thing called “Music”. If you hear a song like “Man In The Mirror” by Michael Jackson or something lewd from Snoop Dogg you still call both music.  Was this the case in 7th Century Arabia?

There is a definition of music known as the Social Construct view. This view states that music is what people call music and it is dependent on time and culture.  So what constitutes song and even dance today is not necessarily what would be recognized as such during the time of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.  So when we talk about music being permissible we are not talking about the “music” of Britney Spears, Gangster Rap, or that which accompanies various forms of vice.  So what then is music? I will not tell you! (smile).  God willing you as the reader will answer that question for yourself.

Why Am I Writing This Article?

When I decided to write this article I was motivated to do so not by the legalistic argument over music in Islam but really by the larger issues related to Culture, Identity and Power. I have found that the recent tenor of this discussion has degenerated to the point where it really isn’t so much about halal/haram as it is about culture clashes, Muslim identity, racialism, and communal control.  So my purpose is not to contribute to argumentation nor to debate. I have no interest in a debate over music.  My interest lies in the implications of this debate for our lives as Muslims.  Music is a major component of the “lived experiences” of people. If we are going to say that “music”, however we define it, is haram then are we comfortable totally negating the lived experiences of everyone in humanity that has ever existed since the time of the Prophet until today? Are we going to metaphorically incinerate every culture’s wind and string instrument for the thousands and thousands of years they have had this type of artistic expression? That would be the implication of music being haram and that is a concern that I have.  So my goal in writing Music and Islam: Wind, Strings And Fear of A Black Planet is simply to try to help heighten understanding and bring people closer to a place of sakeenah (tranquility) within the broad parameters of this beautiful faith.  With this as my introduction…Let us begin!

Music is Halal By Default…You Need Evidence For Its Prohibition

There is a guiding principle amongst the surviving schools of thought that all matters not related to worship (those in the cultural realm for example) are deemed to be permissible or at best thanni (conjectural) until there is compelling evidence to the contrary*.  There are very few things outside the realm of ibadah that are absolutely definitive. This is well known in usul (Juridical methodology).  The list of prohibitions in artistic expression is rather short and quite intuitive for Muslims and people of good conscience alike. Some of them are:

  • No lewdness
  • No vulgarities/obscenities
  • Nothing that ignites nationalism or divisiveness
  • Context in which artistic expression takes place does not promote behavior considered socially unacceptable in Islam

You can probably ascertain a few others for as I say the above is quite intuitive. In the domain of “non-ibadah” most things are thanni hence the wide array of opinions on music and the use of instruments. But if you recall in the opening section of this article we have had some ambiguity as to the socio-cultural definition of this word music. Let’s explore it then from a Quran, Sunnah and Scholarly perspective.

What does The Quran Say Not Say?

There is no verse in the Quran specifically forbidding music. There is no verse that says “Music or the playing/listening to of musical instruments and singing is haram”. By contrast you will find verses on prohibited meat, alcohol and gambling but nothing prohibiting music. The most oft cited verse by those who proclaim music to be haram is in Surah Luqman (31:6):

And of mankind there are some who buy idle tales without knowledge, to mislead people from the path of Allah, and take it in jest. For such there is a humiliating torment.

Those that promote the music is haram view say that “idle tales” (lahw) means music.  We have discussed how the Arabs of the time did not even have a word for “music” but instead referred to forms of what we consider musical expression today so let us look at the occasion of this verse.  The Non-Muslim Meccan elite who were antagonistic towards Islam used to try to distract the Muslims away from the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. One of the ways they would do so was to hire “singing girls”. These were usually attractive young women or girls who would sing songs along the paths where Muslims would walk thereby diverting their attention from The Prophet. This verse was revealed in response.  But lahw does not refer specifically to “music”.  If you recall in the introduction to this article the Arabs at the time did not consider “song” and “playing instruments” and “listening to instruments/songs” and “poetry” and “performance” all equivalent . They did not lump all of these artistic expressions together under the term we know as music.  The word used in this verse is lahw which refers to any diverting amusement (even football for you British soccer lovers out there).  These idle tales by singing girls was a diverting amusement just like sports and games.  In fact the 14th century scholar ibn Taymiyyah held this same view.  He was against ALL FORMS OF LAHW (AMUSEMENT) including games. But let’s assume that lahw does in fact refer to music.  What of Surah Jumuah (62:11) where the same word lahw appears:

Yet when they see some business/merchandise (tijara) or amusement/diversion (lahw) they break away to it and leave you standing (referring to the Prophet Muhammad). Say: ‘That which Allah has in store is far better than any diversion or merchandise.’

Here we see lahw being used again. In the essay A Fatwa On Music, Shaykh Jad Ul-Haq Ali of Al-Azhar University writes:

In this verse God has joined lahw (amusements with musical instruments) together with tijara (business or trade) using the grammatical particle wa (and) which means that the law and ruling that applies to one of them must apply to the other since they are joined together. We know that Muslims unanimously agree that tijara (business or trade) is permissible…

Furthermore in the Arabic dictionary Al-Misbah Al-Munir it says that the original meaning of lahw is tarwih which is amusement and relaxation. Lahw then is really any amusement that can pre-occupy one but is NOT EXCLUSIVE to music.  Also if you try to use this verse to justify music being haram you would have to then say that engaging in business is haram due to the conjunctive used in the verse. No one says this. Since the Quran does not forbid music most of those who hold music to be haram focus on the Prophetic Sunnah. Let us spend some time there.

The Sunnah and Music

“Allah is beautiful and he loves beauty” -Sahih Muslim

For our purposes we will define The Sunnah by how we come to know what the Sunnah is i.e. ahadith (plural of hadith which refers to reports we have received regarding the sayings, actions and tacit approvals of The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him).  Let us begin with support for musical expression.

The Abyssinians in The Mosque

This hadith found in the strongest of all hadith collections (Sahih Bukhari) refers to an instance during one of Islam’s religious celebrations of a group of Men from Abysinnia who were dancing with spears and playing drums in the mosque. The Prophet’s close companion, and 2nd Caliph, Umar had a desire to stop them but was prevented from doing so by the Prophet.  (In fact according to scholar Sheikh Abdallah Adhami the Abyssinians also engaged in this activity on other occasions including days other than Eid)

Playing Musical Instruments and Song

In Sahih Bukhari we also have mention of the occasion of The Prophet’s arrival to Medina (Yathrib).  The people welcomed him by playing instruments (in all likelihood drums as this was the predominant instrument in their cultural practices), performing a kind of dance (which we will define in a moment) and engaging in song which incidentally the Women of Medina participated in.  Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s closest companion and 1st Caliph, wanted to reprimand them for this but the Prophet said “No…Let the Jews see that our religion is relaxed and accommodating.” They continued by singing amongst other things “We are the daughters of Najaar”.  [As an aside: The Prophet specifically mentioned “The Jews” because in Medina they were the cultural arbiters of expression].

In terms of dance the Ansar were performing something akin to the Quranic definition of dance known as “haraqa”. Haraqa in classical Arabic is “fervor created by movement”. It is the kind of dance you might see at a cultural festival but not at a club or party or on a music video.  It is not to be confused with the modern Arabic definition for dance i.e. “Raks” even when this term occurs in some ahadith it is still not referring to the modern Arabic understanding.  In fact what we call “dance” (raks in modern Arabic) today would not be recognized as such in 7th century Arabia.

A Woman’s Vow

Also in Sahih Bukhari we have the story of the woman who pledged to the Prophet that she would “sing”a song of praise if the Messenger of Allah were to be returned safely from a battle. The Messenger did not rebuke her and say “Oh no sister you can’t make a vow like that because as a Woman your voice is your awrah and you are not allowed to sing to Men not even me.” That did not occur. In fact when he did return he encouraged her to fulfill her vow.  She sang but how did she do so? She sang of course in a dignified not lewd manner.  Let us recall our usuli principles that were mentioned under the heading Music is Halal By Default.  In fact in a separate narration of the same story in the Sunan of Abu Dawud we find that not only did this Woman sing (remember 7th century decorum) but that she also included a kind of haraqa in a style similar to those Abysinnians in the mosque.  In fact there are some traditional tribes in Morocco that have maintained this dignified centuries old form of coordinated folk movement. Here’s a little nugget:  This story is an example of the Prophet’s mercy and magnanimity for in allowing her to fulfill her vow he honored and elevated her.  This is because the vow of a Woman in Pre-Islamic Arabia was invalid!

