Islamic music

Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. The classic heartland of Islam is the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, Central Asia, and South Asia. Because Islam is a multi-ethnic religion, the musical expression of its adherents is diverse. The indigenous musical styles of these areas have shaped the devotional music enjoyed by contemporary Muslims:

Secular and folk musical styles

Middle East

• Arabic classical music

Evidence of prohibition in the Qur’an and Sunnah:

Allah says in Surah Luqman (interpretation of the meaning): “And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of Allah…” [Luqmaan 31:6] The scholar of the ummah, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: this means singing. Mujaahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said: this means playing the drum (tabl). (Tafseer al-Tabari, 21/40).

Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This ayah was revealed concerning singing and musical instruments. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 3/451).

Al-Sa’di (may Allah have mercy on him) said: this includes all manner of haraam speech, all idle talk and falsehood, and all nonsense that encourages kufr and disobedience; the words of those who say things to refute the truth and argue in support of falsehood to defeat the truth; and backbiting, slander, lies, insults and curses; the singing and musical instruments of the Shaytaan; and musical instruments which are of no spiritual or worldly benefit. (Tafseer al-Sa’di, 6/150)

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The interpretation of the Sahaabah and Taabi’in, that ‘idle talk’ refers to singing, is sufficient. This was reported with saheeh isnaads from Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn Mas’ood. Abu’l-Sahbaa’ said: I asked Ibn Mas’ood about the ayah (interpretation of the meaning), ‘“And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks’ [Luqmaan 31:6]. He said: By Allah, besides Whom there is no other god, this means singing – and he repeated it three times.

It was also reported with a saheeh isnaad from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that this means singing. There is no contradiction between the interpretation of “idle talk” as meaning singing and the interpretation of it as meaning stories of the Persians and their kings, and the kings of the Romans, and so on, such as al-Nadr ibn al-Haarith used to tell to the people of Makkah to distract them from the Quran. Both of them are idle talk. Hence Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “Idle talk” is falsehood and singing. Some of the Sahaabah said one and some said the other, and some said both. Singing is worse and more harmful than stories of kings, because it leads to zinaa and makes hypocrisy grow (in the heart); it is the trap of the Shaytaan, and it clouds the mind. The way in which it blocks people from the Quran is worse than the way in which other kinds of false talk block them, because people are naturally inclined towards it and tend to want to listen to it. The ayat condemn replacing the Quran with idle talk in order to mislead (men) from the path of Allah without knowledge and taking it as a joke, because when an ayah of the Quran is recited to such a person, he turns his back as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in his ear. If he hears anything of it, he makes fun of it. All of this happens only in the case of the people who are most stubbornly kaafirs and if some of it happens to singers and those who listen to them, they both have a share of this blame. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/258-259)

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “and befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice (i.e. songs, music, and any other call for Allah’s disobedience)…” [al-Israa’ 17:64]

It was narrated that Mujaahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice” – his voice [the voice of Iblees/Shaytaan] is singing and falsehood.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This idaafah [possessive or genitive construction, i.e., your voice] serves to make the meaning specific, as with the phrases [translated as] “your cavalry” and “your infantry” [later in the same ayah]. Everyone who speaks in any way that is not obedient to Allah, everyone who blows into a flute or other woodwind instrument, or who plays any haraam kind of drum, this is the voice of the Shaytaan. Everyone who walks to commit some act of disobedience towards Allah is part of his [the Shaytaan’s] infantry, and anyone who rides to commit sin is part of his cavalry. This is the view of the Salaf, as Ibn ‘Abi Haatim narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas: his infantry is everyone who walks to disobey Allah. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan).

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Do you then wonder at this recitation (the Qur’an)? And you laugh at it and weep not, wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)” [al-Najm 53:59-61] ‘Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: it was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that alsumood [verbal noun from saamidoon, translated here as “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)” means “singing”, in the dialect of Himyar; it might be said “Ismidi lanaa” [‘sing for us’ – from the same root as saamidoon/sumood] meaning “ghaniy” [sing]. And he said (may Allah have mercy on him): When they [the kuffaar] heard the Qur’an, they would sing, then this ayah was revealed.

Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Allah says (interpretation of the meaning) “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)” Sufyaan al-Thawri said, narrating from his father from Ibn ‘Abbaas: (this means) singing. This is Yemeni (dialect): ismad lana means ghan lana [sing to us]. This was also the view of ‘Ikrimah. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).

