Chapter: On Singing, What Attaches to It, Speech, Its Purpose, and the State of the Listener

باب الغناء وما یلحقہ والکلام والغرض وحال المستمع — گانے اور کلام کے بارے میں

بَابُ الْغِنَاءِ وَمَا يَلْحَقُهٗ وَمَا يَتْبَعُ الْكَلَامَ وَالْغَرَضَ وَالْبَاعِثَ وَحَالَ الْمُسْتَمِعِ

Chapter concerning singing and what is connected with it, and speech and what follows it, and purpose and cause, and the state of the one who listens.

وَقَالَ اللهُ تَعَالٰى : يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تُحَرِّمُوْا طَيِّبٰتِ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللهُ لَكُمْ ـ

(al-Māʾida 5:87.)

Vocabulary: yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū — O you who have believed; lā tuḥarrimū — do not make unlawful [do not deem impermissible]; ṭayyibāt — good things; mā aḥalla Allāh — those good things which God has made lawful; lakum — for you.

Translation: Allah Most High says: O you who have believed! Do not hold unlawful those things that Allah has made lawful for you.

وَقَالَ اللهُ تَعَالٰى : وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبٰٓئِثَ ـ

(al-Aʿrāf 7:157.)

Vocabulary: wa-yuḥillu lahumu al-ṭayyibāt — and he makes good things lawful for them; wa-yuḥarrimu ʿalayhimu al-khabāʾith — and he forbids them, and holds them back from, foul and evil things.

Translation: Allah Most High says: And he makes pure things lawful for them and makes impure things unlawful for them.

وَقَالَ اللهُ تَعَالٰى : فَبَشِّرْ عِبَادِ ۝ الَّذِيْنَ يَسْتَمِعُوْنَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُوْنَ اَحْسَنَهٗ ـ

(al-Zumar 39:17–18.)

Vocabulary: fa-bashshir ʿibādi — so give glad tidings to My servants, give them good news; alladhīna yastamiʿūna al-qawl — those who listen with attention [lend an ear] to the command of God, or listen attentively to people's words; fa-yattabiʿūna aḥsanah — then they follow the best of it, they act upon it.

Translation: Allah Most High says: (O Prophet!) Give this good news to My servants — those who listen attentively to speech and follow the best of it. These are the people whom God has guided.

وَقَالَ اللهُ تَعَالٰى : اِنَّمَا الْحَيٰوةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَّلَهْوٌ ـ

(Muḥammad 47:36.)

Translation: Allah Most High says: Truly, the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement (nothing other than idle play [lahw wa-laʿib]).

عَنْ اَبِیْ هُرَيْرَةَ رضى الله عنه قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَتَغَنَّ بِالْقُرْاٰنِ ـ

(Reported by al-Bukhārī.)

Vocabulary: laysa minnā — he is not on our way; man lam yataghanna — whoever does not recite with a beautiful voice.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "He is not of us who does not recite the Qurʾān with a beautiful voice."

وَعَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم مَا اَذِنَ اللهُ لِشَیْءٍ مَا اَذِنَ لِنَبِیٍّ حَسَنِ الصَّوْتِ بِالْقُرْاٰنِ يَجْهَرُ ـ

(Agreed upon [al-Bukhārī and Muslim].)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah Most High has not listened to anything as He listens to the Qurʾān [recited] aloud by a prophet with a beautiful voice."

وَعَنِ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم حَسِّنُوا الْقُرْاٰنَ بِاَصْوَاتِكُمْ فَاِنَّ الصَّوْتَ الْحَسَنَ يَزِيْدُ الْقُرْاٰنَ حُسْنًا ـ

(Reported by al-Dārimī.)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: "Adorn the Qurʾān with your voices, for a good voice adds to the beauty of the Qurʾān" (increases the beauty of the Qurʾān).

وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ ذُكِرَ عِنْدَ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ صلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الشِّعْرُ فَقَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم هُوَ كَلَامٌ فَحَسَنُهٗ حَسَنٌ وَقَبِيْحُهٗ قَبِيْحٌ ـ

(Reported by al-Dāraquṭnī; and al-Shāfiʿī reported it from ʿUrwa, mursalan [without naming the Companion].)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her): poetry was mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said: "It is speech: what is good in it is good, and what is bad in it is bad."

عَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم يَقُوْلُ اِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا وَاِنَّ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ جَهْلًا وَاِنَّ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ حِكَمًا وَاِنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ عِيَالًا ـ

(Reported by Abū Dāwūd.)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Burayda (may Allah be pleased with him): I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: "Some eloquent speech is magic; some knowledge is ignorance; some poetry is full of wisdom (is wisdom through and through); and some words drag a great many other words along behind them."

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم يَضَعُ لِحَسَّانَ مِنْبَرًا فِی الْمَسْجِدِ يَقُوْمُ عَلَيْهِ قَائِمًا يُفَاخِرُ عَنْ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اَوْيُنَافِحُ وَيَقُوْلُ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلّم اِنَّ اللهَ يُؤَيِّدُ حَسَّانَ بِرُوْحِ الْقُدُسِ مَانَافَحَ اَوْفَاخَرَ عَنْ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم ـ

(Reported by al-Bukhārī.)

Vocabulary: yufākhiru — they boast [take pride] and defend; inna Allāha yuʾayyidu — Allah supports.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had a pulpit placed in the mosque for Ḥassān (may Allah be pleased with him). He would stand on it and boast, or make a defence, on behalf of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say

that Allah supports Ḥassān with the Holy Spirit (Rūḥ al-Qudus) for as long as he goes on defending [and] boasting on behalf of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم اَعْلِنُوْا هٰذَا النِّكَاحَ وَاجْعَلُوْهُ فِی الْمَسَاجِدِ وَاضْرِبُوْا عَلَيْهِ بِالدُّفُوْفِ ـ

(Reported by al-Tirmidhī.)

Vocabulary: aʿlinū — announce; wa-ḍribū ʿalayhi bi-l-dufūf — and play the daff (frame drum) for it.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her): [the Prophet ﷺ said:] "Announce this nikāḥ [marriage contract], and hold it in the mosques, and beat the daff over it."

عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَاطِبٍ الْجُمَحِیِّ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِیِّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم قَالَ مَابَيْنَ الْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ الصَّوْتُ وَالدُّفُّ فِی النِّكَاحِ ـ

(Reported by Aḥmad, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī and Ibn Mājah.)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Muḥammad ibn Ḥāṭib al-Jumaḥī (may Allah be pleased with him): [the Prophet ﷺ said:] "The difference between the lawful and the unlawful in nikāḥ is the voice [singing] and the daff."

وَعَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ زُفَّتِ امْرَاَةٌ اِلٰى رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْاَنْصَارِ فَقَالَ نَبِیُّ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم اَمَاكَانَ مَعَكُمْ لَهْوٌ فَاِنَّ الْاَنْصَارَ يُعْجِبُهُمُ اللَّهْوُ ـ

(Reported by al-Bukhārī.)

Vocabulary: zuffat — she was sent [to her husband] for the wedding night; lahw — singing and playing [music]; yuʿjibuhum — they like it.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her): a woman of the Anṣār was sent to a man for the wedding night, and the Prophet ﷺ said: "Was there no singing and playing with you? For the Anṣār like singing and playing."

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ وَاللهِ لَقَدْ رَاَيْتُ النَّبِیَّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم يَقُوْمُ عَلٰى حُجْرَتِیْ وَالْحَبَشَةُ يَلْعَبُوْنَ بِالْحِرَابِ فِی الْمَسْجِدِ وَرَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم يَسْتُرُنِیْ بِرِدَائِهٖ لِاَنْظُرَ اِلٰى لَعِبِهِمْ بَيْنَ اُذُنِهٖ وَعَاتِقِهٖ ثُمَّ يَقُوْمُ مِنْ اَجْلِیْ حَتّٰى اَكُوْنَ اَنَا الَّتِیْ اَنْصَرِفُ فَاقْدُرُوْا قَدْرَ الْجَارِيَةِ الْحَدِيْثَةِ السِّنِّ الْحَرِيْصَةِ عَلَى اللَّهْوِ ـ

(Agreed upon [al-Bukhārī and Muslim].)

