Why is audio recording not forbidden like image-making?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Well, O honorable Shaykh, why is downloading the audio cassette not forbidden?
The Shaykh: Glory be to Allah, this is the question we fear. I will give you two answers: First, because the Shari'ah has not forbidden it. Second, I do not know if you have ever heard the hadith in al-Bukhari from Ibn Abbas that a man came to him and said to him: "O Ibn Abbas, my earnings come from the labor of my hand and my profession, which is these images." He said: "Beware that you earn your livelihood from these images." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: مَن صوَّرَ صورةً كُلِّفَ أن ينفخ فيها الروح يوم القيامة وما هو بنافخٍ He who painted pictures in the world would be compelled to breathe soul in them on the Day of Resurrection, but he would not be able to breathe soul (in them).Sahih Muslim 2110b .
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: And the point in what follows is that he said: فإن كان لا بد فصور ما لا روح فيه If it is necessary, then make images of that which has no soul Did you hear?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: فصور ما لا روح فيه Make images of that which has no soul ; So, our Lord who forbade images forbade images with souls, as for mountains, rivers, valleys, trees, and all of them are from the creation of Allah, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) did not forbid them. And so, in another hadith: "When the Messenger (peace be upon him) was making an appointment with Jibril, his family saw him as if he was agitated; they were asked: 'What is the matter?' He said: 'I have an appointment with Jibril (peace be upon him).' And when Jibril appeared outside the house, the Messenger (peace be upon him) hastened to him, and Jibril answered him, saying: 'We, the angels, do not enter a house in which there is an image or a dog; so look, for in the house there is a curtain with images of men, and look, for in the house there is a puppy; so order the curtain to be turned over, or the images to be changed until they become like a tree'"; So it is permissible to make an image of a tree, and Jibril ordered the Messenger (peace be upon him) to change the images with souls into the image of trees.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: From this, we say that not every image is forbidden, and from this you understand the answer to why the tape is permissible? Because there is no image-making of a person as is the case with a picture, but rather it is the recording of the voice on the tape. And finally, there is no harm in this recording of the voice that exists in images, until our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) did not forbid anything except because there is harm in it, and He did not permit anything except because there is benefit in it, and the original ruling for things is permissibility, and we do not say something is forbidden except by an explicit text. And these things from photographic and video images, if that is the correct expression, all of these fall under the generality of مَن صوَّرَ صورةً كُلِّفَ أن يفخ فيها الروح يوم القيامة وليس بنافخٍ He who painted pictures in the world would be compelled to breathe soul in them on the Day of Resurrection, but he would not be able to breathe soul (in them).Sahih Muslim 2110b , مَن صوَّرَ صورةً فهو ملعون Whoever makes an image is cursed and so on from the hadiths.
And perhaps this extent is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The questioner : May Allah prolong your life, do you want me to hang up, are there other questions or do you want me to call again, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Another day, if Allah wills, on a different day.
The questioner : Understood.
The Shaykh: Peace be upon you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh: And you as well, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh: Glory be to Allah, this is the question we fear. I will give you two answers: First, because the Shari'ah has not forbidden it. Second, I do not know if you have ever heard the hadith in al-Bukhari from Ibn Abbas that a man came to him and said to him: "O Ibn Abbas, my earnings come from the labor of my hand and my profession, which is these images." He said: "Beware that you earn your livelihood from these images." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: مَن صوَّرَ صورةً كُلِّفَ أن ينفخ فيها الروح يوم القيامة وما هو بنافخٍ He who painted pictures in the world would be compelled to breathe soul in them on the Day of Resurrection, but he would not be able to breathe soul (in them).Sahih Muslim 2110b .
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: And the point in what follows is that he said: فإن كان لا بد فصور ما لا روح فيه If it is necessary, then make images of that which has no soul Did you hear?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: فصور ما لا روح فيه Make images of that which has no soul ; So, our Lord who forbade images forbade images with souls, as for mountains, rivers, valleys, trees, and all of them are from the creation of Allah, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) did not forbid them. And so, in another hadith: "When the Messenger (peace be upon him) was making an appointment with Jibril, his family saw him as if he was agitated; they were asked: 'What is the matter?' He said: 'I have an appointment with Jibril (peace be upon him).' And when Jibril appeared outside the house, the Messenger (peace be upon him) hastened to him, and Jibril answered him, saying: 'We, the angels, do not enter a house in which there is an image or a dog; so look, for in the house there is a curtain with images of men, and look, for in the house there is a puppy; so order the curtain to be turned over, or the images to be changed until they become like a tree'"; So it is permissible to make an image of a tree, and Jibril ordered the Messenger (peace be upon him) to change the images with souls into the image of trees.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: From this, we say that not every image is forbidden, and from this you understand the answer to why the tape is permissible? Because there is no image-making of a person as is the case with a picture, but rather it is the recording of the voice on the tape. And finally, there is no harm in this recording of the voice that exists in images, until our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) did not forbid anything except because there is harm in it, and He did not permit anything except because there is benefit in it, and the original ruling for things is permissibility, and we do not say something is forbidden except by an explicit text. And these things from photographic and video images, if that is the correct expression, all of these fall under the generality of مَن صوَّرَ صورةً كُلِّفَ أن يفخ فيها الروح يوم القيامة وليس بنافخٍ He who painted pictures in the world would be compelled to breathe soul in them on the Day of Resurrection, but he would not be able to breathe soul (in them).Sahih Muslim 2110b , مَن صوَّرَ صورةً فهو ملعون Whoever makes an image is cursed and so on from the hadiths.
And perhaps this extent is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The questioner : May Allah prolong your life, do you want me to hang up, are there other questions or do you want me to call again, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Another day, if Allah wills, on a different day.
The questioner : Understood.
The Shaykh: Peace be upon you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh: And you as well, if Allah wills.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.