The Girls Who Sang an Ode

We also have the story in Sahih Bukhari of the group of girls that were singing an ode in front of the Prophet . It was only when they started to sing words to the effect “And oh Allah bless our Prophet who knows the future” that he interrupted them by gesturing and saying in the negative “Mah” (or “uh uh” for a modern equivalent).  He said words to the effect of “What you were saying before that was fine but don’t say that [i.e. knowing of the future].”  This demonstrates that “content” is the major determining factor in permissibility.

The Girls Who Sang But Weren’t Singers

We also have a very illuminating story for our discussion related by Aisha in Sahih Bukhari. In this hadith there were two girls that were singing at her home in the presence of the Prophet. Abu Bakr became upset by this and proceeded to attempt to stop them. The Prophet instead said to let them continue. You may think that I am mentioning for the fact that they were singing and the Prophet prevented Abu Bakr from stopping them. Yes we can say how this supports the position of this article but I did not include this hadith for that reason. What is really interesting about this hadith is what Aisha mentions when relating it.  She, may Allah be pleased with her, described the girls as girls who sang BUT WERE NOT SINGERS! Why did Aisha not simply stop after saying “two girls were singing” and relate the hadith?  This is crucial for us to remember because this whole argument of people claiming music to be haram almost always fails to inform us of history and context.  These girls were not the Britney Spears and Shakira (may they be guided aright) of their time.  Aisha makes a point of emphasizing that the girls were not songstresses.  They were not of a people who during that time were known to be Singers with a capital S. During this time and for several centuries after you would have individuals that would sing lewd poetry, often accompanied by musical instruments by the way (we’ll get to that). So you would have songstresses involved in this kind of undignified musical expression.  But ghina (singing) per se  wasn’t the issue as the hadith shows. Aisha makes a DISTINCTION between good singing which in this historical context meant individuals who were not “Singers” and bad singing which in this cultural reality was the practice of virtually anyone who was a “Singer”. In fact the hadith is more of a proof of usuli principles and frankly that is where this discussion truly resides.  Context is King!

Wind, Strings And Understanding The Famous Bukhari Hadith

The most oft quoted hadith from those who claim music, especially the use of wind and string instruments, is prohibited is found in the following hadith in Sahih Bukhari:

“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.”

-Sahih Bukhari

English ≠ Arabic

Sahih Bukhari is the most rigorously authenticated hadith collection in Islam.  The English translations however are not always accurate or they are not related in a way that can give the reader a full appreciation for what they actually mean to say. To help us with the ORIGINAL ARABIC of this hadith I asked the eminent scholar, linguist and hadith expert Sheikh Abdallah Adhami to provide an explanation of the philological (the study of historical and comparative linguistics) analysis of the implications that are inherent in the hadith.  In other words what is in the original Arabic, what is the context of the hadith and what historical realities help us to understand this hadith in modern times. Please note that the Sheikh is not reiterating the renown ibn Hazm critique of the authorities (transmitters) listed.  This hadith is definitive yes i.e. Sahih. But the implication of a definitive hadith is not necessarily definitive. You need to understand the classical Arabic. Let us begin.

The Sheikh has explained that the modern Arabic word for playing musical instruments is ‘azf.  But in pre-Islamic Arabic this word ‘azf meant something different.   It was a noun that carried several derivable meanings however its core meaning was understood by the Arabs to mean “an unrecognizable sound”.  Now in the hadith above we find the very same root for ‘azf being used however in its plural form ma’aazif (the use of musical instruments).  Ma’aazif usually accompanied lewd poetry of the time. So thus far we have what should be translated as “the playing of unrecognizable sounds [through these instruments that are normally associated with the lewd singing of poetry (i.e. what we may consider a song today)]”.  We will analogize the unrecognizable part shortly.  Stay with me I know it’s a lot but not everything is a simple answer.

Where Imam Bukhari Places This Hadith

Herein lies the caveat! What is the chapter heading that Imam Bukhari places this hadith under? Is it under a chapter that says “Music/Singing/Poetry is haram, Instruments are haram, etc…etc..?” No it is not. The chapter heading in Sahih Bukhari that this hadith falls under is: “Prohibition of Khamr (wine/intoxicants) and Calling The Drink By Another Name”.   Thus the more correct understanding of the hadith would be that

you will have people who will call the playing or listening to of these unrecognizable sounds (using instruments normally associated with vice) by another name in order to make it lawful.

So this hadith isn’t saying that music or musical instruments are haram BY NATURE…INTRINSICALLY. It is saying that these people will call wine something else, silk clothing something else, fornication something else, “ma’aazif” something else in order to legitimize them! This isn’t a wholesale rejection of music. Quite the contrary as we have shown that other forms of what we consider musical expression to be today were allowed and at times encouraged by The Prophet himself!

Cultural Context

What is critical in our understanding of this hadith and the general issue of music permissibility is what was going on at the time.  Culturally speaking instrument playing was done in conjunction with lewd poetry.  It was a cultural norm. Instruments (wind and string in particular) were also mostly present in gatherings that encouraged vice. And if you read the various scholars and Imams that have said musical instruments are haram they almost always position their rulings in this context.  So if you were someone who played an instrument as a general rule that would be a red flag in society. Why? Because the only people who did that were people in these types of gatherings.  This is why in some classic texts you will find mention of the rejection of court testimony of some musicians.  Abu Bakr Bayhaqi  as we know compiled a well known and highly regarded hadith collection many scholars quote from. In the 10th volume (Book of Testimony) he talks about music and interestingly this is the ONLY place he mentions music.  He highlights how Imam Shafi said poetry is the realm of wisdom and there are people who use poetry along with musical instruments to entertain and bring joy to others. Imam Shafi says that the testimony of these people is VALID. There are those people who make a profession out of this however and their testimony is INVALID. It was understood in this cultural context that people who did this were engaging in or facilitating lewd behavior. This is important when accepting or rejecting a person’s testimony in court.  Interestingly Abu Hanifah also held that engaging in music and lewdness was not a necessary association although the mashur (majority opinion) of the Hanafi madhab does not take their founder’s view.

Jurists and An Analogy

All of the Imams that talk about the legality of musical instruments do so from an usuli perspective. You see this with ghinaa (singing).  Virtually everyone considers singing to be lawful. But jurists have said that singing can be haram. But when they do they refer to the kind of singing that incites and ignites carnal desire. They do so based on the usuli principles we mentioned earlier.  Once again we see content is king! All commentators on this hadith remarkably say very little about the musical instrument portion. In Fath Al-Bari by Ibn Hajar he spends 3-4 pages on this hadith but only 3 lines are focused on the musical instruments part of the hadith. Usul is what we go to to understand music in Islam.  This is why I made a point of including the usuli principles in this article.

At this point you are hopefully beginning to have an appreciation for the foundational understanding of the view of music being permissible.  And when we say music is permissible are we talking about anything we call music? Are we talking about any setting? Are we talking about any type of content? Are we understanding what musical/artistic expression meant in 7th Century Arabia? Are we applying 21st century Western understanding to 1400 years ago and vice-versa? Hopefully we can now accept that at the very least there is a legitimate difference of opinion (if you still adhere to another view) and that our energy is better spent on the issues of FAR GREATER import that I will address later in this article. But let’s move on to the final legalistic discussion and bring in some history and scholarship.

Some Historical Nuggets

The origin of the words lute, rebec, guitar and naker are from the Arabic Al-Oud, Rabab, qitara and naqqara is an established fact. That we owe three of these instruments themselves to the Arabs we know for certainity [dispute over guitar coming directly from Arabs].”
–Historical Facts For The Arabian Musical Influence by Henry George Farmer**.

