What is the Shariah ruling on music and singing? What is the ruling on listening to musical instruments, listening to the songs of singers, and using or listening to background music in ordinary or religious videos?

According to the majority of the scholars and the fatwas of al-Lajnah al-Da'imah, playing musical instruments (ma'azif) and listening to singing along with them is forbidden (haram). Allah Most High says: ﴿وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ﴾ (And among the people is one who purchases idle talk to mislead from the path of Allah without knowledge) (Surah Luqman: 6) — Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, interpreted "lahw al-hadith" (idle talk) as singing and music. And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: «There will surely appear among my ummah people who will deem lawful zina, silk, alcohol and musical instruments» (Sahih al-Bukhari: 5590). Mentioning music in one and the same context as categorically forbidden things such as zina and alcohol is a clear proof of its prohibition. Al-Lajnah al-Da'imah says: listening to singing is forbidden (Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Da'imah: 26/222), and playing and listening to musical instruments is forbidden (Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Da'imah: 26/248).

Only one limited case is excepted from the Sunnah: on the day of Eid, on the occasion of a wedding, and in the joy of one who comes after a long absence, women's playing of the duff and reciting pure poems. At the house of Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, two girls were reciting poems on the day of Eid; Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, called them "Satan's flute", whereupon the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: «Leave them; every nation has a festival, and this is our festival» (Sahih al-Bukhari: 949; Sahih Muslim: 892). Other than this, men's singing and playing, singing with instruments, obscene or nonsensical words, and a woman's singing in front of non-mahram men — all of this is forbidden.

If a naat or a nasheed has musical instruments with it, or women recite them in front of men, the ruling does not change merely by giving it the name "religious"; al-Lajnah al-Da'imah has stated this explicitly in its fatwa (Fatawa Islamiyyah: 4/532). A video maker's including music in his video (whether religious or worldly) is spreading this forbidden thing, so it is not permissible; those who make religious content should content themselves with the pure voice, without music. For the viewer, the ruling is that where he has a choice, he should avoid such a video or mute its sound. However, there is no sin in a sound that falls into the ears unintentionally in a market, a shop or on a journey; Shaykh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, says that what is prohibited is "intentionally listening with attention", not the mere unintentional falling of a sound into the ears, though one should prevent the evil as far as one is able (Fatawa Islamiyyah: 4/389).

Imam Ibn Hazm, may Allah have mercy on him, had adopted the view of the permissibility of musical instruments, but the majority of the scholars rejected this view in the light of the aforementioned hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari and other proofs; the preponderant view is prohibition itself.

A Maqasid Note: The Shariah has made the protection of the heart an objective; the general effect of music is heedlessness of the remembrance of Allah, hardness of the heart and inclination towards desires. Distance from that which the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, named Satan's flute is precisely what the protection of religion and the protection of the heart (hifz al-din wa hifz al-qalb) demand.

Translated from the original Urdu fatwa.