Answered by Shaykh Amjad Rasheed
Is it permissible for a man to listen to a recording of women singing? Is there still fear of fitna even though the men can’t distinguish between the women, since they are all singing together with one voice?
The decided position according to our Shafi’I imams is that for a man to listen to a woman sing is extremely disliked, unless fitna is feared from it, in which case it is absolutely haram, as is mentioned in Mughni al-Muhtaj (4/428).
It seems that the majority of the time, men do fall into fitna by listening to a woman sing, especially when it is coupled with the technology of today, where voices can be beautified. It is more appropriate that one block the door to this and prohibit listening to it, absolutely and immediately. It has come in a rigorously authenticated hadith, “Whoever saves himself from doubtful things, he has saved his religion and his honor, and whoever falls into the doubtful things, has fallen into the haram.”
And all of this is concerning the singing of a non-mahram woman by herself, without impermissible instruments. As for listening to her, accompanied with an impermissible instrument, listening to it is haram, and singing being accompanied by impermissible instruments is what is most common these days.
الجواب : المقررُ عند أئمتِنا الشافعية أن استماع الرجل لغناء امرأة أجنبية مكروهٌ شديد الكراهة إلا إن خشي منه الفتنة فيكون حراماً قطعاً كما في “مغني المحتاج” (4/428) ويظهرُ أن الغالبَ وقوعُ الفتنة بسماع الرجل لغناء المرأة خصوصاً مع ما أحدثته آلاتُ التسجيل اليوم من تحسين الأصوات ، فالأليقُ سدُّ الباب والقولُ بالمنع من سماع ذلك أصلاً ورأساً ؛ وفي الحديث الصحيح :” فمن اتقى الشبهاتِ فقد استبرأ لدينه وعرضه ، ومَن وقع في الشبهات وقع في الحرام “.
وهذا كلُّه في غناء الأجنبية وحدَه دون مصاحبة آلة موسيقى محرمة ، أما إن اقترن غناؤها بآلة محرمة فالاستماع إليه محرمٌ ، والغالبُ اليوم اقتران الغناء بالآلات المحرمة .