Interestingly Muslims had a tremendous impact on music and musical instruments historically.

Al Andalus

Most of the Iberian Peninsula saw its greatest development under Islamic rule and this extended into Art and Culture. Al-Hakam II, Sultan in Al-Andalus, improved upon a kind of saxophone. Al Salahi (13th century scholar) says that the Christians borrowed this instrument from the Arabs (i.e. Muslims). Ibn Khaldun also describes this.  We also know that Al-Andalus was at the center of musical instrument production in the world and the Abbasid Caliphate even had a court musician. You will not find an analogy of anything else that is supposedly “haram” being publicly state sanctioned, developed and promoted globally.  Muslims never contributed much to the development of gambling, alcohol, pork production, houses of “ill repute” etc even if a limited number of private citizens engaged in these things. But they did so with music. This would be the only exception if music were indeed haram. Let us move on to scholarship.

Scholarship

You will often hear people say things like “All scholars condemn music” or the “vast majority of scholars” say music is haram. Others will say “only modern scholars” allow for musical instruments. Here is a list, with special thanks to Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, of just some of the classic scholars that have written on the permissibility of music to varying degrees:

  • Imam Dhahabi
  • Ibn Hazm
  • Shawkani
  • Qadi Iyad
  • Ibn Arabi
  • Al-Ghazali

Modern Scholarship

Shaykh Jad ul-Haq Ali, Grand Mufti of Al-Azhar (rahimullah) published an essay (in 1980) on the permissibility of music from a Shariah perspective. Read it for yourself here. You also have the current Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shaykh Ali Jumuah also affirming that music is halal. There are many other scholars that have spoken on the permissibility of musical expression and hopefully you have a greater understanding as to what we mean by music.

We have now concluded the Music and Islam: Wind, Strings part.  We will focus the remainder of this article on some of the more salient issues in my opinion which I put under the category Fear of A Black Planet. Before concluding this section I must thank Sheikh Abdallah Adhami, Director of Sakeenah,Inc.  for his selflessness in contributing to this article. Without his hours of counsel and gentlemanly corrections to my several drafts (due to my own shortcomings) this article could not have been published in good conscience. I urge you to support his efforts and visit the website www.sakeenah.org.

The Fear of A Black Planet Part

While I do not hold the view that music is haram I am accepting of those with a contrary opinion. There are some however who can’t seem to do the same and have taken up the anti-music position as a sort of rallying cry. But having a different view on music doesn’t explain the fervor and frankly ugliness that can come from this debate. There are several scholars and everyday Muslims who differ with the view of music being permissible but do not articulate their views in a divisive way. These next sections are not about them.  But for the ones that are using this issue in a way that facilitates argumentation perhaps the remainder of this article will be of benefit. Hopefully we can put certain views into a social context that allows clarity to break through the smoke of confusion.

Persnickety, Pugnacious, Personalities with Pens

There are many voices chiming in (pun intended) on this issue.  Bear in mind that when you are considering who or what to listen to you should be aware of personality and punditry. Let’s start with personality. Some people take a more constrictive approach to issues by their very nature. Others see the world through a very narrow prism of us vs. them, black or white.  Some are argumentative and thus approach issues in a manner that alienates as opposed to invites.  There have always been individuals like this. Some of our scholars have even been more constrictive by nature than others and reflect this in their rulings.  So an individual’s personality should be taken into consideration ESPECIALLY when we are discussing cultural expression because it is so subjective and open to biases.

Now imagine a personality with an audience.  Today one has a worldwide platform to express their views without the checks and balances of editors, peer reviewers, fact verifiers or  the financial constraints associated with paper based publishing.  Nothing is cheaper than free!  In this world of free blogs you can be a do-it-yourself pundit.  Don’t confuse punditry with expertise even if it carries the title “Imam”.  Anyone can wax poetic or not-so-poetic. The internet is basically a publishing medium and we have been conditioned to believe that “published” means legitimate.  Anyone with a mouth and an opinion can have a virtual majlis.  This would not be possible pre-Internet.  Even if “back in the day” said pundit once spun a record, grabbed a microphone or played a banjo at the local hootenanny that doesn’t mean he has synthesized those experiences with his new found knowledge constructively.  His personal “religious epiphany” should not  be used as a battle axe against others.  Nor should the title of “Imam” or “Sheikh” lead one to believe that one is an expert on any issue various and sundry involving Muslims and Islam.  Sometimes it is best to remain silent as articulating a point when one is inexperienced or “unlettered” on a subject may do more harm than good. Imams and Scholars should be humble and egoless enough to offer counsel on subjects they know and based on the contextual situation at hand. They are not by default THE experts on Puerto Rican History, Spoken Word Poetry or Medical Ethics.  So it is important that those we reference on these issues are not simply pundits with Alpha Male personalities nor even by default performing artists who may or may not have adequate knowledge of Islam to go with their experience in front of audiences.

Fear of A Black Planet: Islam, Hip-Hop & The American Way

A final and equally important reason for a proscriptive attitude among the hardliners is the fact that much music is influenced by non-Islamic, Western musical traditions, or is produced in the Western world. Music can be seen as a part of a Western, and sometimes specifically North American, cultural imperialism. This competes with and draws attention from Allah and Islam… This reaction[censure of music and musicians] can be seen as part of the counter power strategies relating to globalization and Western hegemony…The modern hardliners have identified music as a serious rival to Islam.

–Shoot The Singer by Maria Korpe pp 15-16

The greatest American export is American Pop Culture.  A major influencer of this pop culture is the Black American experience.  You notice it in designers looking at urban (read: Black) fashion trends, mainstream use of popular slang (words like “diss” and “give a shout out” have made it into the common vernacular), and of course in music.  Hip-Hop is perhaps the most obvious example of this influence.  Muslim youth are still enamored with rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls over a decade after their deaths.  The eyes and ears of Muslim youth be they Black, Arab, South Asian, Latino, or White are captivated by Hip-Hop i.e. Black Urban American culture.  Not only are Muslim youth listening to the music but more importantly to point out for our discussion they take on a Hip-Hop aesthetic.  The fashion, speech and mannerisms of many Muslim youth regardless of country are of this aesthetic. This is disconcerting to many Muslims and as the author of Shoot The Singer, Maria Korpe, mentions above they have identified music and I would say Hip-Hop in particular as a rival to Islam.

Whilst I would share their concern over the negative aspects of Hip-Hop and by extension American Pop culture I do not agree with the wholesale rejection of a culture simply because it doesn’t fit one’s cultural comfort zone.  And this cultural comfort zone is not by default the “Muslim” culture assuming there even is such a thing. Just because you may have a comfort zone made up of physically homogenous people, with no visible contributions from people that don’t look like you, and you have been in a majority Muslim culture for so long where that which is cultural and what is “Islamic” have fused for you doesn’t mean that my cultural expression is “un”Islamic.  So Black cultural expression, American cultural expression becomes problematic for some people. We do have racism and “racialism” (seeing things through a prism of race) in our communities negatively contributing to this discussion. Reference the article: Marry A Black Muslim Brother? Muslim Marriage Attitudes Depend on Blackness.  You have Arab/South Asian Muslims who have issues with Blackness.  But you also have many Black converts that reject aspects of their own Black culture replacing them with Arab or South Asian cultural norms due to fear of taking on nationalism (a legacy of the Black revolutionary experience post 1960’s America-Yeah this can get real deep folks). And this nationalism has reared its head in Islam from traditionally Muslim cultures before:

“…the Arabs were too jealous of encroachments upon that sacred and superior thing called ‘Arab nationality’ to permit of foreign ways and customs to any great extent….”

–Historical Facts For Arabian Musical Influence (p.50) by Henry George Farmer

The word jealous should probably be replaced by “prideful” for historical clarity. We can also reference the Prophet Muhammad’s final sermon where he states that there is no superiority of an Arab over a Non-Arab or a White over a Black. There would be no need to mention this if it were not an issue amongst the people.  What is interesting is that you see this defensive attitude towards certain cosmetic aspects of culture. But the Arab Muslims had no problem with foreign knowledge. They preserved as we know various knowledge from other people.

