What is the ruling on Islamic nasheeds?

The questioner : We must be aware of this reality: changing facts by changing names. One example is "Islamic anthems." There have been no anthems called "Islamic anthems" in Islam throughout the fourteen centuries of its history. This is an invention of the present age, a way to smooth over what was already established in all the past centuries; yet a group of the great scholars denied that established practice, which was the songs of the Sufis in their gatherings, which they call "gatherings of dhikr."

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : The Mawlid! They call it: the Mawlid.

The Shaykh : This is also a case of naming a thing by its opposite; for they are gatherings of dancing, not gatherings of dhikr, and gatherings of singing, not gatherings of reciting the Qur'an or sending blessings upon the Messenger (peace be upon him). They now call them by a name other than their true name. These anthems have taken the place of those songs that the Sufis used to sing, and they faced strong opposition from the people of knowledge. This opposition appeared and strengthened in the present age, until the Sufi voice nearly died and we no longer hear a trace of it. So they came up with this ruse: they abandoned the old anthems that the Sufis used to sing in their gatherings and their dance halls, and brought in a substitute: modern songs with an Islamic spirit, but which also contain things that Islam rejects. The first thing we observed in Syria was that there was absolutely no mention of the duff with these anthems; they were simple and pure.

The questioner : Noble.

The Shaykh : Yes, simple. You say: noble; but you have changed the dal to a dhal. Simple: there is no such word. Noble: the plural of sayyid, sayyid and sayyid: sayyidun. As for "sadij," this is its meaning. The point is: I came to know some people who used to frequent the circles of dhikr, which are actually circles of Islamic legal knowledge based on the Book and the Sunnah. They were influenced by other propaganda and were greatly influenced by the Salafi call; but they found something that did not please them. This is a fact, and perhaps some of you feel it, and I hope you are not influenced by it; you feel it, but I hope you are not influenced by it. What is this reality? That the lessons of this Salafi group are dry; they require patience, they require endurance, and sweat runs down the forehead. There are no air conditioners, there are no refreshments. All of this is found in the gatherings of dancing and dhikr—they claim—and so on. So these people, who are a mix, neither Salafi nor Sufi, came out with anthems that follow the same melodies as the Sufi songs; but they do not contain the exaggerations found in those, because they knew that the Islamic age—now—no longer accepts that style in some of the meanings that hint at the unity of existence, or the extreme exaggeration in praising the Messenger (peace be upon him) and the like. So they made adjustments to those phrases; but the musical laws are the same, and the notes are the same. So this is the substitute. Time passed, and after I emigrated from Damascus to here, the duff entered these anthems; so they returned and came a long way closer to the Sufis. There are no religious anthems in Islam. Are there no poetry in Islam, and poetry that is approved and praised?
Without a doubt, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And among the poets of the Messenger (peace be upon him) were the great ones who defended the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with their poetry; "Hassan ibn Thabit" used to respond to the polytheists' satire of the noble Messenger, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) would say to him: ; meaning: Gabriel is with you, he defends you, he fights for you. So this poetry has a basis: defending Islam, and encouraging the Muslims—for example—to jihad in the path of Allah, and to holding fast to good morals, and so on. This is beautiful and acceptable poetry. But to compose it to musical laws: Western or Eastern; this is not of Islam in any way. Rather, the poet would recite his poem: First: in its structure, in its purpose, and in its meaning, it conforms to the Shari'ah in all its parts. Second: he recites it with the natural Islamic Arab instinct; he does not imitate a musical law in his recitation that matches the East or the West, unlike these anthems that are called "religious anthems" or "Islamic anthems." I do not hear an anthem that I memorized in my youth that remained in my mind for its beauty and strength. Look at this meaning, how beautiful it is; we do not hear anything like it at all. Why? It does not suit their desires and tastes.
This poem is attributed to al-Mawardi. He says in its opening:
"Abandon the mention of songs and love poetry, and speak the truth and avoid those who joke"

The questioner : Ibn al-Wardi

The Shaykh : Ibn al-Wardi, you have done well
"Abandon the mention of songs and love poetry, and speak the truth and avoid those who joke"
"And leave behind the memories of youth, for the days of youth are a star that has set"
After that, he says:
"And leave the wine if you are a young man, how does one seek madness from reason"
And so on, many things I used to memorize. Speech like this, which contains advice, contains exhortations, contains the command to hold fast to the morals about which he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . These anthems were not present in the early period, neither in their structure nor in their method of recitation. Others.