ISLAMIC WAYS

Is Music Haram?

Music, musical instruments and singing are haram in Islam. This prohibition is supported with evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah. for more detailed read the chapter...

What is Ma’azif?

Ma’azif is the plural of mi’zafah, and refers to musical instruments (Fath al-Bari, 10/55), instruments which are played (al-Majm’, 11/577). Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from al-Jawhari (may Allah have mercy on him) that ma’azif means singing . In his Sihah, it says that it means musical instruments. It was also said that it refers to the sound of the instruments. In al-Hawashi by al-Dimyati (may Allah have mercy on him) it says: ma’azif means drums (dufuf, sing. daff) and other instruments which are struck or beaten (Fath al-Bari, 10/55).

Evidence of prohibition of music and singing in the Quran and Sunnah

Allah says in Surah Luqman (interpretation of the meaning):

“And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of Allah…” [Luqman 31:6]

The scholar of the ummah, Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: this means singing . Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said: this means playing the drum (tabl). (Tafsir al-Tabari, 21/40)

Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: this ayah was revealed concerning singing and musical instruments (lit. woodwind instruments). (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 3/451)

Al-Sa’di (may Allah have mercy on him) said: this includes all manner of haram speech, all idle talk and falsehood, and all nonsense that encourages kufr and disobedience; the words of those who say things to refute the truth and argue in support of falsehood to defeat the truth; and backbiting, slander, lies, insults and curses; the singing and musical instruments of the Shaytan; and musical instruments which are of no spiritual or worldly benefit. (Tafsir al-Sa’di, 6/150)

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

“The interpretation of the Sahabah and Tabi'in, that ‘idle talk’ refers to singing, is sufficient. This was reported with sahih isnad from Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Mas’ud. Abu’l-Sahba said: I asked Ibn Mas’ud about the ayah (interpretation of the meaning), ‘“And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks’ [Luqman 31:6]. He said: By Allah, besides Whom there is no other god, this means singing – and he repeated it three times. It was also reported with a sahih isnad from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that this means singing. 

There is no contradiction between the interpretation of “idle talk” as meaning singing and the interpretation of it as meaning stories of the Persians and their kings, and the kings of the Romans, and so on, such as al-Nadr ibn al-Harith used to tell to the people of Makkah to distract them from the Quran. 

Both of them are idle talk. Hence Ibn 'Abbas said: “Idle talk” is falsehood and singing. Some of the Sahabah said one and some said the other, and some said both. Singing is worse and more harmful than stories of kings, because it leads to zina and makes hypocrisy grow (in the heart); it is the trap of the Shaytan, and it clouds the mind. The way in which it blocks people from the Quran is worse than the way in which other kinds of false talk block them, because people are naturally inclined towards it and tend to want to listen to it. 

The ayat condemn replacing the Quran with idle talk in order to mislead (men) from the path of Allah without knowledge and taking it as a joke, because when an ayah of the Quran is recited to such a person, he turns his back as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in his ear. If he hears anything of it, he makes fun of it. All of this happens only in the case of the people who are most stubbornly kafirs and if some of it happens to singers and those who listen to them, they both have a share of this blame.” (Ighathat al-Lahfan, 1/258-259)