So in addition to the racial aspects Fear of A Black Planet is a metaphor for all things “foreign” to traditional Muslim cultures including the mindset of even some converts to the faith who surrender their own autonomy at times to these Islamic gatekeepers.   One of the manifestations of “foreign” culture is musical expression.  Some Muslims feel threatened by this and thus come out against music with almost rabid enthusiasm.  For many Muslims, especially those who don’t consider America or the West to be their culture, it frankly makes them mad (both angry and a bit loopy).  So you have a lot of resentment directed towards the U.S. and since much of America’s culture rides on the beats, notes, and lyrics of popular song this contributes to an anti-music position.

The Boss of Me: Controlling the Muslim Narrative

Many people who articulate a rabid anti-music stance (keyword: “rabid”) or those who blog and speak out against it do so out of a need to control and dominate the Muslim narrative.  I alluded to this earlier. I have witnessed, and perhaps you have as well, individuals practically bullying their way through arguments.  They literally occupy bully pulpits! Their arguments tend to be less academic, intellectual or even experiential in nature but are instead more emotional, arrogant and judgmental of others. In my view they are coming from a particular cultural perspective on the matter, and maybe some character flaws, masquerading under the Quranic reference of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong.  This is reminiscent of puritanical Christianity. “If it feels good then it must be bad.” This kind of asceticism is discouraged in Islam. But their arguments can be convincing to some.  We have already established that the conventional Islamic wisdom was that music was haram thus they speak in an environment probably predisposed to this notion anyway.  They then juxtapose that message to obvious unIslamic examples related to music.  They can reference the antics of Superbowl halftime “wardrobe malfunctions”, satanic references in Death Metal “music”, and lyrics in songs like “Blame it on the Alcohol”.  No Muslim in good conscience will defend the negative implications of music.  But this is already covered in the principles of Islamic Jurisprudence anyway that we referenced earlier. Islam has already dealt with this.  But unfortunately you can dictate the narrative if the audience doesn’t know the story.

Conclusion

How should you use this article? Let’s start with how you should NOT use this article. Music and Islam: Wind, Strings And  Fear of A Black Planet is not meant to be used for the purposes of a music debate. As the author I am not interested in debating the issue and I hope you will not spend a great deal of energy arguing with others and using this article to do so.

So how might you use this article? If you are/were in a quandary on this issue or needed some “backing” for what your soul always “felt” but could not “defend” then maybe this will help you.  If you maintain an anti-music stance then hopefully you have at least gained an appreciation for where “the other side” is coming from. Perhaps I am being a bit utopic but at the very least I hope it allows us to respectfully agree to disagree then.

More importantly I hope that we can begin to have substantive discussions on the dynamics of race, culture and control of the Muslim narrative in our communities.  Islam is not so much a “religion” as it is a lived experience for the Muslim.  It does not exist between the pages of books. It is exists in our hearts and is expressed by our souls. This article seeks to bring sakeenah to your heart and your soul. Stay Blessed.

Brother Dash
www.brotherdash.com
brotherdash@gmail.com

Brother Dash is a Muslim Spoken Word Poet and Social Critic. His performances have been broadcast to over 4 million TV and Radio households worldwide and over 100,000 have seen him live. He has written several articles on culture, entertainment and Islam.

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*There are a couple of exceptions to this not related to our discussion. One example is the fact that meat needs to be properly slaughtered before it can be consumed. Also bear in mind that this maxim refers to acts not related to ibadah where in fact the opposite is true.

**Mr. Farmer was a musicologist and the foremost authority on the Arab influence on world music including post Islam. We do not have time nor space to discuss him in further detail so perhaps you should avail yourself of your local library or online book search tool.

48 thoughts on “Music And Islam: Wind, Strings And Fear of A Black Planet”

  1. Guys,
    I ain’t sure it’s written or not in Quran. But doesn’t music takes you away from d zikr of Allah? When we will b on d arena(Arafat ka maidaan) @ Judgement Day, what will you speak? Indeed you won’t speak, your eyes, your ears your organs will speak on behalf of u….
    When you go in kabr, there will b 3 questions, Mann Rabbuka, Mann deenuka Mann Nabiuka…
    Which means who’s your God? What’s your Deen/Religion? Who’s your Prophet?
    One will b able to answer only if he has obeyed Allah by following Islam On d path of His loved prophet (Following sunnats)
    So will music help you stay connected with Allah?
    If prophet Mohammed (Swallalahu Alaihi wa swallam) has never heard music then y do we want to follow this tradition? Are v bringing some fitna aur inculcating our Own rules into Islam?
    Tauba kar lo… Astag firullahi rabbi min qulli zambiu wa atu by ilaihi….
    May peace b on u n May shaitan iblis stay away from you all….
    As salaamu alaikum,
    Abid

    1. “If prophet Mohammed (Swallalahu Alaihi wa swallam) has never heard music…”

      Bro you should read the article, or familiarize yourself with the ahadeeth in support of music. The Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam) did listen to music & dance and appreciated it.

      The point is to respect people who follow different opinions. You cannot make others feel guilty for following a valid (and much more logical) opinion.

  2. Dear Brother Brother Dash (hehe)

    You have helped my community in SA tremendously by breaking it down like this. In South Africa this is a huge issue especially being a nasheed artist myself. My band started using beatboxing and harmonies to bridge the gap between haters and lovers of music but after 7 years of doing so, we still have so much of anger between the two sides. So now, the band has left Islamic Nasheeds per se and are using our talents to make Dawah and instead of Nasheed shows we are singing at multi-cultural and interfaith shows because we are so dissapointed in the muslim community who for over 7 years not one muslim business invested in us. Its so sad.

  3. Assalam alaikum brothers and sisters in islam! I commend bro. Dash for this effort. Pls read surat Al shuara vs224-227. ALLAH permits good song that is full of remembrance of ALLAH while HE totally condemns those who listen to satanic music. What have the scholars to say about this verse? In response to d brother who said ‘recitation and adhan are music’, it’s not so. Pls read surat Yasin:69-70. Pls watch what u say.

  4. I felt blessed to go through this writeup.
    Sorry to put the view, “I personally believe music only accelerates the pace of one’s thoughts without putting in anything from outside. So it is upto us to play it in either direction”

  5. The article is a mish-mash of confusion that – although appears lengthy – lacks in forwarding much that is credible. As a simple principle we should refer to the best of us when determining whether or not something is permissible or otherwise in the religion; namely, the first few generations about whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spoke about in this regard. Quite simply, and without the need for verbiage, who from among the scholars of these generations considered the playing of musical instruments as being permissible? No need to muddy the waters, and no need to present the matter as something similar in complexity to the human brain. And the fact that Imam Al-Bukhaaree (may Allah have mercy on him) was referenced as being complicit in the production of music via the name he chose for the chapter in question (see the article) is ridiculous. Do not be fooled by the apparent extensiveness on the piece at the expense of ignoring any substance – or indeed lack thereof.

  9. Assalam Alaikum,

    Regarding the sensitive issue of music in Islam, I think both parties can be addressed to, with the help of Imam Al-Gazali’s works in his Ihya Ulum al-Din (Revival of Religious Sciences) series. Can be viewed at : http://www.ghazali.org/site/ihya.htm
    Moreover, i think Dr.Yusuf Al-Qardhawi’s work is also helpful to understand this subject, especially the book “Diversion and Arts in Islam”.
    May Allah guide us.

  10. The scholars you mentioned are of the Soofi methodology and of course they’re going to say whatever to promote their ‘harmonious’ soofi views. Refer to great scholars of Ahl al Hadeeth such as Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Salih Al ‘Uthaymeen, Shaykh Bin Baz, Shaykh al-albani and see what they said. We and the author are not qualified to make tafsir of the Qur’an with such a poor understanding the Arabic language.

