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Is Music Haram in Islam?
This might be the single most debated topic in modern Muslim life. Can you listen to music? Use instruments? What about nasheeds? The scholars are seriously split on this one — and both sides bring real evidence. Here's what each madhab actually says and why.
Positions at a Glance
Musical instruments are generally prohibited. Singing without instruments is permissible if the lyrics don't contain anything immoral. The daff (frame drum) is allowed for weddings and celebrations.
The Prophet (SAW) said: 'There will be people from my Ummah who will regard illegal sexual intercourse, silk, alcohol, and musical instruments as permissible.' He literally grouped musical instruments with alcohol and zina. That's about as clear as it gets for the Hanafis.
Ibn Umar was walking and heard a wind instrument playing. He put his fingers in his ears and moved away from the road. Then he told Nafi': 'I was with the Prophet (SAW) and he heard something like this and did the same thing.' If the Prophet himself plugged his ears when he heard an instrument, that's a pretty strong signal.
The Hanafi position has some nuance though. Abu Hanifa himself was strict on instruments, but many later Hanafi scholars allowed simple singing (without instruments) as long as the content is clean — no promoting sin, no drinking songs, nothing inappropriate. The daff is the one instrument basically everyone agrees on for weddings.
Singing without instruments is permissible but disliked (makruh). Musical instruments other than the daff are prohibited. The daff is allowed for weddings and other celebrations.
Two young Ansari girls were singing in the Prophet's house on Eid day. Abu Bakr walked in and said: 'Musical instruments of Satan in the house of Allah's Messenger?!' The Prophet (SAW) responded: 'O Abu Bakr, every nation has a festival and this is our Eid.' He didn't stop them. He corrected Abu Bakr for trying to stop them.
The Prophet (SAW) said: 'What distinguishes the lawful (marriage) from the unlawful is the daff and the voice (singing).' He's literally telling you to celebrate with drums and singing at weddings. That's a direct command.
The mainstream Shafi'i position draws a line between voice and instruments. Singing? Fine, as long as the lyrics are clean. Instruments other than the daff? That's where they say no. But here's the interesting part — Imam al-Ghazali, one of the greatest Shafi'i scholars ever, wrote extensively in his Ihya Ulum al-Din that listening to music can actually be spiritually beneficial. He argued the blanket prohibition has no strong basis. So even within the Shafi'i school, there's real disagreement.
Singing is permissible. Some Maliki scholars even permitted certain instruments beyond the daff, especially for celebrations. The key condition is that the content must be appropriate.
The singing girls on Eid hadith is a key proof for the Malikis too. The Prophet didn't just tolerate the singing — he actively defended it when Abu Bakr tried to shut it down. That's not passive acceptance, that's endorsement.
The Prophet (SAW) said: 'The distinction between the lawful and the unlawful (marriage) is the daff and the voice.' Tirmidhi notes that similar narrations come from Aishah, Jabir, and Rubayyi bint Mu'awwidh — so this isn't just one isolated report.
Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi, a major Maliki scholar, stated that there is no single sahih hadith that explicitly and unconditionally prohibits music. He argued that the hadith in Bukhari 5590 about 'ma'azif' is talking about a specific context — people using music alongside alcohol and sin, not music on its own. The Maliki school is generally the most lenient of the four on this issue, though they still draw the line at content that promotes sin.
Music and musical instruments are haram. This is the strictest position among the four schools. Only the daff is permitted, and only for weddings.
The Prophet (SAW) said people from his Ummah would consider musical instruments (ma'azif) as permissible — and he listed them right next to alcohol, silk, and zina. For the Hanbalis, this is the slam dunk. The word 'yastahilluna' (regard as lawful) implies these things are fundamentally unlawful.
Ibn Umar plugging his ears when he heard a wind instrument, saying the Prophet (SAW) did the same thing. Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim both cite this heavily. If the Prophet avoided even hearing instruments, how can you argue they're permissible?
Ibn Taymiyyah called music 'the intoxicant of the soul' and said it's a gateway to neglecting worship. Ibn al-Qayyim wrote an entire book (Ighathat al-Lahfan) arguing against music. The Hanbali school sees the Bukhari hadith as decisive and considers the 'singing girls on Eid' hadith as a narrow exception for simple vocal chanting on celebrations — not a green light for instruments or regular music listening.