Answered by: Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain
Question:
Is listening to someone singing without music (musical instruments) haram?
In the name of All, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
It is imperative to understand that listening to music is explicitly prohibited in Shari’ah.
There are countless narrations from the Prophet ﷺ prohibiting it. I have listed only a few narrations below;
“In this Ummah, there shall be collapsing of the earth, transformation and Qadhf.” A man among the Muslims said: “O Messenger of Allāh! When is that?” He said: “When singing slave-girls, music, and drinking intoxicants spread.” [Sunan Al-Tirmizi: Hadith 2212] [1]
“People among my nation will drink wine, calling it by another name, and musical instruments will be played for them and singing girls (will sing for them). Allāh will cause the earth to swallow them up, and will turn them into monkeys and pigs.” [Sunan Ibn Mājah: Hadith 4020] [2]
Abu ‘Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari: that he heard the Prophet ﷺ 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.” Allāh 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.” [Sahih Al-Bukhāri: Hadith 5590] [3]
‘Ali bin Abi Talib narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “When my Ummah does fifteen things, the afflictions will occur in it.” It was said: “What are they O Messenger of Allāh?” He said: “When Al-Maghnam (the spoils of war) are distributed (preferentially), trust is usurped, Zakah is fine, a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother, he is kind to his friend and abandons his father, voices are raised in the Masājid, the leader of the people is the most despicable among them, the most honoured man is the one whose evil the people are afraid of, intoxicants are drunk, silk is worn (by males), there is a fascination for singing slave-girls and music, and the end of this Ummah curses its beginning. When that occurs, anticipate a red wind, collapsing of the earth, and transformation.” [Sunan Al-Tirmizi: Hadith 2210] [4]
From these narrations, we can identify the severity of sin which is related to listening to music and the punishment which is attributed to it in this world. We can also see that it is amongst the signs of Qiyāmah. By listening to music, you will be sinful and it should be avoided.
Instead, it is advisable to listen to the Qur’ān as this brings tranquillity into the hearts.
Only Allāh Ta’ālā knows best.
Written by Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1]حَدَّثَنَا عَبَّادُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الْكُوفِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْقُدُّوسِ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ يِسَافٍ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ” فِي هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ خَسْفٌ وَمَسْخٌ وَقَذْفٌ ” . فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَتَى ذَاكَ قَالَ ” إِذَا ظَهَرَتِ الْقَيْنَاتُ وَالْمَعَازِفُ وَشُرِبَتِ الْخُمُورُ ” . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ سَابِطٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُرْسَلاً وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ
[2]حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مَعْنُ بْنُ عِيسَى، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ، عَنْ حَاتِمِ بْنِ حُرَيْثٍ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ أَبِي مَرْيَمَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ غَنْمٍ الأَشْعَرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي مَالِكٍ الأَشْعَرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ “ لَيَشْرَبَنَّ نَاسٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي الْخَمْرَ يُسَمُّونَهَا بِغَيْرِ اسْمِهَا يُعْزَفُ عَلَى رُءُوسِهِمْ بِالْمَعَازِفِ وَالْمُغَنِّيَاتِ يَخْسِفُ اللَّهُ بِهِمُ الأَرْضَ وَيَجْعَلُ مِنْهُمُ الْقِرَدَةَ وَالْخَنَازِيرَ ” .
[3]وَقَالَ هِشَامُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ حَدَّثَنَا صَدَقَةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ بْنِ جَابِرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَطِيَّةُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ الْكِلاَبِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ غَنْمٍ الأَشْعَرِيُّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَامِرٍ ـ أَوْ أَبُو مَالِكٍ ـ الأَشْعَرِيُّ وَاللَّهِ مَا كَذَبَنِي سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ “ لَيَكُونَنَّ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَقْوَامٌ يَسْتَحِلُّونَ الْحِرَ وَالْحَرِيرَ وَالْخَمْرَ وَالْمَعَازِفَ، وَلَيَنْزِلَنَّ أَقْوَامٌ إِلَى جَنْبِ عَلَمٍ يَرُوحُ عَلَيْهِمْ بِسَارِحَةٍ لَهُمْ، يَأْتِيهِمْ ـ يَعْنِي الْفَقِيرَ ـ لِحَاجَةٍ فَيَقُولُوا ارْجِعْ إِلَيْنَا غَدًا. فَيُبَيِّتُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَضَعُ الْعَلَمَ، وَيَمْسَخُ آخَرِينَ قِرَدَةً وَخَنَازِيرَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ”.
[4]حَدَّثَنَا صَالِحُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ التِّرْمِذِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْفَرَجُ بْنُ فَضَالَةَ أَبُو فَضَالَةَ الشَّامِيُّ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” إِذَا فَعَلَتْ أُمَّتِي خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ خَصْلَةً حَلَّ بِهَا الْبَلاَءُ ” . فَقِيلَ وَمَا هُنَّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ” إِذَا كَانَ الْمَغْنَمُ دُوَلاً وَالأَمَانَةُ مَغْنَمًا وَالزَّكَاةُ مَغْرَمًا وَأَطَاعَ الرَّجُلُ زَوْجَتَهُ وَعَقَّ أُمَّهُ وَبَرَّ صَدِيقَهُ وَجَفَا أَبَاهُ وَارْتَفَعَتِ الأَصْوَاتُ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ وَكَانَ زَعِيمُ الْقَوْمِ أَرْذَلَهُمْ وَأُكْرِمَ الرَّجُلُ مَخَافَةَ شَرِّهِ وَشُرِبَتِ الْخُمُورُ وَلُبِسَ الْحَرِيرُ وَاتُّخِذَتِ الْقَيْنَاتُ وَالْمَعَازِفُ وَلَعَنَ آخِرُ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ أَوَّلَهَا فَلْيَرْتَقِبُوا عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ رِيحًا حَمْرَاءَ أَوْ خَسْفًا وَمَسْخًا ” . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ إِلاَّ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ وَلاَ نَعْلَمُ أَحَدًا رَوَاهُ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ غَيْرَ الْفَرَجِ بْنِ فَضَالَةَ . وَالْفَرَجُ بْنُ فَضَالَةَ قَدْ تَكَلَّمَ فِيهِ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْحَدِيثِ وَضَعَّفَهُ مِنْ قِبَلِ حِفْظِهِ وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ عَنْهُ وَكِيعٌ وَغَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ الأَئِمَّةِ .