What is the ruling on men reciting poetry in front of men, accompanied by beating the hand drum?

The questioner : What is the ruling on men reciting poetry in front of men using the hand drum?

The Shaykh : As for the use of the hand drum, it is—without doubt—a ruling that contradicts the Shari'ah, agreed upon by the four schools of jurisprudence and others. This is because the hand drum is one of the instruments of entertainment, and one of the musical instruments about which an authentic hadith was transmitted prohibiting all musical instruments. As mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari, from the hadith of Abu Malik al-Ash'ari, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . They make lawful silk, and before that intoxicants, and before that: al-hir; which is: the private parts, [i.e.,] unlawful sexual intercourse, . So, the hand drum is among the forbidden musical instruments, and the Wise Lawgiver did not permit the use of any of the musical instruments; except for the hand drum, and in two times, with no third: the wedding, and the festival; and not every festival; rather, 'Id al-Fitr and 'Id al-Adha. It is permissible to use the hand drum at the wedding and at the two festivals. This is the first point. Second: the hand drum is for the gender that is called today the "gentle gender," and perhaps this is derived from the Prophet's (peace be upon him) most gentle naming; which is his saying (peace be upon him): ; because the vials cannot withstand pressure and intensity, and the like of that. So this gender; that is, women, the vials; they are the ones for whom the Messenger (peace be upon him) permitted beating the hand drum, and in the two times mentioned earlier. As for men; men must have another work; which is that they be among the heroes and among those who strive in the path of Allah, and that they lead the women, and that they do not imitate them; for women—as you all know—when they go out to strive in the path of Allah; they are in the rear; at the back of the army; they treat the sick and give drink to the wounded, and the like of that. As for men, they lead the women, and confront the heroes of the disbelievers; so beating the hand drum is permissible for one gender, which is women, and in the two times mentioned earlier. If the hand drum is in what is called today religious songs or Islamic songs; then I remind you—and the reminder benefits the believers—: among the misfortunes of this age is that we name things by names other than their true names; the matter did not stop—regrettably—in what the Messenger (peace be upon him) reported, to which I referred earlier; but I did not mention the hadith in full; which is his saying (peace be upon him): . A great news reported by the Messenger (peace be upon him) before it happened, and this is among his scientific miracles (peace be upon him) that increase the believer in faith, and make the disbeliever, if he is sincere, believe in Allah and His Messenger; because these reports of the unseen cannot be known by humans except through the path of heavenly revelation. So the matter did not stop at making intoxicants lawful by naming them by a name other than their true name; rather, Muslims today have expanded—greatly—and greatly indeed—in naming some things by names other than their true names. So the first thing that comes to my mind—now—of these names is: "Islamic socialism." You have certainly heard this name; but I was afraid—and perhaps this fear has now vanished with the disappearance of the communist state—I was afraid that we would see a book titled: Islamic Communism! I was afraid of this; but since communism has been destroyed, perhaps the fear has vanished; although it is possible that communism may return in one way or another. The point is: Islamic socialism—seeking refuge in Allah!—and look how the name has a reality, and has an actual effect when you read a book written on Islamic socialism, you find there rulings that are not Islamic; rather, the author of the book was influenced by some Western communist ideas; then within the limits of what he knows of the Shari'ah or what he does not know—and perhaps this is the most accurate expression—he said: that this ruling is permissible. For example: from the system of socialism: the confiscation of large capital, and the confiscation of public utilities; for example: a man in his land has dug a well.