The Ruling on Listening to Singing
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Q: Many men and women listen to singing. What is the ruling on that? We ask for your advice?
A: My advice to all men and women is not to listen to songs, for the danger of songs is great, and people have been afflicted with them on the radio, on television, and in many other things such as tapes. This is a trial. It is obligatory for the people of Islam, men and women, to beware of its evil and to replace it with listening to what benefits them from the words of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and the words of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and from the words of trusted scholars in their religious hadiths, their seminars, and their articles. All of this benefits them in this world and the Hereafter.
As for songs, their evil is great, and they may cause a believer to deviate in his morals, due to the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He):[Luqman 31:6] And when Our verses are recited to him, he turns away arrogant, as if he had not heard them, as if there were deafness in his ears. So give him the glad tidings of a painful punishment [Luqman: 6 - 7].
Most scholars have held that "leisurely talk" (lahw al-hadith) is interpreted as singing. If it is accompanied by instruments of amusement, such as the flute, the lute, or the like, the sin becomes greater; because of the great corruption that occurs thereby in the hearts and morals. It may lead to misguidance, leading others astray, mocking the religion, and arrogance in listening to the Qur'an. May Allah protect us from that, as the aforementioned verses have warned.
It may also lead its practitioner to hypocrisy; as Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Singing causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart, just as water causes plants to grow."
A: My advice to all men and women is not to listen to songs, for the danger of songs is great, and people have been afflicted with them on the radio, on television, and in many other things such as tapes. This is a trial. It is obligatory for the people of Islam, men and women, to beware of its evil and to replace it with listening to what benefits them from the words of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and the words of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and from the words of trusted scholars in their religious hadiths, their seminars, and their articles. All of this benefits them in this world and the Hereafter.
As for songs, their evil is great, and they may cause a believer to deviate in his morals, due to the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He):
And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech to mislead [others] from the way of Allah without knowledge and who takes it in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment.
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ Most scholars have held that "leisurely talk" (lahw al-hadith) is interpreted as singing. If it is accompanied by instruments of amusement, such as the flute, the lute, or the like, the sin becomes greater; because of the great corruption that occurs thereby in the hearts and morals. It may lead to misguidance, leading others astray, mocking the religion, and arrogance in listening to the Qur'an. May Allah protect us from that, as the aforementioned verses have warned.
It may also lead its practitioner to hypocrisy; as Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Singing causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart, just as water causes plants to grow."
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.