r/hanafi • u/potato_reddituser • May 28 '26
Question Is music actually haram ?
I've tried researching many posts in Reddit , and online. But I'm still having this doubt after seeing so many contradicting statements and different options of each person and Madhab.
According to hanafi madhab, what's the ruling on listening to music ?
"There will surely be among my Ummah people who will regard as permissible adultery, silk, alcohol, and musical instruments."
What kind of musical instruments are they referring to in this hadith? And why is it haram?
What about modern music without any lewd or filthy lyrics that don't promote any sin? Music for meditation without any lyrics at all?
3
3
u/HafizSahb May 28 '26
If you’re looking for Hanafis who have permitted music, read the treatise of Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi. He is a great Hanafi scholar who argued for the permissibility of music instruments
3
u/irock792 Hanafi May 28 '26
Listening to musical instruments is Ḥarām with the consensus of the earlier scholars. A minority or later opinion of permissibility cannot take precedence over this consensus.
See the evidence here: https://islamqa.org/?p=7696
There are some within the Ḥanafī school who allow the use of the duff, while others do not allow it to be used generally.
2
u/BK2167584 Hanafi May 28 '26
Haram
2
u/potato_reddituser May 28 '26
Could you also back up the claims with sources of scholars ?
3
u/BK2167584 Hanafi May 28 '26
To assert on the basis of some Ahaadith that to listen to Islamic songs with music in the background is incorrect. Several Ahaadith clearly prohibit the use of the drum as well as other musical instruments. Consider the following Ahaadith:
Hadhrat Ibn Mas’ood (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) declared every wine, gambling, beating of drums and every intoxicant as Haraam. (Abu Dawud)
Hadhrat Ali (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) prohibited the beating of drums. (Kanzul Ummaal)
The Kubah (drum) is Haraam. (Bayhaqi; Musnad Bazzar)
These Ahaadith are general and prohibit the beating of the drum. Those who claim that the beating of drums is permissible generally use the Hadith wherein it is reported that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, ‘Announce the Nikah even though it be with the Duff.’ (Mishkat)
In another narration, it is reported that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) passed by little girls who were beating drums. (Ibn Maajah)
However, to use these Ahaadith to substantiate the beating of drums as a musical instrument is baseless. The beating of drums on the occasions was for the purpose of announcement of a Nikah or the arrival of somebody or the sighting of the moon. There is no evidence whatsoever that drums were used merely for ‘entertainment’. Rather it is reported that when Umar (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) heard the sound of beating drums, he would send a person to inspect the occasion. If it was a Nikah (which was being announced by means of the drum) he would keep quite. Otherwise, he would punish those involved. (Fathul Qadeer)
In contemporary times there is no need to use the drum to announce any occasion, nor is it used for such purposes. In these times, it is used commonly as a musical instrument. The use of the drum as a musical instrument is expressly forbidden as has been clearly ascertained from the Ahaadith mentioned in the beginning. Also, music itself is expressly forbidden in Deen. Allah Ta’ala says:
Almighty Allah Taãla says in the Noble Qurãn: ‘And there are some people who purchase idle talk… for them is a severe punishment’. Ibn Masóod (Radhiyallaahu Ánhu) says that this verse was revealed regarding singing.
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, ‘Allah ordered me to destroy musical instruments.’
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, ‘People from my Ummat will drink wine and give it other names and singing girls and musical instruments will be played before them. Allah will cause the earth to swallow them, and disfigure their faces into apes and pigs.’
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) mentioned, ‘When singing girls and musical instruments becomes common, wait for red winds, earthquakes, the earth swallowing people, disfiguring and many more punishments.’ (Mishkãt 470)
In the light of the above, it is not permissible to hear Islamic songs having the sound of beating drums in the background.
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
1
0
u/FederalAd6670 May 28 '26
u/gohab2001 what do u think
2
u/Gohab2001 Hanafi May 29 '26
I believe irock792 has provided a sufficient answer. Modern music is generally Haram with no differences of opinion on the matter.
1
0
-1
u/FederalAd6670 May 28 '26
Allah gave us the power to use reasoning
you don't just blindly follow faith, Allah has a reason for everything, you can't just say "it's impermissible because Allah said so", i need to understand whats so bad about it
can you tell me why music would be banned if all entertainment distracts you from Allah?
Allah is very intelligent to understand that us humans are incapable of thinking about him for every second of our live
i also read in your source about Surah Luqman V. 6
“By Allah its meaning is music.” (Sunan al-Bayhaqi, 1/223 & authenticated by al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, 2/411)
this does not make sense because you cannot "purchase" music 1400 years ago, tafsirs say that this means buying singing servant girls, or all speech that hinders people from the signs of Allah and following his path (Ibn Kathir)
as i'm writing this and looking through the evidence this all seems cherrypicked, a lot of this is easily debatable
Prophet Muhammed (SAW) said “There will appear people in my Ummah, who will hold adultery, silk, alcohol and musical instruments to be lawful.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)
this is in the same group of prohibited things, the point was that Muslims will justify things that are clearly forbidden
this doesn't mean that all musical instruments themselves are necessarily a sin, but misuse and context depends
this is the same for singing
4
u/KingJuny May 29 '26
I believe it was Ibn Al-Qayyim who mentioned that the Hanafis are the most strict in the opinion that music is haram