It was reported from Abu Umaamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not sell singing slave women, do not buy them and do not teach them. There is nothing good in this trade, and their price is haraam. Concerning such things as this the ayah was revealed (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of Allah…’ [Luqmaan 31:6].” (Hasan hadeeth)

The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Among my ummah there will certainly be people who permit zinaa, silk, alcohol and musical instruments…” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari ta’leeqan, no. 5590; narrated as mawsool by al-Tabaraani and al-Bayhaqi. See al-Silsilah al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 91). Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This is a saheeh hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh, where he quoted it as evidence and stated that it is mu’allaq and majzoom. He said: Chapter on what was narrated concerning those who permit alcohol and call it by another name. This hadeeth indicates in two ways that musical instruments and enjoyment of listening to music are haraam. The first is the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “[they] permit” which clearly indicates that the things mentioned, including musical instruments, are haraam according to sharee’ah, but those people will permit them. The second is the fact that musical instruments are mentioned alongside things which are definitely known to be haraam, i.e., zinaa and alcohol: if they (musical instruments) were not haraam, why would they be mentioned alongside these things? (Adapted from al-Silsilah al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 1/140-141)

Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This hadeeth indicates that ma’aazif are haraam, and ma’aazif means musical instruments according to the scholars of (Arabic) language. This word includes all such instruments. (al-Majmoo’, 11/535).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: And concerning the same topic similar comments were narrated from Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi, ‘Imraan ibn Husayn, ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr, ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abbaas, Abu Hurayrah, Abu Umaamah al-Baahili, ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, Anas ibn Maalik, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Saabit and al-Ghaazi ibn Rabee’ah. Then he mentioned it in Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, and it indicates that they (musical instruments) are haraam.

It was narrated that Naafi’ (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Ibn ‘Umar heard a woodwind instrument, and he put his fingers in his ears and kept away from that path. He said to me, O Naafi’, can you hear anything? I said, No. So he took his fingers away from his ears and said: I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he heard something like this, and he did the same thing. (Saheeh Abi Dawood).

Some insignificant person said that this hadeeth does not prove that musical instruments are haraam, because if that were so, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would have instructed Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) to put his fingers in his ears as well, and Ibn ‘Umar would have instructed Naafi’ to do likewise! The response to this is: He was not listening to it, but he could hear it. There is a difference between listening and hearing.

Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Concerning (music) which a person does not intend to listen to, there is no prohibition or blame, according to scholarly consensus. Hence blame or praise is connected to listening, not to hearing. The one who listens to the Quran will be rewarded for it, whereas the one who hears it without intending or wanting to will not be rewarded for that, because actions are judged by intentions. The same applies to musical instruments which are forbidden: if a person hears them without intending to, that does not matter. (al-Majmoo’, 10/78)

Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the listener is the one who intends to hear, which was not the case with Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both); what happened in his case was hearing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) needed to know when the sound stopped because he had moved away from that path and blocked his ears. So he did not want to go back to that path or unblock his ears until the noise had stopped, so when he allowed Ibn ‘Umar to continue hearing it, this was because of necessity. (al-Mughni, 10/173) (Even though the hearing referred to in the comments of the two Imams is makrooh, it was permitted because of necessity, as we will see below in the comments of Imam Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him). And Allah knows best).

• Turkish classical music

All of these regions were connected by trade long before the Islamic conquests of the 600s and later, and it is likely that musical styles traveled the same routes as trade goods. However, lacking recordings, we can only speculate as to the pre-Islamic music of these areas. Islam must have had a great influence on music, as it united vast areas under the first caliphs, and facilitated trade between distant lands. Certainly the Sufis, brotherhoods of Muslim mystics, spread their music far and wide.

North Africa

The Berber and Arabic speaking countries of North Africa, such as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, share many of the musical traditions of Egypt and the Arab countries of the Middle East. Popular styles of music such as Raï and chaabi originate in the Maghreb. In addition, black African influences can be heard in the religious music of Gnawa.

• Music of Morocco
• Music of Algeria

Central Asia

Many of the countries in Central Asia such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have been heavily influenced by Turkish and Persian culture. Bowed instruments are common, as is bardic singing.

