What is the ruling on Islamic nasheeds in the form they appear in today?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : We are on the principle: , did such nasheeds exist in the early centuries?!
As far as I know, no. But the fashion of the present age has now colored every new matter with Islam, and Islamic banks are not far from your knowledge, so are there Islamic banks?
Is there Islamic socialism?
Are there Islamic nasheeds?
The anthems were previously specific to our lands in Syria and Jordan, and those anthems were Sufi in nature, containing words of disbelief, which they would sing in their dhikr. Then, when the youth awoke to what is now called the "Islamic awakening" and they grasped some of the truth, they realized that those dhikr practices, which they used to call dhikr but which followed the Sufi method with swaying to the right and left and so on, were far removed from the Shari'ah. The Shaytan undoubtedly inspired them with an alternative. In my opinion, this alternative is better than the Sufi practices and the old anthems, but what is sufficient to condemn these anthems is that they are composed according to musical laws and licentious songs; the melody is the same, but the words differ.
So there is absolutely nothing of this kind in Islam. There are undoubtedly poems in Islam and strong Islamic poetry that, for example, stirs courage in souls and emotions against the disbelievers and the like, but without the softness of licentious songs and without their music and methods. I remember in my youth I had read in some books of literature a poem:
"Abandon the mention of songs and love poetry *** And speak the truth and avoid those who joke
And leave the memory of the days of youth *** For the days of youth, a star has set "
If a person recited this poem in eloquent Arabic, and in an Arabic dialect far from these licentious and soft songs, no one would deny that. But to make religion into religious nasheeds, the result of which has become clear in its era, is that they replace the Noble Qur'an. The tapes now recorded with these nasheeds, which they call religious nasheeds, are used by the youth for entertainment instead of singing the Qur'an, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1007. Therefore, I believe, by Allah, as I see the sun in the middle of the day, that all good is in following those who came before, and all evil is in following those who came after.
And the innovations in religion, their effect is not known by all people. I imagine that some innovations are forbidden without a doubt by way of blocking the means to harm, because in the future it is feared that something contrary to the Shari'ah will result from them. Therefore, we should not change anything from what our earliest predecessors were upon.
The questioner : The al-hida' that existed before among the Arabs!
The Shaykh : The al-hida' of the camels?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner :, now in the recitation of poems, some of those who recite poems claim that this is of that kind, reciting poems like this poem, and like the poems of the seven suspended odes, with a voice that has no singing but rather a composed voice, and no repetition behind it, but a man stands to recite it. And now recording tools have developed such that they make the recording have a smooth voice that resonates and affects the listeners. So is this denied to them?
The Shaykh : By Allah, the truth is that when these descriptions are added, then we cannot judge in the absence of hearing a sample of it, so we must hear a sample to see if there is composition in it or not.
The questioner : Do we have a sample, Shaykh, that we can bring?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : In some nasheeds, the words may be long, but there are inclinations toward some songs.
The Shaykh : This is what we said earlier; he says: there is nothing of that in it, we will listen.
Beware of newly invented matters
فإياكم ومحدثات الأمورAs far as I know, no. But the fashion of the present age has now colored every new matter with Islam, and Islamic banks are not far from your knowledge, so are there Islamic banks?
Is there Islamic socialism?
Are there Islamic nasheeds?
The anthems were previously specific to our lands in Syria and Jordan, and those anthems were Sufi in nature, containing words of disbelief, which they would sing in their dhikr. Then, when the youth awoke to what is now called the "Islamic awakening" and they grasped some of the truth, they realized that those dhikr practices, which they used to call dhikr but which followed the Sufi method with swaying to the right and left and so on, were far removed from the Shari'ah. The Shaytan undoubtedly inspired them with an alternative. In my opinion, this alternative is better than the Sufi practices and the old anthems, but what is sufficient to condemn these anthems is that they are composed according to musical laws and licentious songs; the melody is the same, but the words differ.
So there is absolutely nothing of this kind in Islam. There are undoubtedly poems in Islam and strong Islamic poetry that, for example, stirs courage in souls and emotions against the disbelievers and the like, but without the softness of licentious songs and without their music and methods. I remember in my youth I had read in some books of literature a poem:
"Abandon the mention of songs and love poetry *** And speak the truth and avoid those who joke
And leave the memory of the days of youth *** For the days of youth, a star has set "
If a person recited this poem in eloquent Arabic, and in an Arabic dialect far from these licentious and soft songs, no one would deny that. But to make religion into religious nasheeds, the result of which has become clear in its era, is that they replace the Noble Qur'an. The tapes now recorded with these nasheeds, which they call religious nasheeds, are used by the youth for entertainment instead of singing the Qur'an, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He who does not recite the Qur'an in a pleasant tone is not of us.
من لم يتغن بالقرآن فليس مناAnd the innovations in religion, their effect is not known by all people. I imagine that some innovations are forbidden without a doubt by way of blocking the means to harm, because in the future it is feared that something contrary to the Shari'ah will result from them. Therefore, we should not change anything from what our earliest predecessors were upon.
The questioner : The al-hida' that existed before among the Arabs!
The Shaykh : The al-hida' of the camels?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner :
And be gentle with the young girls
ورفقًا بالقواريرThe Shaykh : By Allah, the truth is that when these descriptions are added, then we cannot judge in the absence of hearing a sample of it, so we must hear a sample to see if there is composition in it or not.
The questioner : Do we have a sample, Shaykh, that we can bring?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : In some nasheeds, the words may be long, but there are inclinations toward some songs.
The Shaykh : This is what we said earlier; he says: there is nothing of that in it, we will listen.