The Ruling on Listening to Songs, Music, and Serials
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Question:
This questioner asks: What is the ruling on listening to songs, music, and serials that are broadcast on television?
Answer:
Listening to songs and music is not permissible, neither on television nor elsewhere. It is not permissible to listen to songs or to listen to music, whether on television or off television, because they are part of the frivolous talk that Allah has condemned and threatened those who engage in it,[Luqman 31:6]. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud interpreted the frivolous talk as singing.
As for musical instruments, there is a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari from Abu Malik al-Ash'ari: We are content with them. They make lawful fornication, for "al-shir'" means the private parts. Silk is well known to be forbidden for men, and the news is well known. Musical instruments are forbidden along with the news, along with fornication, and along with silk which is forbidden for men. This indicates the prohibition of musical instruments. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said that the people of knowledge agreed on the prohibition of musical instruments. Likewise, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, in *Ghazat al-Huffaz*, transmitted the consensus of the people of knowledge on the prohibition of musical instruments and the carpenters.
Likewise, television series that contain dangers. These dangers are either that there are women who are not wearing hijab, and it is not permissible to look at them because of the fitnah (temptation), or that there is insult to the religion. For example, some series show that marrying four wives is a crime. This is an insult to the religion, because Allah has made it permissible for a man to marry four wives. If series show what distorts this and warns against it, this is a contradiction of the Book of Allah the Exalted and Majestic. They contain many hidden ideas, and series generally contain hidden things regarding morals, beliefs, people's affairs, and the affairs of Muslims. So there is no good in them. Even if they were free from all of this, a person might stay up all night watching series and then ask about the Fajr prayer, or he might sleep through it and not pray it at its time. This is a great danger for the Muslim. So the solution is that the Muslim should refrain from following these series, even if they only involve wasting time and laziness regarding the Fajr prayer. As for if they contain matters regarding belief or behavior, that is more severe and greater. Yes.
This questioner asks: What is the ruling on listening to songs, music, and serials that are broadcast on television?
Answer:
Listening to songs and music is not permissible, neither on television nor elsewhere. It is not permissible to listen to songs or to listen to music, whether on television or off television, because they are part of the frivolous talk that Allah has condemned and threatened those who engage in it,
And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech to mislead [others] from the way of Allah without knowledge and who takes it in ridicule
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًاAs for musical instruments, there is a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari from Abu Malik al-Ash'ari:
That a people in the end times will make lawful silk, gold, wine, and musical instruments,
أن قوما في عصر الزمان يحلون الحرى والحرير والخمر والمعازف،Likewise, television series that contain dangers. These dangers are either that there are women who are not wearing hijab, and it is not permissible to look at them because of the fitnah (temptation), or that there is insult to the religion. For example, some series show that marrying four wives is a crime. This is an insult to the religion, because Allah has made it permissible for a man to marry four wives. If series show what distorts this and warns against it, this is a contradiction of the Book of Allah the Exalted and Majestic. They contain many hidden ideas, and series generally contain hidden things regarding morals, beliefs, people's affairs, and the affairs of Muslims. So there is no good in them. Even if they were free from all of this, a person might stay up all night watching series and then ask about the Fajr prayer, or he might sleep through it and not pray it at its time. This is a great danger for the Muslim. So the solution is that the Muslim should refrain from following these series, even if they only involve wasting time and laziness regarding the Fajr prayer. As for if they contain matters regarding belief or behavior, that is more severe and greater. Yes.
Source
75-لقاءات مع الشيخ صالح الفوزان - 16- — archive.org (1:19:20)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.