• Music of Central Asia

South Asia

The music of the Muslim populations of South Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, with Nepal and Sri Lanka) merged Middle Eastern genres with indigenous classical musical modes, and is generally distinct in style and orchestration, yet due to the strong links encountered between the Middle-East, Central Asia and South Asia, it is closer to Middle-Eastern styles than those of the periphery of the Islamic world, which tend to be purely indigenous.

• Music of Afghanistan
• Music of Pakistan

Southeast Asia

Sundanese Gamelan Degung

Main articles: Gamelan and Kulintang

Maritime Southeast Asia has a majority Muslim population, but has historically incorporated less cultural influences from the Middle-East than South Asia, due to the fact that they were not incorporated within the Islamic Empire, but rather maintained links via trade.

Music genres of these areas generally predate the coming of Islam or have very little influence from Arab or Persian styles, with exceptions being the Malay Zapin and Joget genres, both of which had taken a lot of influence from the Middle East via Arab settlement in urban centers.

Maritime Southeast Asia's music is related to other musical genres of South-East and East Asia. Gong chime ensembles such as Gamelan and Kulintang existed in the region before the arrival of Islam, and musical theory and method owe more to heavy Chinese influence, as well as Hindu-Buddhist principles, than to Arabic musical philosophy. Variations of one of two main scales prevail in the region among different ensembles: slendro and pelog (both of which originated in Java).

Africa

Main articles: West African music and African music

Islam is the largest organized religion on the continent, although indigenous styles and genres are more prominent than those influenced by Middle-Eastern theory.

East African music styles include the highly Arab-influenced Taarab genre.

West African musical genres are more varied, and tend to incorporate both native and Berber influences, rather than those of Arab origin. A long history of court griot music based on historical accounts and praise-singing exists in the region. Wind and string instruments, such as the Kora or Flute are generally preferred to percussion, although percussion instruments such as the talking drum and djembe are also widely played.

Types of Muslim devotional recitation and music

Nasheed

Nasheeds are moral, religious songs sung in various melodies by some Muslims of today without any musical instruments. However some nasheed groups perform by using some percussion instruments. This type of singing of moral songs without instrumentation is considered as permissible (halal) by almost many Muslims.

Sufi music

Sufi worship services are often called dhikr or zikr. See that article for further elaboration.

The dhikr of South Asian Muslims is "quietist". The Sufi services best known in the West are the chanting and rhythmic dancing of the whirling dervishes or Mevlevi Sufis of Turkey. Some Mevlevi music can be heard on the Sufi Music CD recommended below.

However, Sufis may also perform devotional songs in public, for the enjoyment and edification of listeners. The mood is religious, but the gathering is not a worship service.

In Turkey, once the seat of the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate, concerts of sacred song are called "Mehfil-e-Sama' " (or "gathering of Sama'"). Song forms include ilahi and nefe.

Qasidah is a form of poetry. In this form of poetry the praise is presented. Qasidah is four types, 1. Hamd (Hymn) 2. Naat (A poem in praise of Prophet Muhammad 3. Manqabat (A poem in praise of Saints) 4. Madah (A poem in praise of honourables)

In South Asia, especially Pakistan and India, the most widely-known style of Sufi music is qawwali. A traditional qawwali programme would include:

• A hamd -- a song in praise of Allah
• A naat -- a song in praise of the Prophet Muhammad
• Manqabats -- songs in praise of the illustrious teachers of the Sufi brotherhood to which the musicians belong
• Ghazals -- songs of intoxication and yearning, which use the language of romantic love to express the soul's longing for union with the divine.

Shi'a qawwali concerts typically follow the naat with a manqabat in praise of Ali, and sometimes a marsiya, a lamentation over the death of much of Ali's family at the Battle of Karbala.

Kafi, Abida Parveen

Qawwali is increasingly popular as a musical genre and performances may attract those who want to hear virtuoso singing rather than contemplate the divine. Some artists may skip the long sequence of praise songs and go straight from the introductory hamd to the popular romantic songs, or even dispense with the devotional content completely. This is cause for much consternation among traditional enthusiasts/devotees of the form. One well-known qawwali singer is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Another traditional South Asian genre of Sufi music is the Kafi, which is more meditative and involves solo singing as opposed to the ensemble form seen in qawwali. The most widely known exponent of the Kafi is the Pakistani singer Abida Parveen.