    1. And what you are doing Mr. Joe Bloggs is avoiding the issue or compensating for lack of having a defendable argument. You basically coming up with a label “soofi”, make it negative (i.e. soofi means “they don’t know Islam”), then give that label to anyone you don’t agree with. You then take it further and say you need to listen to “my scholars” who are the “real scholars”. That’s a lazy, juvenile and ignorant approach. Deal with the substance of the argument don’t be lazy and just label people that don’t agree with your opinions. Take the scholars out of it. I purposefully presented a holistic argument just for individuals such as yourself that would try to do the “label them soofies” thing. Deal with the Quran and Sunnah then and leave the scholars out including your own. Because if we go down that road I can easily start pointing out issues with the individuals YOU mentioned. Or I could reiterate ibn Taymiyyah who stated ALL AMUSEMENTS/DIVERSIONS were haram not just music. That would perhaps include the very device you used to make your comment. So let’s not get into the my scholar vs. your scholar debate. Deal with the SUBSTANCE of the argument. Leave the labels for lazy people who have nothing to offer.

      2. BrotherDash, that response hit the nail on the head. People brandish the “Sufi” label on anything they consider “Bida” or innovative/unauthentic. You have written a beautiful article…Much appreciated!

  11. I am constantly amazed at how music gets singled out. Love of wealth is condemned so clearly in the Qur’an again and again – and there are very clear hadith about over eating. So many arguments get used against music that would me more appropriate, relevant and timely if directed against theses other matters. But it rarely happens. Entire Muslim communities are engrossed grabbing dunia with their teeth, and as long as the local Islamic centre gets a cut it’s all OK. There is rampant ostentation and snobbery, and often very low standards amongst many of our professional class, which makes you wonder if all they are interested in is the loot. Yet we constantly hear “If you spend your time and money listening to music” yadder yadder yadder. Why always just music? The number of morbidly obese people who repeat this kind of stuff – why don’t YOU spend less time stuffing your face!!! And if some of us spent less time having to have the latest Mercedes and spent less time clawing their way into the “best” side of town by a n y means maybe there would be an improvement in how people see us and where we really end up. And apart from that isn’t it about time we demonstrated some cultural worth apart from our dubious taste in consumer goods? Perhaps a love of art would mitigate this cultureless love of wealth we exhibit. Perhaps we could actually be satisfied with a bit **less** if we acquired some better aesthetics. Sure, a lot of recorded material is haram. And a lot of written material. And a lot of spoken material. But words are not, and books are not.

  12. While there is no clear evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith that music generally is haraam or even as to what instruments are haraam, as to my knowledge, I agree that music generally is halaal because what is not haraam, is halaal by default until clearly prooved to be haraam. Even some hadithes cited by some people here might be interpreted in many ways. One who wants to believe that music is indeed condemned basing on a hadith that certain people will be turned to monkeys and swines – that is pointless because even if the hadith would be authentic, it clearly says that these people will become monkeys and swines as a result of their sins such as drinking of alcohol and commiting az-zina… It is not music itself pointed out as a grave sin in this hadith. So there is no doubt, music is allowed, as long as we don’t commit grave sins such as drinking and other things like that, which are often associated with music.
    End of the question.
    Salaam.
    A.B.

  13. Salaam alaikum

    i love how those who commented STILL about music being haraam completely ignored all the various proofs presented in this article.. almost as if they didn’t even read it at all! i mean they presented “arguments” that brother Dash already addressed.. it’d be laughable if it wasn’t so sad…

    good work, Dasham!! may Allah reward you!

    1. So because others disagree with the blog owners written piece or the arguments presented, that makes them sad? Really in that case you probably should not read what Islam has to say about those who mock or ridicule others. There is a fundamental thing called etiquette in Islam. Arguments are not “proof”. There are howevere authentic ahadith in Islam which prohibit Music. It is equated on the same level as fornication. The only reason people keep discussing it because they want to make it halal. So unless we make fornication halal too, arguing in terms of antropolgy or even cultural tolerance or such, it still remains forbidding. Unlawful. Haram. No ifs or buts. When people want to do something they will do. They will seek to argue their way out of it not actually paying attention to what religion in fact says. Granted, there are issues where Islamic interpretation can vary. Music is not one of them. Unless you or others want to be bold about it and come right out and say they doubt authentic ahadith which serve as the backbone of Islam and are used heavily and extensively in Islamic jurisprudence. Their importance is very important in sunni Islam. Scientific surveys actually proves not argues, but proves that music has impact. It effects people. And it can lead people either way. Pressumably that is why it is prohibited. Why not instead listen and explore the beautiful tradition of nausheeds which are praise of Islam, Allah and his Messenger, Muhammad the final prophet. Sure it may not be up there on american billboard chart or UK top 40 – but then again ahadith prohibits Muslims to adopt the ways/trends of non believers which extends from morals, clothing to culture. This is not what somebody says. These are ahadith. Sunnah of the prophet. By mocking those who adhere to Sunnah you are not exactly impressing anybody let alone building a strong case. Because somebody does not believe the arguments does not make them wrong. This is your subjective assertion. Not proof.

      1. Nasheeds are musical and part of the spectrum of music from Classical, Romantic, Modernist, Atonal, Popular, Gangsta Rap, Gamelan, Gregorian chant, Baroque etc… If you believe that all music is Haraam then Nasheeds must be included in that. We must consider T’ala al Badru ‘Alayna, sung by the people of the Ansar to Rasoul Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as a Nasheed and question the validity of whether this is therefore haraam. Maybe too we must consider the athaan and modern recitation of the Qur’an as singing and ergo musical and look to move towards a ‘speech only approach to recitation and athaan’.
        I hope you see the difficulty in the indiscriminate approach to music prohibition. Firstly, in the Gharb music has been defined as ‘sounds organised over time to create an evocative composition’ and includes the human voice (it will become very difficult to begin to prohibit the use of the human voice). I do not believe that a clear definition of music has ever been codified in Islamic Scholarship (at least not to any meaningful, helpful and comprehensive extent). The reason that I believe that this matter has not been addressed is this debate and the contradictions inherent in the prohibition of music, and therefore singing in a religious tradition that places such a great emphasis on the importance of singing to call to Salat and recitation of the Qur’an Al Kareem.

        Ma salama wa jazakum ullah khayr

  14. I can agree on some of the things that people are posting but I also have a stronmg opinion on this topic. As Brother Dash knows already I am currently working aon a muic project that will be available from next week. Before making judgements please let me explain. Although my project does include beats the lyircs are very sentimental. They are about world issues that need to be adressed such as the Gaza conflict, womens rights in Islam etc etc. If my music helps adress these issues am I sinful? If we play/make music lyk the music that was played when the Prophet (P.B.U.H) are we still sinfull?

    1. Except that Music is haram and prohibited. You can use any lawful or islamic method to raise awareness. Raising awareness is not new but seeing as you already are exploring music, you will be less inclined to give it up. Do read the fatwas and the islamic litterature on the topic. There is no debate other than one which users and promoters of music want to enforce in order to permit or make acceptable something which is catagorically prohibited.

      You can use music only if the is nausheed (no modern musical instruments or synthesizers etc except the drum instrument known from the times of the Prophet).

      Music is prohibited on the same level as fornication. If one is to be allowed then so should the other. The ahadith is clear and concise. And many muslims across the world raise awareness of many issues on urgent matters to mankind. In lawful ways. So going in the other direction is like saying the Sunnah is wrong which would shake the fundament of Islam as we know it and that we know better than the Messenger, the seal of prophets and finally Allah. That is ultimately shirk.

      Why not accepts things as they are and find lawful ways. So when you say we can play/make music like people did at the time of the prophet, then you kind of forget that music was not made or practised as it is today. The instruments were notthe same. Daff – to my knowledge – is the only instrument of that time which is deemed allowed. NO lyrics, music as we know it today was allowed. There is a reason the ahadith/Sunnah deem music the work of Satan. There is a reason that the music industry has a questionable repute. Look at the side effects.

