The Ruling on Listening to Religious Anthems

Question : We return to a letter sent by a questioner who says: I hope the Honorable Shaykh Muhammad will inform me about the permissibility of listening to religious anthems. I have heard from some of my brothers that it is a bid'ah (religious innovation), so I ask for your guidance regarding my question. May Allah reward you.

Answer : Listening to religious anthems is permissible, but with conditions. The first condition is that it must not cause one to neglect listening to the Book and the Sunnah, such that one makes it the sole admonisher of his heart. For whoever makes it the sole admonisher of his heart has erred, for the Qur'an is the greatest admonisher, and it shows what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of the Sunnah. The second condition is that it must not be accompanied by musical instruments, music, the hand drum, or the like. The third condition is that it must not be sung in a manner that resembles lewd songs, meaning it must not be performed as lewd songs are performed. The fourth condition is that it must not contain seductive voices, for seduction must be avoided.
The fifth condition is that the subject of the anthem must be a good subject, containing no vulgarity, no violation of morals, and no shirk (associating partners with Allah). Yes. May Allah reward you with good.