Sufi music has developed with the times. A Pakistani Sufi rock band, Junoon, was formed in the 1990s to bring a modern twist to suit the new younger generation. The band achieved wide popularity, in Pakistan as well as in the West.

Music for public religious celebrations

• Mawlid music—performed for the birthday of Muhammad, in various regional styles.
• Ta'zieh music—Ta'zieh is a passion play, part musical drama, part religious drama, rarely performed outside Iran. It depicts the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, venerated by Shia Muslims.
• Ashurah music—performed during the Moharram mourning period, commemorating the deaths of Imam Hussein and his followers.
• Sikiri (from the Arabic word "Dhikr" which means remembrance of God—performed by the Qadiriyya Sufi orders of waYao or Yao people in East and Southern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and South Africa).
• Manzuma -- moral songs performed in Ethiopia.
• Madih nabawi -- Arabic hymns praising the prophet Muhammad.

Modes

• Maqam
• Dastgah

Instruments

Some Muslims believe that only vocal music is permissible (halal) and that instruments are forbidden (haram). Hence there is a strong tradition of a cappella devotional singing.

Other Muslims will accept drums, but no other instruments.

Yet other Muslims believe that any instrument is lawful as long as it is used for the permissible kinds of music. Hence there is a long tradition of instrumental accompaniment to devotional songs. A wide variety of instruments may be used, depending on local musical traditions.

Traditional:

• Drums (daf, bendir, zarb, rebana, Tombak...)
• gongs
• Stringed instruments
  • Bowed (rebab, kemencheh...)
  • Plucked (tar, tanbour, oud...)
• Wind instruments (ney...)
  • Reed instruments (shehnai...)

Recent introductions:

• Harmonium (popular in Pakistan and India)

Lyrics

When lyrics are not simply repeated and elaborated invocations (Yah Nabi and the like) they are usually poems in forms and meters common in the local literature.

Permissibility of music

The question of permissibility of music in Islamic jurisprudence is historically disputed.

Some jurists of the classical era of Muslim scholarship opined that music is forbidden both by the Qur'an and by the Hadith. They believe that Muhammad censured the use of musical instruments in the report from him: "There will be among my Ummah people who will regard as permissible adultery, silk, alcohol and musical instruments". Some of the Islamic scholars of the past agreed upon this. However, others including Imam Nawawi, permit music stating that the prohibition of music and instruments at the time of the Prophet related to the usage - at the time the polytheists would use music and musical instruments as part of their worships. The others who saw the permissibility of music include Qadhi Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi and Qadhi Iyyad from the Malikis, Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and al-Izz ibn Abdesalam from the Shaafi'is, Mawlana Jalaluddeen Ar-Rumi from the Hanafis, and Ibn Hazm from the Dhahiris. Imam Ghazali also reports a narration from the saint al-Khidr, where he expressed a favourable opinion of music, provided it be within the usage limitation of virtous areas.

Furthermore many modern Muslim interpretations allow music and singing under certain conditions, mainly if they do not encourage committing sinful acts.

Contemporary Muslim music

Some notable Muslim nasheed artists include:

• Aa'shiq al Rasul
• Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)
• Dawud Wharnsby
• Shaam
• Zain Bhikha
• Sami Yusuf

Noted Sufi singers:

• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1948–1997)
• Abida Parveen
• Sabri Brothers

See also

• Religious music in Iran
• Arabic music
• Sufi music

External links

Islamic views on the allowance of musical instruments and singing

• Themodernreligion.com
• Islamonline.net On Hadith
• Understanding-Islam.com
• Al Azhar On Music
• Islamonline.net On Choir music

Islamic views on the prohibition of musical instruments and singing

• Sunnipath.com
• ahmadjibril.com
• muttaqun.com
• Why Music is Haram?
• [1]

Further reading

• Jenkins, Jean and Olsen, Poul Rovsing (1976). Music and Musical Instruments in the World of Islam. World of Islam Festival. ISBN 0-905035-11-9.
• Habib Hassan Touma (1996). The Music of the Arabs, trans. Laurie Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0-931340-88-8.
• Shiloah, Amnon (1995). "Music in the World of Islam: A Socio-cultural study." Wayne State University Press. Detroit. ISBN 0-8143-2589-0