      At the end of the day – nobody but Allah can pass judgement. But if you are genuinely interested in learning about this matter, then you should study it. It is public knowledge. Nothing is hidden. Seek and you shall find. However you may not like what you find. Read the ahadith to understand the fundamental viewpoint of Islam.

      1. Saying “Music is haram and prohibited” is wrong on many levels and seems arrogant.

        1. You cannot make halal what Allah has made haram, and vice versa.
        2. You cannot say that music is halal or haram with certainty, as it is a matter of ikhtilaf.
        3. Music includes drums and singing. Saying music is haram contradicts your belief that drums and singing are halal.

        The most correct statement you can make is “Musical instruments (except drums) are haram according to the opinion of scholars I follow”. We say “Musical instruments are halal if used in a halal way, and haram if used in a haram way”.

        Supporters of music do not deny the Sunnah, or any of the authentic hadith on music. To claim such a thing is a direct personal attack. You have basically called us mushrikeen for following a valid scholarly opinion. We only deny your literal, illogical and frankly shallow interpretation of the hadith. No disrespect to scholars who prohibit it with good reasons (whose opinions have been blown out of proportion by laymen such as yourself).

        The fact that musical instruments have appeared in a hadith with fornication does not mean that they are haram. It means that musical instruments in the context of fornication and drinking are haram. It’s not that hard to understand.

        “If one is to be allowed then so should the other.” I’m sorry to say but this is just plain silly.

        Fornication is mentioned in the Qur’an many times. It is a MAJOR SIN and a FITNA, a destroyer of persons, families and communities. Musical instruments have never been described in any of these terms or mentioned in the Qur’an at all. People used to come to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and confess that they committed adultery and were punished for it at times. There are similar historical examples of drinking also, a whole comprehensive understanding of these sins. There are prescribed punishments, expiations, detailed laws concerning the major sins. Music does not appear in this manner at all, it almost non-existent in the Seerah or the Shari’ah. How are musical instruments and fornication/drinking equal then? Because of one hadith that you misinterpreted?

        Music is one of of the ways Shaytan uses to tempt us. This does not mean that all music is satanic. It only means that music can be satanic. The same way Internet can be used for good and bad. No supporter of music denies that most popular music is of the satanic variety. We are probably more aware of this than you are, because we consciously try to avoid the music that is spiritually damaging.

        The belief that only the Daf is permitted is also illogical. Daf is only native to Arabia and Persia. It was a convenient and culturally appropriate instrument for women at the time of the Prophet. There are many Muslim cultures who do not have the Daf. Therefore we must necessarily include the equivalent of Daf, i.e. any drum/percussion instrument.

        Switching over to the pro-music side will probably benefit you. It will make your heart softer and your mind calm. It will make you smarter and more aware of small details. It will put you in touch with your emotions. There are many who casually believe that musical instruments are haram but they listen to music anyway (usually popular), therefore sinning. By following the opinions of scholars who permit music, you will be forced to consciously listen to music that does not contain immoral themes and only elevates you and brings you peace, therefore not sinning insha Allah.

        Allah knows best.

  15. Selam Aleiokm, Dear brothers and sisters i strongly disagree that Music is Hallal. There are more people in Concerts when Sami Yusuf is singing than when Azan is called from Minaret. While islamic concert ticket and all seats are sold unfortunately masjid rows are empty. Now you tell me how it can be hallal when people favor more Sami Yusuf as (an example) more than Azan and the prayer. How come people are spending so much money on a islamic concerts recent one in Bosnia 400000 Euros so called Islamic concert while our muslim brother are dying and hungry. If music was hallal Prophet would practice it him self and his Ashabas. Its true that Allah didn’t mention the MUsic word directly in the Quran but it didn’t mention also how to perform sallat and take woodo as well. Just remember that Hell is forever and Heaven is forever and if you are not sure and have doubts about music leave it don’t listen to it as you will not benefit from it anyway in any way it will just corrupt your heart. Selam and may Allah guide us to the straight path and unite our hearts.

  16. I kind of like the first 2 lines of Aisha’s post. There are texts which forbid music and others which permit it. It’s important to see the reasoning behind it.

    And in the end it is confusing and people are always going to differ over it. Each group having their good points. We should just follow what sounds reasonable to us and let others follow their way and concentrate on what’s more important. Remember, scholars have differed over it, therefore followers will differ too.

    BTW too many scholars mention different narrations and meanings and principles which contradict each other until you don’t know who to beleive. I remember reading a book by someone Al-Kanadi. It sounded quite professional and complicated and the first time I read I was convinced that music was clearly forbidden except on eids and weddings. When I read a few years later I realised he used a principle to accuse the scholars who use analogy to allow music at other times. He claims that the well known principle is analogy can’t be used when there is an exception being made. However, him or his teachers definately use this type of analogy when referring to the hadith about dogs being permissible in exceptional circumstances, so the so called well known principle doesn’t exist anymore.

    Point is it’s too hard to just trust any person no matter how qualified he may be or clever he may sound. Unless it MAKES SENSE to myself I can’t just follow these rules and opinions.

    I’m tired and just babbling on I think. I’ve got too much to say on these topics, if you wanna hear it visit my site:

    http://islamic-opinions.blogspot.com/

  17. Enosh: eating pork and drinking alcohol are forbidden all the time, with no exception for Eid – so why should we consider music to be allowed only and particularly for Eid celebration? If it was indeed haraam, do you think the Prophet would allow music on Eid day? And if it was haraam, then Allaah would reveal in the Quran an ayah that says clearly that the believers are forbiden to play or listen to music. Since it is not mentioned as haraam in the Quran (and the Sunna of the Prophet cannot go against the Quran because the Prophet is the choosen Messenger of Allaah and therefore the best example to the Ummah; he cannot do or encourage anything that would be a disobedience to Allaah’s will) – then, you cannot say that music is not lawful on other days than Eid because you would have to say that eating pork, for example, is also allowed on Eid, since it is not lawful in general. Do you get the point or not?
    Brother Dash: may Allaah bless you and reward you for the good work! Subhana Allaah wa al hamdulillaah, sum al hamdulillaah!
    Obviously, there is good music, as well as bad music. There are SOME restrictions on music in Islam, however, music in itself is perfectly fine and permissible, as long as it does not encourage you to do something which is clearly haraam, such as sexual intercourse without marriage or otherwise. If you talk about half-naked singers singing ‘love me babe’, this would fall under that category, it would be considered bad thing and even as a cheap entertainment it is simply disgusting for the real conesseurs. However, there are plenty of good and innocent ways of musical expression and you can’t condemn all or label them all equally. Is the example of good and evil exactly the same or will a believer and a non-believer both be rewarded with Paradise while they are not alike because the believer has believed and worshipped Allaah while the non-believer has denied the truth…? So shall they be regarded as the same while they are two opposite sides of the medal…? Well, some music is good and some is not but NOT all music in the world is really haraam. It is not the same to sing a poem of praise about Allaah or His Messenger – as to sing about unmarried relationships between a man and a girl while being almost naked and doing so for the entertainment of the public and for money/fame etc.
    So, we agree that music is by default permitted, with some exceptions when it leads to lust or anything harmful, i.e. drug and alcohol abuse that are often associated with popular youth ‘music’ such as rap, hip hop, techno or the like. Also, anything that distracts you from your prayers and worship or makes you care less about the religion and the hereafter life, whatever it is, if it makes you less aware of the hereafter, less God-fearing, less God-conscious – that is described as ‘lahw’ in Arabic terminology; those things become haraam for you particularly because they have bad effect on you. But at the same time they do not cause any damage to some other people whose faith is strong and stable. It is perfectly fine for them to use those things which are halaal because they do not have bad effect on them or even opposite – someone listening to a beautiful music might at a time even increase his level of piety by praising the Creator even more, for his heart and soul will be uplifted and deeply moved (in a positive direction), so out of his delight and good impression of the music on the listener, he will automatically express gratitude to Allaah for the beauty that he could experience spiritually. That is the case with all the Islamic musical forms of expression, such as madih/anasheed/hamd etc. Try to listen to Islamic music and you will understand it, insha’Allaah. What about ‘Tala al badru ‘alayina…’? What about ‘Qasida Burdah’? What about other more or less famous Islamic songs and other things…? Think about it.
    Aisha, UK;-)

    1. There is a slight problem with your argument. If we were able to seperate good from bad in one thing, then surely Allah would not have forbidden fornication or alcohol. Just take intoxication in the Quran. God says, rightly, that alcohol has good and bad in it, but it is better for us to abstain. We are humans and faulty by nature. We are not perfect and we can not seperate things despite ardent desires to do so. It is like asking a parent to let their child listen to Justin Bieber but not Britney. The sunnah is clear. So if we are going to question the Sunnah on something so clearly prohibited then we must also be able to question the rest, fornication, adopting the ways of non-believers and so on. There can be no limit as we ca not discriminate. Essentially everything (more or less) contains good and bad. Science has been exploring the possible effects of weed or such. Should we allow it for people on recreational basis? Who will monitor and control? What dose? What do we do when it runs amok?

