The Shaykh’s remarks on the prohibition of singing and his examples of the Zahirite school’s rigidity in adhering to the apparent text of the hadith without applying its meaning.

The Shaykh : So I say, O Abu Abd al-Rahman, regarding the issue of image-making.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Today, the entire Muslim world is being invaded by Western ideas.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This is not hidden from you, but part of this invasion is that some Islamic callers have been influenced by it due to their weak faith and their inability to stand firm against this pressure; therefore, they try to interpret the texts in such a way that they do not conflict with this Western current. There are many, many examples of this that you know of, such as many fatwas issued regarding the occupation of riba.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Or at least the occupation of a type of riba.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : At least, and fatwas are issued permitting singing, musical instruments, and music in its various forms and types. On this occasion, a book was published for me that I want to present to you as a gift, and Sami?
The student : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : You are presenting it to him if you are able to see him.
The student : Fine, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : Its title is "The Prohibition of Musical Instruments and the Refutation of Ibn Hazm and His Followers." Good, is there nothing written on it? You are presenting it to him; we are compensating you for it. May Allah reward you with good. The good of good is immediate. The good of good is immediate. This is "The Prohibition of Musical Instruments," its title is "The Prohibition of Musical Instruments and the Refutation of the Followers of Ibn Hazm, and the Refutation of Ibn Hazm and His Followers," and his followers, yes. This came from the invasion of television and radio, and so on, and the weakness of faith that stands against this current; therefore, they now permit what is forbidden by the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the four Imams. Musical instruments are forbidden by the consensus of the four Imams. So many Islamic callers today say this is lawful, there is no definitive text. They include the late, who passed away recently, "Muhammad al-Ghazali." Do you hear of him?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And on his model is al-Qaradawi. And this book is to address this issue with evidence and facts, and the like. Ibn Hazm is a noble, virtuous scholar, and not like these people, but he has a type of intellectual deviation that he is known for among the masses, which is rigidity on the apparent text. The Zahirite school, you must have heard of it.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This rigidity has examples, and funny examples, unfortunately, despite his majesty and his status in knowledge, but his opinions are crude. Do you know what crude means?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Good, it makes a person laugh. For example, the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in "the two Sahihs": "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited urinating in stagnant water." The implication of this, do you understand? He says: "If he urinated in a vessel and poured this urine from the vessel into stagnant water, it is permissible, permissible." Why? Because linguistically, he did not urinate in stagnant water; he urinated in an empty vessel. So here is a vessel with stagnant water, and here is an empty vessel with nothing in it. If the man comes and urinates in the vessel with stagnant water, it is forbidden, not permissible. But if he urinates in the empty vessel and then empties it into the vessel with stagnant water, it is permissible. What is the difference between the two situations?

The questioner : I understood, I understood.
The student : ... Turkish.

The questioner : I understood, I understood.

The Shaykh : Very clear.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : This is called rigidity.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : He did not understand the purpose of the Prophet’s prohibition of urinating in stagnant water. The purpose is either to preserve the purity of the water or to preserve the cleanliness of the water.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Meaning, either it becomes ritually impure or it becomes contaminated.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Clear?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Good. This ritual impurity or this contamination occurs whether he urinated directly in stagnant water or urinated in an empty vessel and then emptied it into stagnant water. The outcome and the result are the same. This is from the rigidity of his school. So, the Messenger (peace be upon him) said regarding the virgin girl: , The man says to his daughter, "O my daughter, so-and-so has proposed to you, what do you think?" She is shy.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : She is bashful. Ibn Hazm says: No, if she is silent, it is not valid. She must say with her tongue, "I am pleased."

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : But if she is silent, it is not valid. The Messenger says: Excuse me, he says, he says, from his rigidity, God is Great. The Messenger (peace be upon him), who knows the nature of virgin girls, was satisfied and accepted their silence. If she says "I am pleased," it would be better, it would be stronger in showing the pleasure of the heart. Ibn Hazm says: "It is not valid for her to say; she must be silent"; because the Messenger said: Understood.
The student : She must speak.

The Shaykh : Whereas if she speaks, it is stronger, stronger in indicating. Meaning, he says she must not be silent. We say: The Messenger said: out of mercy for her. But I say, out of mercy for her in the old times. But today, no. This is what I do not want. This is like this. This is not nice. This is Abu Lihayah, hehe. Yes, yes, and so on. Many, many examples. But note, this is an introduction to photographic images.