The Prohibition of Music

The Prohibition of Music!
The Noble Qur’an – Luqman 31:6
And of mankind is he who purchases
idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah
without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Qur’an) by
way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the
Hell-Fire).
Ibn Masood (ra) said about
this verse “I swear by the One other than Whom there is no God that it refers to
singing [ghinaa].”, and he repeated this three times. Ibn Abbaas (ra) saidit
refered to ‘singing and the like’ while Jaabir (ra) is reported to view its
meaning to signify singing and listening to songs. Many taabi’oon such as
Mujaahid, Ikrimah, Mak-hool and Umar ibn Shu’ayb viewed it as a censure of music
and song.
Hadith – Bukhari (#787) [Also related by Tabari]
Sa’id ibn Jbayr reported that Ibn
‘Abbas said about the verse: “And ofmankind is he who purchases idle talks”
(31:6), that, “ldle talks means singing and the like.”
The Noble Qur’an – Al-Isra 17:64
“And Istafiz [literally
means: befool them gradually] thosewhom you can among them with your voice
(i.e. songs, music, and other call for Allah’s disobedience)…”
Hadith – Bukhari 7:494
Narrated Abu ‘Amir or Abu Malik
Al-Ash’ari that he heard the Prophet 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 (from them), there will be some 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.’ Allah will destroy them during the night and will let the
mountain fall on them, and Allah willtransform the rest of them into monkeys and pigs and they will remain so till the Day of Resurrection. ”
The Noble Qur’an – An-Najm 53:57-62
The Day of Resurrection draws near,
None besides Allah can avert it, (or advance it, or delay it). Do you then
wonder at this recital (the Qur’an)? And you laugh at it and weep not, Wasting
your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing, etc.). So fall you
down in prostration to Allah, and worship Him (Alone).
*.
‘Ikrimah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: it was narrated from
Ibn ‘Abbaas that al-sumood [verbalnoun from saamidoon, translated here as
“Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)”] means
“singing”, in the dialect of Himyar; it might be said “Ismidi lanaa” [‘sing for
us’ – from the same root as saamidoon/sumood] meaning “ghaniy” [sing]. And he
said (may Allaah have mercy on him): When they [the kuffaar] heard the Qur’aan, they would sing, then this aayah was revealed.
*.
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning) “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and
amusements (singing)” – Sufyaan al-Thawri said, narrating from his father from
Ibn ‘Abbaas: (this means) singing. This is Yemeni (dialect): ismad lanameans
ghan lana [sing to us]. This was also the view of ‘Ikrimah. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).