      Islam is clear. On most things. Others can be interpreted and argued. But when we seek to make lawful/halal what is haram/unlawful then we put ourselves in the place of Allah. That is shirk. Allah has already given us divine guidance. We have the Sunnah too. We can not ignore just for the sake of justifying out personal preferences. Well we can but then we need to be upfront about it and say we don’t believe the divine knowledge to be enough and we don’t have faith in it or the Sunnah. We can not have our cake and eat it too.

      We can seek to contextualize, intellectualize and personalize as much as we please. Some truths are just not well recieved. And we may not like everything the deen of Allah grants us or forbids us, but that is never the less the deen. We can cherrypick but that still does not make things legitimate.

      There are lawful ways of music. known as Nausheeds. Beautiful vocal praise of Allah without instruments. Now people are adding music as per modern standards and calling it nausheeds. That is music. Not nausheed.

      But each to his or her own.

      1. “There is a slight problem with your argument. If we were able to seperate good from bad in one thing, then surely Allah would not have forbidden fornication or alcohol. Just take intoxication in the Quran. God says, rightly, that alcohol has good and bad in it, but it is better for us to abstain. We are humans and faulty by nature. We are not perfect and we can not seperate things despite ardent desires to do so.”

        So why are we as humans left to determine which hadiths are true and which aren’t?

      2. The Prophet (saw)recited the Qur’an and I consider this music, who are you to tell me or any scholar of Islam and not music to tell me what music is. Rap to some is music, others its poetry, others, like me, it’s noise, who are YOU or anyone else to tell me different. Some music is good, like Adhan, which is sung, some is lawh and distracts from the Adhan, but the flaw is that you can’t tell me what music is, that’s up to my opinion. I know the Hadith you quote, and I also know the Adhan is music, if not prove me wrong and I will argue your side, Allah most High be my witness.
        Salaam

  18. Asalaamu Alaykum,

    I agree with “Sister”, the writer claims not to want to fuel the debate… when in reality this is a pro music piece. Yes I understand the need to understand each others opinions with an open mind but the hadith are clear, not for US but rather TRUE scholars to define.

    Yes Music has some good properties, but haraam is haraam. Regardless of whether it was in your history, your bloodlines etc.

    Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet SAW said, what translated means, “A group of this nation will be transformed into monkeys and swine.” They said, “Do not they testify that there is no god except Allaah and that Muhammed is His Messenger?” He said, “Yes. And also they fast pray and perform Hajj.” They said, “Then, what is their problem?” He said, “They use musical instruments, drums and female singers. (One day) they will go to sleep after a night of drinking and having fun, In the morning, they will be transformed (by Allaah) into monkeys and swine.” [Iughathat Al-Lahfan].

  19. Go round and round to skirt the issue of Music in Islam. It is Haraam. If you are specifically looking for reasons why its not allowed, everyone can make them up. but its haraam. period. article may be written cleverly but its just a guise.

    1. The Adhan is music is it not? The Qur’an is to be recited in a beautiful manner is it not? If you disagree, then what do you define as music? Both the Qur’an is sung/recited and the Adhan. A song can be recited, what makes them different? One is lawh/distraction with bad implication and the other is a form of religious reminder or a call to a religious duty in the case of Adhan. Conclusion, some forms of music Adhan, Qur’an being recited are good and some are lawh.

      1. Yes brother Walter….
        But the difference is, there’s no beats, there’s no piano there’s no drum, there’s no flute, there’s no disconnect between u n Allah…. It’s just u Quran n Allah….
        It doesn’t deviates you from Allah…. You focus….
        N it’s all about obeying Allah by following Sunnats of prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.)

  20. Salaamu Alaikum my beloved Brother,

    I enjoyed your article (Music and Islam) and i appreciate your love for research. Much of the opposition to Music in Islam that we confront on a daily basis donot come with this level of research that you have demonstrated in your article.

    My purpose for responding is to offer a back in the day perspective that i often remind the hip-hop generation. I am a child of the 1960s with a background in Black Activisim and Black Cultural Expression whom became Muslim in 1972.

    We were very much influenced by the great Jazz musicians of our time. One of the greatest expressions they used was the phrase” we are just searching for the truth” this saying was a great motivation for us and was a principle that led us in our search for Islam.

  21. Assalaamu alaikum,

    Thank you for this article, Br. Dash. What I appreciated the most was the historical context of the discussion, which is necessary when discussing a topic such as this. We can’t talk about the Islamic permissibility of music with a discussion of the approach of Prophet Muhammad and the scholars who came after him (S).

    This clarifies a great deal in the controversy known as music. Again, thank you for your research and writing, and your general effort in Allah’s Cause.

    Jamilah

  22. jazakallah khayr,
    well written. i think its just a matter of time before muslims worldwide realize that we can use music to bring people closer to God. might take some time, but articles like this make people aware of the many dimensions of the issue. peace

  23. Assalamu Alaikum,

    The reference to the Muslim contributions to the music world, specifically to the sciences; should be extended within a historical perspective as to how forms of music were used for healing. Ibn Sina originated the musical scale, considered it intricate to the teaching of mathematics, and he used it to assist in the healing of diabetes. The use of rhythmic movements as part of the spiritual exercises practiced by ahlul tasawwuf (people of Ihsan) along with chants, hums, and specific refrains with the names of Allah (SWT) are experiences which exercise the valves, arteries, and heart muscle just as jogging, running, walking, and aerobics exercise the physical body. The effects of poetic forms put to music with the intention to please Allah (SWT) can create an ecstatic environment enabling a human being to relieve stress to overcome mental, psychological, and physical dilemma. These are physiological and esoteric ways the creative art form impacts humanity towards what is good. Other aspects are more practical.

    Whether stated or not, the blasts against music, which sustains another means to divide the ummat, is also a way to negate the predominant history of the African slave and his following generations. For it was the use of music, rhythms, chants, and songs which provided a means of communication to bring the slaves out of slavery. In Brazil, the use of the drum, stringed instruments, and dance became a form of martial arts called “Capoera” innovated to use as an offensive tactic against the enslavers. This music and these moves were directly connected to their West African and Islamic history. No other group of Muslims in this country are being as negatively affronted by the music discussion as is the African American Muslim. I often wonder if this position is not another tactic being used to debase the exslave children who have accepted Islam.

    I apologize for the lengthy comment, but the article is well done and much needed in content and context. The structure of the article does not lend itself to be used for debate, but it righteously lends itself toward increased knowledge, understanding, and enlightenment.

    May Allah (SWT) accept the effort and grant you the reward you seek in both the worlds. Ameen.

    1. In regards to your first comment, the Suffis have committed a grave sin by creating Bid’aa sister. They mix music and the chanting with their zikr or worship to gain a higher consciousness of Allah, something the Prophet and his Companions never even thought about doing.

