The Ruling on Singing and Musical Instruments, and the Misguidance of Al-Ghazali’s Methodology in the Issue of Singing and Musical Instruments
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The Shaykh : On the occasion of the hadith regarding musical instruments mentioned earlier, namely his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
I read in a book by one of those mentioned in the question, titled “Fatwas” or something similar, where he was asked about the ruling on singing and musical instruments. He spoke for about a page and a half, all of it mere talk, containing neither a verse nor a hadith, neither authentic nor weak. How can fatwas be issued in this manner of speech, which treats as lawful what Allah has forbidden, without mentioning a verse or a hadith? Moreover, the hadith that contradicts his fatwa is an authentic hadith, yet he did not mention it at all. This is undoubtedly a serious deviation. This is an example of the hundreds, if not thousands, of instances where these writers, who are called callers to Islam, are indeed callers to Islam without doubt, but they call to a concept of Islam that, in their understanding, contradicts the Book and the Sunnah in much of what they have adopted. This example alone suffices for you: the hadith prohibiting musical instruments, which are called in the terminology of the Shari'ah: ma'azif, was ignored and not heeded at all. In fact, one of these writers openly stated, without any fear of Allah or shame before the servants of Allah, that he enjoys or likes to listen to some of Umm Kulthum’s songs from time to time, seeing no harm in it, even though that is a trial beyond measure. It has reached us, many years ago, that some women were captivated by the recitation of this Egyptian, Abdul Basit, at the beginning of his career. And what was he reciting?
He was reciting the Noble Qur'an. So how would men not be captivated by women, or by some women, if they sing that well-known singing? And the reverse is the reverse: how would women not be captivated by the singing of men, which has become broadcast and has become an art, unfortunately? None of these people raised their heads to what came from Allah in His Book regarding the prohibition of following vain talk. He (peace and blessings be upon him) stated this explicitly in more than one authentic hadith. The issue now is not to enumerate the evidence for the prohibition of those instruments, but rather to clarify that these writers did not possess correct and sound knowledge because they did not study the Sunnah. From this, you can appreciate the value of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Whoever holds fast to the Qur'an and turns away from the Sunnah is like one who holds fast to the Sunnah and turns away from the Qur'an. Neither of them will take hold of these two foundations, for whoever holds fast to them is saved, and whoever contradicts them is destroyed.
There will certainly be among my Ummah people who will consider lawful fornication, silk, wine, and musical instruments. They will spend their nights in vain talk and play, and they will wake up having been transformed into apes and pigs.
ليكوننَّ في أمتي أقوام يستحلون الحِرَ والحرير والخمر والمعازف يمسون في لهو ولعب ويصبحون وقد مسخوا قردة وخنازيرI read in a book by one of those mentioned in the question, titled “Fatwas” or something similar, where he was asked about the ruling on singing and musical instruments. He spoke for about a page and a half, all of it mere talk, containing neither a verse nor a hadith, neither authentic nor weak. How can fatwas be issued in this manner of speech, which treats as lawful what Allah has forbidden, without mentioning a verse or a hadith? Moreover, the hadith that contradicts his fatwa is an authentic hadith, yet he did not mention it at all. This is undoubtedly a serious deviation. This is an example of the hundreds, if not thousands, of instances where these writers, who are called callers to Islam, are indeed callers to Islam without doubt, but they call to a concept of Islam that, in their understanding, contradicts the Book and the Sunnah in much of what they have adopted. This example alone suffices for you: the hadith prohibiting musical instruments, which are called in the terminology of the Shari'ah: ma'azif, was ignored and not heeded at all. In fact, one of these writers openly stated, without any fear of Allah or shame before the servants of Allah, that he enjoys or likes to listen to some of Umm Kulthum’s songs from time to time, seeing no harm in it, even though that is a trial beyond measure. It has reached us, many years ago, that some women were captivated by the recitation of this Egyptian, Abdul Basit, at the beginning of his career. And what was he reciting?
He was reciting the Noble Qur'an. So how would men not be captivated by women, or by some women, if they sing that well-known singing? And the reverse is the reverse: how would women not be captivated by the singing of men, which has become broadcast and has become an art, unfortunately? None of these people raised their heads to what came from Allah in His Book regarding the prohibition of following vain talk. He (peace and blessings be upon him) stated this explicitly in more than one authentic hadith. The issue now is not to enumerate the evidence for the prohibition of those instruments, but rather to clarify that these writers did not possess correct and sound knowledge because they did not study the Sunnah. From this, you can appreciate the value of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):