The Ruling on Listening to Songs and Writing Their Lyrics
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Question:
A person listens to songs and writes song lyrics; that is, he is a poet, and he gives his lyrics to singers. What is the ruling on writing this poetry? And what is the ruling on giving these lyrics to artists so that they sing them?
Answer:
He is sinful, and he is assisting in sin. He is sinful and assisting in sin. And Allah the Exalted says: [Luqman: 6-7]. And idle talk is singing, according to most of the exegetes, according to most of the scholars.
And the meaning of "buys" is that he exchanges for it. He may take it without a price, and he may take it for a price. He may buy songs for a price, and he may take them without a price.
[Al-Hajj 22:9] It is read with the yā' opened and with it closed by the causes of his deeds, and he is led astray by his engagement in this abomination . He leads others astray, and he leads himself astray without being aware of the calamity he has fallen into. Many people may think that they are correct, or they may think that there is nothing wrong with them, while they are misguided and leading others astray, and they do not know.
Then this calamity, which is listening to songs and taking pleasure in them, leads him afterwards to mocking the verses of Allah and being arrogant about listening to them. Whoever is accustomed to songs and loves them, listening to the Qur'an and taking pleasure in the Qur'an becomes heavy for him, and he may even mock it, and be arrogant about listening to it and acting upon it. For this reason, it was reported from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)—and he was one of the great Companions and their scholars—that he would swear by this verse and say: "By Allah, singing is indeed idle talk." And he said: "It causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart as water causes plants to grow." What does that mean?
It means: if one is accustomed to singing, listening to good and desiring good, and keeping the company of the people of good, becomes heavy for him, so hypocrisy grows in his heart; because hypocrisy is hating the good, loving the evil, and appearing to be good while he is lying and is not from the people of good. As He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Al-Nisa: 142]
These are among their signs: laziness and heaviness in prayer, and showing off. They show off, appearing to be Muslims and that they are good, while they are not. And among their characteristics is heedlessness and little remembrance of Allah.
So this calamity, which is singing, taking pleasure in singing, engaging in it, using it, selling it, and buying it, is among the causes of the sickness of hearts, their approval of falsehood, their heaviness regarding good, and their turning away to amusement and frivolity instead of listening to the verses of Allah. Then it may lead them to misguidance and leading others astray, mocking the Qur'an, and being arrogant about listening to it and reciting it, and the like of that. So when he hears the Qur'an, he turns away, and when he hears the Qur'an of Satan, he turns toward it. And there is no power and no strength except with Allah.
Question: Even songs without music?
Answer: Even if there is no music. If there is music, the evil is more and the sin is greater. If it is with a rababah, or music, or an 'ud, the sin is more.
A person listens to songs and writes song lyrics; that is, he is a poet, and he gives his lyrics to singers. What is the ruling on writing this poetry? And what is the ruling on giving these lyrics to artists so that they sing them?
Answer:
He is sinful, and he is assisting in sin. He is sinful and assisting in sin. And Allah the Exalted says:
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 And the meaning of "buys" is that he exchanges for it. He may take it without a price, and he may take it for a price. He may buy songs for a price, and he may take them without a price.
to mislead [people] from the way of Allah
لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِto lead astray
لِيُضِلَّto lead astray
لِيَضِلَّwithout knowledge
بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍThen this calamity, which is listening to songs and taking pleasure in them, leads him afterwards to mocking the verses of Allah and being arrogant about listening to them. Whoever is accustomed to songs and loves them, listening to the Qur'an and taking pleasure in the Qur'an becomes heavy for him, and he may even mock it, and be arrogant about listening to it and acting upon it. For this reason, it was reported from 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)—and he was one of the great Companions and their scholars—that he would swear by this verse and say: "By Allah, singing is indeed idle talk." And he said: "It causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart as water causes plants to grow." What does that mean?
It means: if one is accustomed to singing, listening to good and desiring good, and keeping the company of the people of good, becomes heavy for him, so hypocrisy grows in his heart; because hypocrisy is hating the good, loving the evil, and appearing to be good while he is lying and is not from the people of good. As He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:
Indeed, the hypocrites [think to] deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them. And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing [themselves to] the people and not remembering Allah except a little,
إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَى يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًاThese are among their signs: laziness and heaviness in prayer, and showing off. They show off, appearing to be Muslims and that they are good, while they are not. And among their characteristics is heedlessness and little remembrance of Allah.
So this calamity, which is singing, taking pleasure in singing, engaging in it, using it, selling it, and buying it, is among the causes of the sickness of hearts, their approval of falsehood, their heaviness regarding good, and their turning away to amusement and frivolity instead of listening to the verses of Allah. Then it may lead them to misguidance and leading others astray, mocking the Qur'an, and being arrogant about listening to it and reciting it, and the like of that. So when he hears the Qur'an, he turns away, and when he hears the Qur'an of Satan, he turns toward it. And there is no power and no strength except with Allah.
Question: Even songs without music?
Answer: Even if there is no music. If there is music, the evil is more and the sin is greater. If it is with a rababah, or music, or an 'ud, the sin is more.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.