  24. Salaam Alaikum,
    Great article… I will just add that the human voice (and the body that produce it) is a combination of a wind and a string instruments… everybody can open one’s throat look in the mirror see a string vibrate take a breath of air and sing… Allah made me haaaaraaaam… 🙂

    Seriously, when you break music down to harmonizing a spectrum of wave frequencies, you realize that it follows the same harmonization pattern as the colors’ spectrum of wave frequencies… A is 440Hz… red is 440THz and a musician or visual artist harmonize sounds frequency and color frequencies following similar pattern.

    Thanks for the Sakeenah brother Dash. Stay bless.

  26. Peace to All,
    To be in oneness with all that is, is to be in a chord, and contrary to that is to be in dis-chord (dis). Vibration can produce sound, heat, and light, with moderation can give one comfort, or discomfort.

  27. Alsalamu Alaikum wa rahmathullahe wa barakathu,

    Brother in Islam.
    I am so called salafi, who are hardliners and they have a very strong stance on this topic (Music). I dont know why but I like to say this, Wihtout even reading this article or disputing what is right and what is wrong. music brings happiness sometimes and sometimes sorrowness, sometimes it touches the heart and increase the love and passion towards your loved once, sometime it makes people smile for no reason. There are many positive things in it. I am slightly believing music can heal sometimes. Maybe I am wrong and i am going to an extreme. But on other hand, music does keep us away from quran, prayer, it does make people to act in ubnormal way sometimes. I think we should take what is good and leave what is bad. Lets analyze how much we think it is a good thing and how much we think it is bad for us, we people should judge that and choose. I gave up listening to arguments wether its halal or haram, Allah knows the best lets just be good and kind and live our life by pleasing Allah the All Mighty.
    Jezak Allah kher

  28. I just read your very interesting and thorough article. I’m really impressed! You have added a lot to the discussion by exploring the issues around peoples cultural comfort zones. I don’t think it is possible to discuss the effects of music in the world today without acknowledging the pervasiveness of hip hop, born specifically out of the Black American experience, and the way it has been assimilated by virtually every culture worldwide. Through hip hop, the youth of the world impacted by the conflicting forces of globalization have found a way to express a longing for freedom and unity, subversion and rebellion, and, in other cases, a longing to escape into material riches and carnal pleasures. the point is, it is a tool that can reflect the most noble pursuits of the human being, or his most base desires. And the state of the world today reflects this battle playing out at every level, the inner Jihad we each must undertake to conquer the desires of the self and submit to the Will of God: which, in my opinion, necessarily includes service to others and the promotion of the high ideals of justice and unity in our public lives.

    It is very interesting that this influential art form that is used globally to express emotions around the full gamut of the human struggle has emerged from a historically oppressed group, a group that is still shunned worldwide. I think there is something incredibly symbolic about this.

    The Baha’i Writings say: “The art of music is divine and effective. It is the food of the soul and spirit. Through the power and charm of music the spirit of man is uplifted.” However, the writings also say: “We have made music a ladder by which souls may ascend to the realm on high. Change it not into wings for self and passion…seek refuge in God that you be not of the ignorant.”

    I think we all can agree that if one does believe music to be permissible (which I do, but also I am not Muslim so I am not in the discussion so to speak) we must promote the music that helps the spirit of man to be uplifted, and to be a “ladder” that helps our souls “ascend to the realm on high.” As for the terrible stuff that is out there now, we should look deeper for what it indicates about “where we are at.” Rather than just shunning it, we should see it for what it is. Humanity is longing for a relationship with God, with the Transcendent, but, not knowing how to get it, many people run feverishly from one distraction to another. People who genuinely care about the condition of their fellow man will not simply condemn them, but try and reach to them, reflecting the spiritual virtues of love and generosity, and show through actions that there is another way to live in this world.

  29. Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah

    A well-written piece, brother. I don’t really agree or disagree with your stance on the halal/haram-ness of music. I tend to err on the side of caution, and let the scholars make the grand statements in this regard. 🙂

    But if lay people are to discuss this issue (as opposed to debate, because only the learned can seriously debate), then it should be in the respectful style, displayed above, masha’Allah.

    I agree that anti-music people can be far too aggressive on this issue; I really felt that at the recent Music debate in London (perhaps the boxing match format didn’t help things!). You cannot convince someone that something is wrong, simply by using a harsher tone – it’s akin to the Englishman abroad, who thinks shouting louder in his own language will make the locals understand him better.

    Anyway, thank you for taking the time to pen this essay. I am sure there will be a few ‘rebuttals’ printed. But if they’re written in a similar, welcoming format, I look forward to reading them too, insha’Allah.

    Wa’salam

    Mehzabeen

  30. also the ethiopians playing drums, dancing, in the hadith : Volume 5, Book 58, Number 268: Narrated Aisha:
    That once Abu Bakr came to her on the day of ‘Id-ul-Fitr or ‘Id ul Adha while the Prophet was with her and there were two girl singers with her, singing songs of the Ansar about the day of Buath. Abu Bakr said twice. “Musical instrument of Satan!” But the Prophet said, “Leave them Abu Bakr, for every nation has an ‘Id (i.e. festival) and this day is our ‘Id.”

    The prophet did not correct Abu Bakr’s understanding(who is to be taken as an example by muslims and praised by the prophet in numerous ahadith), rather on ‘id the prophet was saying these musicians were allowed to play. Also on the greetings of the people in medina, and showing the jews that our religion is moderate, that this shows that our religion is tolerant to others cultural or religious practices.

    Just offering my take, and I also appreciate those who can englighten me on thier understanding in order so that all muslims greater understand each other.

    jazakum allah khair

    1. A thought I have while reading the hadith you mention; Abu Bakr RA, stated “Musical instrument of Satan”. This makes me wonder from where did he get that understanding, that the instruments were of Satan? And no, Rasululah SAW, did not, according to what I understand in this hadith, correct his statement but rather stated that at that specific time, it, playing of the instruments, was allowed. So we should not forget Abu Bakr, one of the closest, if not, the closest of Prophet Muhammad SAW companions, reprimanding with that statement. And as far as the pork issue being halal, it is in fact halal under extreme necessary conditions. I agree with that we all know really what and when it goes to far. I also admit that listening and having a song on your mind and in your heart makes it difficult to memorize Quran. It’s important that we are honest with ourselves…

  31. Salam, I appreciate bringing up this discussion.
    And it is sad but true that many in our communities in the full array of Islamic issues follow that: “Their arguments tend to be less academic, intellectual or even experiential in nature but are instead more emotional, arrogant and judgmental of others. In my view they are coming from a particular cultural perspective on the matter, and maybe some character flaws, masquerading under the Quranic reference of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong.”

    I hope I am not coming off as those people…
    Narrated Abu ‘Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari: that he heard the Prophet 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.”

    On the usooli principle that everything is allowable unless proven otherwise: doesn’t this show seeking to make allowable these things (ma’aazif included) lead to Allah’s punishment as a result, meaning that these things are not allowable? since everything is allowable unless proven otherwise so why would they be punished for considering these things lawful? and so this is the evidence that then justifies the position that ma’aazif (music instruments) are not lawful.

  32. Assalaamu Alaykum Brother Dash!!!!!
    This was one of the most insightful, rational pieces of literature on the topic of Music and Islam I have read in many years.
    May Allah (swt) continue to bless you with the good nature and thought provoking speech he has bestowed upon you.

    Peace and Blessings
    Crystal

    1. Assalmau Alaikum

      This is a very interesting topic, and many thoughtful points have been raised here. To my knowledge the best discussion on this subject is Slippery Stone: An Inquiry Into Islam’s Stance on Music by Khalid Baig (available on Amazon and other websites).

      It does not try to make a fatwa about its permissibilty (or lack thereof)- it merely shows the opinions of the scholars about music, from the Prophet Muhamamd pbuh to our present times, including all sects, madhahib, Sufis, etc of Islam. it also shows the historical evolution of the societal role played by singers/musicians in islamic society.

      i reccomend it to everyone interested in the topic.

      wassalams
      Abdullah

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