Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
I have read in many books that mehfil-e-sama is permissible. But What is sama – as each book defines it slightly differently – Some say that sama is only permissible without musical instruments and some say that it is permissible only with the Duff. In the Indo-Pak sub continent mehfil-e-sama is practiced but is known as Qawwali. In which many musical instruments are used such as Tablas, Harmonium etc…. Qawwali is carried out by many pious sufis in indo-pak, the etiquettes of sama are met by all but many scholars call this wrong. But I myself have been to these gatherings and have seen many people including the shaikh present go in to Wajd or a state of Raqs. Then if using musical instruments are wrong then how is such a state achieved?
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
States’ can be achieved through many means. They are irrelevant to a discussion of the legal permissibility or impermissibility of a particular practice.
The criterion, instead, is what the jurists (fuqaha) of Sunni Islam have said, and a majority have deemed instruments beyond the daff to be impermissible. There is some leeway, but this represents a dispensation rather than the general mainstream ruling.
See attached answer(s).
Wassalam,
Spiritual Music with Instruments?
Music and Singing: A Detailed Fatwa