I finally found my true answer to music and why it is, indeed, a good thing.
Notice I did not say halal/haram, as Allah (SWT) is the only One with the power of this ruling. Playing around with these words is not the best of ideas.
Here’s some information regarding that well-known hadith:
The great scholar Sheikh Muhammad Al-Hanuti stated: “The Hadiths referred to in saying that (music and musical instruments) are haram as narrated by Imam al Bukhari (the collector and author of Sahih al Bukhari; the main source of Hadiths) do not fulfill the requirements of the Sahih in al Bukhari’s collection. In Hadith al Ma’azif, Al Bukhari himself narrated the Hadith to be of a broken chain of narrators in which there is a gap between al Bukhari and the second narrator. In a scholarly procedure called Mu’allaq, he drops the first narrator in his chain. Some scholars tried to connect the chain through other means, like when ibn Hajar did in his dissertation in which he connected the Isnad of this Hadith.
Yet the fact remains that the chain of transmission is broken. That break occurs with a man named Hashim ibn Amaar.
According to Ibn Hajar, in his book Tahthib at-Tahthib, Hisham ibn Amaar is not reliable enough to be a source of a narration that depends on somebody like him.
There are several accounts regarding Hisham have been given in the books on the life history of the narrators of the Hadith. The following are from the Tahdheeb al Kamaal (volume 30 page 242 and onward under the entry on Hisham ibn Ammar)
Abu Dawood (the collector and author of Sunan abu Dawood) said that Hishaam ibn Amaar has narrated over four hundred Ahadith; all of Musnad (chain of transmission) which have absolutely no basis in fact.
Ahmad Bin Hanbal the founder of the Hanbali school of Fiqh) described Hisham ibn Ammar as “reckless, impetuous and feeble-minded” and did not accept his testimony.
Saalih Bin Muhammad al Asadi and Abdullah Bin Mohammad Bin Sayyaar said that Hishaam used to take money for narrating hadith.
It is clear that the Hadiths with Hisham ibn Amaar as narrator are not acceptable. Thus, the Hadiths forbidding music are not acceptable.
So… now that there is no evidence regarding the forbidding of music, we must go back to the general rule of “Permissible unless proven forbidden.”
Interesting huh?
And let me just quote a part of the Qur’an the lecturer went over:
“It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth; Moreover His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect knowledge.” (2:29)
It is out of Allah (SWT)’s MERCY that he has created these things for us.
The lecturer also pulled out a CD and played it in the class. Not knowing what to expect I sat there listening intently, until I heard some OLD like 60’s Indian music. Then someone started singing. The lecturer had dubbed his voice over the original and sang it for his wife on her birthday.
Man, that’s what I call a gift. Anyways he was trying to make a point that the music and song he was singing was purely for his wife.
Also another point some people brought up were that scholars and sahabas from taht time period did not listen to music at all and considered it haram.
Let’s take a look at Ibn’ Abbas (R). Ibn’ Abbas completely prohibited music and did not listen to it at all. The same goes for the known sahaba Ibn’ Masud (R).
So, who are we in comparison to them to think music is permissable?
Well, the intelligent person needs to think. Were there any other sahabas during that time that found music to be permissable?
In fact, yes, there were. There is even a hadith about a GROUP of Sahabas listening to women, yes, women singing. One of the sahabi came and was frustrated as to why they were doing this. The group of sahabas replied, “Sit and enjoy with us or leave us be.”
There is another Qur’anic verse that is quoted because of the commentary on it:
“And there are among men those who purchase idle talk in order to mislead others from Allah’s path without knowledge, and those who throw ridicule upon it. For such there will be a humiliating punishment.” (31:6)
In Ibn’ Abbas’s commentary, “idle talk” is deemed to be as anything pertaining to music.
But if we take that in the same context, let’s go to Sura Nisa.
“Give not unto the foolish (what is in) your (keeping of their) wealth, which Allah hath given you to maintain; but feed and clothe them from it, and speak kindly unto them.” (4:5)
Ibn’ Abbas’ commentary for this ayah, he explains that “foolish people” were meant to be women and children.
Yes… women and children… does that make any sense?
Interesting, isn’t it?
So then… do we really want to go by this kind of logic?
Note that I am not disrespecting Ibn’ Abbas’ character in any way, shape, or form, however you have to look at things from a bigger perspective.
The lecture still isn’t finished, he’s going to end it I think next weekend on Sunday. Insha’Allah I’ll be able to go and add some stuff to this.
