MUSIC AND ISLAM

ZUHA NAEEM (09854)

How I came about this topic?
The Permissibility-Impermissibility Debate

One side of the spectrum deems almost all forms of music ‘Haram’ (forbidden)

The other side of the spectrum makes listening to all kinds of music
permissible

There are nuances in between depending on the zaman (time), makan (place),
and ikhwan (associates) of the sound-art expression (Al-Ghazali, 1902)
 Mention of Music in the Quran
The Quran contains almost nothing expressly concerning music

The words used are Zur, Lahw and Laghw which broadly mean ‘vain
talk/words/actions’.

(22:30) َِ ‫ل الز‬
‫ور‬ َِ َ ‫جس ِمنََ األ‬
ََ ‫وثان َواجتَنِبوا قَو‬ ِ ‫فَاجتَنِبُوا‬
ََ ‫الر‬
(31:6) ‫َير ِعلمَ َويَت ِخذَها ُه ُزوَا‬ َِ ‫ل‬
َِ ‫ّللا بِغ‬ َِ ‫سبي‬
َ ‫عن‬
َ َ‫ضل‬
ِ ُ‫ث ِلي‬ ََ َ‫اس َمن يَشتَري ل‬
َِ ‫هو ال َحدي‬ َ ِ ‫َو ِمنََ الن‬
ۡ ِ ۡ ِ ۡ َّ ِ ۡ ۡ ِ َّ‫وال‬
(23:3) ‫ضو َن‬ ‫ر‬
ُ ُ‫ع‬ ‫م‬ َ
‫و‬ ‫غ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ال‬ َ
‫ن‬ ‫ع‬ َ
‫م‬ ‫ه‬
َ ُ َ ََ
‫ن‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ذ‬
Definition of Music
The art and science of combining vocal
and/instrumental sounds or tones so
as to form a wide variety of
structurally, aesthetically, and
emotionally satisfying expressions of a
culture’s underlying belief systems.

(al Faruqi, 1985)

A number of interrelated aspects seem to have been involved in determining
the implicit hierarchy of sound art that is described here.

● The first of these is a genre's conformance to or divergence from the

archetypal Qur'anic chant.
● A second aspect determining a genre's location in the hierarchy seems to be
he degree of its conformance to the aesthetic demands of the culture.
● Third, the hierarchy is also a ranking of genres according to community
acceptance and esteem.
● A fourth aspect that has determined positioning in the implicit handasah al
awt hierarchy is a corollary to the third aspect.
Permissibility of Music dependent upon its
categorization according to

-Instruments
-Lyrics
-Gender
-Occasion
 1. Those pertaining to SOURCES
2. Those pertaining to

Problems ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN

MUSICAL AND NON-MUSICAL
ACTIVITIES
3. Those pertaining to
TERMINOLOGY (‘Haram’)
Explanation for the hostile attitude
towards Music The Other Dimension

● The rulers’ passionate love for ● If it is employed with good

music were combined with intentions and good purposes,
drinking and libertinage which
itcannot be harmful in anyway.
which caused the Muslim legalists
● It cannot be separated into
to adopt a puritanical attitude
● The Ahadith with references to lawful and unlawful.
musical instrument, music, music
making are interwoven with other
statements concerning other
forbidden pleasures, which are
incompatible with the performance
of religious duties and moral
conduct.
Possible Questions to Explore
Q. What are the arguments posed by contemporary scholars belonging to
both sides of the spectrum (and middle of the spectrum)?

Q. The translation and annotation of Ashraf Ali Thanvi’s section on Music.

Methodology
● Literary Analysis
● Open Interviews

Challenges
●To narrow down/define ‘Islam’
Bibliography
Al Faruqi, Lois Ibsen. "Music, musicians and Muslim law." Asian Music 17, no. 1 (1985): 3-36.

Al Faruqi, Lois Ibsen. "The status of music in Muslim nations: evidence from the Arab world." Asian Music 12, no. 1 (1980): 56-85.

Al-Faruqi, Ismail Raji. "Islam and art." Studia islamica 37 (1973): 81-110.

Al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid al-Tulsi. "Ihya’Ulum al-Din.”

Al-Qaradawi, Yusuf. The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam: ‫الحالل والحرام في اإلسالم‬. The Other Press, 2013.

Bhimji, Saleem. “The Status of Music in Islam”

Murad, Abdal Hakim. “Music in the Islamic Tradition”. Filmed [2017]. YouTube video, 41:02. Posted [2017].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qJdhhOCv04

Robson, James. "Tracts on Listening to Music and Ancient Arabian Musical Instruments." PhD diss., University of Glasgow, 1941.

Shiloah, Amnon. "Music and religion in Islam." Acta Musicologica 69, no. Fasc. 2 (1997): 143-155.