Does Islam Really Prohibit Music?
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
One Finds
No Reference To Music Being Haram In Qur’an Or Even Hadees
Main
Points:
1. Issue of
listening to music is one that has differing opinions in Islamic law.
2. Music is
rooted in Arab and Islamic culture.
3. One finds no
reference to music being Haram in Qur’an or even Hadees.
4. Naat,
Hamd-o-Sana in Islamic spiritual traditions are all musical in nature.
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Photo: Historia Factory
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A few days
ago, a Muslim friend of mine in Poona (sorry, no Pune) told me that he made up
his mind to bid farewell to singing as it was un-Islamic. He used to sing
Rafi's songs to make both ends meet and he indeed sang well at that. I asked
him, ' how'll you survive? ' With confidence, he said that Allah would look
after him. This reminded me of a Hyderabadi rapper Ruhaan Arshad, who announced
last year that he quit the music industry, saying it's 'haram' (prohibited) in
Islam. This again pops up the debatable issue of music in Islam, whether it's
indeed haram.
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Also Read: Is Music Prohibited
In Islam?
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The issue
of listening to music is one that has differing opinions in Islamic law. It's,
therefore, not prudent for Muslims to castigate one another on such issues
since one can only castigate issues that are agreed upon, not issues that have
differing opinions. This is even more so as there is no single and categorical
text proof in Islam that specifically outlaws music.
Among the
scholars who have ruled music and listening to music is permissible is Imam
al-Ghazali as he stated:
"Amusement and entertainment are cures of
the heart from exhaustion. So, it must accordingly be permissible. However, one
should not engage in it with excess just as one cannot take medicine in excess.
Based on this intention (i.e. relaxation and aid in serious matters) amusement
and entertainment become acts of drawing nearer to God."
Imam
al-Ghazali also wrote that “if musical instruments have become the sign/s of
drunkards or lewdness, if the instruments are like the harmonica, wind
instruments, string instruments, or drums used by drinkers, then it's
impermissible. And every other kind of instrument remains permissible such as
tambourines even with jingles, drums, striking drums with branches, guitars and
the like, or any other instrument.”
The very
word music has Arabic etymological origin. It (music) originated from the
Arabic word Mausiqi which came from Maus (Yiddish for desert
music). It's worthwhile to mention that the two major Semitic languages, Arabic
and Hebrew (and also to some extent, Aramaic, supposed to be the language of
Jesus) borrowed from Yiddish and Ladino as both the ancient tongues gave birth
to modern Semitic languages. The natural musical sounds produced when air
passes through sand dunes is called Maus in Yiddish and Mauz in
Ladino. So, no wonder, music is rooted in Arab and Islamic culture.
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Also
Read: Is Music
Forbidden in Islam?
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One finds no
reference to music being Haram in Qur’an or even Hadees. In fact, if you delve
into the role of music in Islam or Arab culture, you realize that casting
aspersions on music was socio-cultural rather than theological or religious.
Al-Tirmizi wrote that prior to Islam (Qabl-e-Islam Jahiliya) and in the early
days of the new faith, there were women of easy morals who used to lure men by
singing. They were known as Qahmaat (from archaic Arabic word Qaham:
dubious character) So, singing was socio-culturally prohibited rather than
being a strict scriptural edict. Had it been prohibited, Al-Azhar, the seat of
Sunni Islam in Cairo, wouldn't have been in favour of Qeerat (musical
recitation of Al-Furqan). There're seven types of Qeerat and Misri or
Egyptian Qeerat is considered to be the best. It can move believers as well as
nonbelievers to tears with its powerful and euphonic rendition. The point is:
Religio-social boundaries are often overlapping and unclear. A socially
unacceptable practice may soon have religious sanction.
Syrian music band from Ottoman
Aleppo, mid 18th century (Alex. Russel, M.D.).
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It's indeed
ironic that Islam has given the finest vocalists and instrumentalists to the
world. Who can forget the great Rafi, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Vilayat Khan, Ustad
Amir Khan, to name but a few? One more factor going against music in Islam has
been hard-core Islam being at loggerheads with Sufi Islam. The latter calls
music the spirit and essence of the soul: Arq-e-Rooh. Rumi's whirling or
dancing Darvesh can be adduced as music's undeniable role in Islam. Hafiz
Shirazi says in Persian, ' Shaad-e-Ghun Mausiq Mee An Mazhab ' (Deeply
into music, it's my faith).
The
ostensible connotation of this statement may sound sacrilegious to those not au
fait with mystic Islam. Amir Khusro, Nizamuddin Aulia and Gesu Daraaz
were singing Qawaalis (from Qawwal: Music of the cosmos or Mausiqi-e-Kaainaat)
in their state of trance. Naat, Hamd-o-Sana
in Islamic spiritual traditions are all musical in nature. It must be mentioned
that the word Hamd became Hymn in English retaining the same connotation! So,
music has never been completely prohibited. When the great Rafi decided to quit
music (thrice he quit and resumed) at his zenith in the mid 60s, when the Grand
Imam of Mecca Sharif advised him to refrain from it, a Pakistani scholar Dr
Moin Raza wrote for now defunct The Illustrated Weekly, elaborating Islam's
gentle as well as generous stand on music. Fortunately, better sense prevailed
and Rafi started singing again. One Hadees says that music is unacceptable only
when it's played with a malafide intention.
So,
quitting a promising career in the name of religion is indeed sad but then,
religion is now too much into our lives. May sanity prevail and Aql-e-Saleem
(wise thinking) be applied.
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An
occasional columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in
comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed
articles to world's premier publications in several languages including
Persian.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-culture/islam-prohibit-music/d/126735
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