1. Leader of Hanafis have prohibited music and also regarded listening to it
unlawful and scholars of Kufa, like Sufyan, Hammad, Ibrahim, Shobi and
Akrama also believe as such.
2. It is narrated from Malik, leader of Malikis that he forbade playing music
and listening to it; and all folks of Medina, except Ibrahim bin Saad, also believe
as such.
3. On the basis of what the commentator of Muqna has mentioned that
prohibition of music is narrated from some Hanbali scholars and it is narrated
from Abdullah bin Ahmad Hanbal that: “I asked my father about music.”
He replied: “It causes growth of hypocrisy in the heart and I don’t like it.”
Then he mentioned Malik’s statement that:
“In our view, only transgressors perform this.”
4. It is narrated from experts of Shafei school that it clearly prohibits music
and those, who attribute its lawfulness to them, are refuted, like Qadi Abu
Tayyab, who has himself written a book in condemnation of music and its
prohibition; and have refuted the like of Tabari and Shaykh Abu Ishaq in AlTambih.1
It is mentioned in Miftahus Saada2 that:
“Enjoying music and playing musical instruments is infidelity.”
Allamah Amini says: Perhaps the author of this statement has reasoned
through tradition of Abu Huraira, which Abu Yaqub Nishapuri has narrated that:
“Listening to instruments of music is divine disobedience, sitting to listen to it is transgression and enjoying it is disbelief.”3
A glance at the above tradition
This is the rank of music and musical instruments, and this is what is
narrated from Prophet, whether in such a case, it is proper to attribute such
defects, which makes infallibility of Prophet defective and degrades his rank, and
casts him into the circle of ignorance?
Then it implies that the only one to prohibit music and musical instruments
and to be harsh against unlawful things and who opposed it and made them
ineffective, was Umar and not Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) and what kind of
Shaitan is he that is terrified of Umar, but not frightened of Messenger (s.a.w.a.)?
What kind of Prophet is it, who listens to musical instruments and an
unrelated female dances before him and plays tambourine and sings. And he
looks after his wife in this shameful place and asks:
“I am not from music and singing and music and singing is not from me.”
Or says: “I am not from unlawful and unlawful is not from me.”4
What a great man is he that he sees singing and music in his house, but does
not object? And only Umar is enraged and he says: Are there instruments of
Satan in the house of Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)? Is this Prophet not the same
that when he heard the sound of music, he inserted his fingers in his ears and
went away from there?
Nafe says: Abdullah bin Umar heard the sound of music been played; so he
inserted his fingers in his ears and moved away from there and said to me: Nafe,
do you hear something? I replied: No. So he removed his fingers from his ears
and said: I was with Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) when he heard such a sound
and acted in this same way.5
Are you not amazed at the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) that black slave
girls should enact drama, dance and play music in his holy Masjid, which was the
most sacred place in the world and the Prophet and his wife should watch the
spectacle and Umar should prohibit them, and the Prophet says: “O Umar, let
them play?!”
Is this traditional report narrated from Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) through a
number of channels, authentic? When he had prohibited in his Masjid entry of
children, insane, from buying and selling, enmities and claims, raising of voices
and application of legal punishments and said: If someone hears a man seeking
help for a lost person, he should say: May Almighty Allah not make him return to
you, because the Masjid are not made for this purpose.
Muslim, Abu Dawood, Ibne Majah and Tirmidhi have quoted this tradition.6
Muslim, Nasai and Ibne Majah have narrated from Buraidah that:7 A man
sought help for his lost camel in the Masjid. The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)
said:
“You will never find it. Indeed, Masjids are constructed for important
matters.”
He also said: In the last period of time, there would be people, who would
converse in their Masjids and there is no need in them for Almighty Allah.
Ibne Habban has mentioned this tradition in his Sahih.8
He also said: Don’t use Masjids as places of frequenting, except for divine
remembrance or prayers.9
What estimation do you have of the infallible Prophet that before his
sending10 as a divine messenger, he distances himself from music and musical
instruments, but after his blessed sending, he turns back to that path to enjoy
singing of strange women, while they are dancing?
Come let us listen to another calamity from Zarkashi in Ijabah,11 where he
has considered them to be specialties of Ayesha.
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) followed the pleasure of Ayesha, like
playing of Ayesha [who was a young girl] with toys, and the standing of His
Eminence before Ayesha so that she can watch the negroes dancing. From this
scholars have derived numerous rules and how much blessed she [Ayesha] is!
What does this man intends to prove? Excellence for Ayesha or errors for
her husband?
Did the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.), in order to please Ayesha, followed
lawful matters, or both lawful and unlawful? We seek refuge of God!
Is it possible that in pursuit of her pleasure he should even negate the divine
law he had brought?
What rule can be derived from such a useless source?