Vocabulary: yalʿabūna bi-l-ḥirāb — they display feats with spears; yasturunī — he screens me; min ajlī — for my sake; fa-qdurū — so estimate [reckon].

Translation: Ḥaḍrat Bībī ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: By God, I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ standing at [the door of] my room while the Abyssinians were playing with spears in the mosque (displaying feats with spears), and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was screening me with his cloak, between his ear and his shoulder, so that I could watch their play. Then he would remain standing for my sake until I myself was the one to turn away. So estimate [how long that was, from the eagerness] of a young girl keen on play and amusement.

خُذُوْا لِتَعْلَمَ يَهُوْدُ اَنَّ فِیْ دِيْنِنَا فُسْحَةً وَاِنِّیْ بُعِثْتُ بِالْحَنِيْفِيَّةِ السَّمْحَةِ ـ

(al-Daylamī from ʿĀʾisha.) [reading uncertain]

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her): "Hold firmly to this, so that the Jews may know that there is latitude in our religion, and that I have been sent with the easy, upright (ḥanīfī) religion." (al-Daylamī.)

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ اِنَّ اَبَابَكْرٍ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا وَعِنْدَهَا جَارِيَتَانِ فِیْ اَيَّامِ مِنًى تُدَفِّفَانِ وَتَضْرِبَانِ وَفِیْ رِوَايَةٍ تُغَنِّيَانِ بِمَا تَقَاوَلَتِ الْاَنْصَارُ يَوْمَ بُعَاثَ وَالنَّبِیُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُتَغَشٍّ بِثَوْبِهٖ فَانْتَهَرَهُمَا اَبُوْبَكْرٍ فَكَشَفَ النَّبِیُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ وَجْهِهٖ فَقَالَ دَعْهُمَا يَا اَبَابَكْرٍ فَاِنَّهَا اَيَّامُ عِيْدٍ وَفِیْ رِوَايَةٍ يَا اَبَابَكْرٍ اِنَّ لِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ عِيْدًا وَهٰذَا عِيْدُنَا ـ

(Agreed upon [al-Bukhārī and Muslim].)

Vocabulary: jāriyatān — two young girls; tudaffifān — they were playing the daff; mutaghashshin — covered [wrapped up]; fa-ntaharahumā — then he scolded the two girls.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Abū Bakr came in to them, and with us were two girls who were playing the daff in the days of Minā; and in one narration, that they were singing the verses which the Anṣār had composed about the Day of Buʿāth (Buʿāth is the name of a place where a battle took place). The Prophet ﷺ was lying covered with a cloth. Abū Bakr scolded the two of them, whereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ removed the sheet from his blessed face and said: "O Abū Bakr! Leave them, for it is ʿĪd." And in one narration: "O Abū Bakr! Every people has an ʿĪd, and this is our ʿĪd."

عَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ رضى الله عنه قَالَ خَرَجَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم فِیْ مَغَازِيْهِ فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ جَاءَتْ جَارِيَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ! اِنِّیْ كُنْتُ نَذَرْتُ اِنْ رَدَّكَ اللهُ صَالِحًا اَنْ اَضْرِبَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ بِالدُّفِّ وَاَتَغَنّٰى قَالَ لَهَا اِنْ كُنْتِ نَذَرْتِ فَاضْرِبِیْ وَاِلَّا لَا فَجَعَلَتْ تَضْرِبُ فَدَخَلَ اَبُوْبَكْرٍ وَهِیَ تَضْرِبُ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عَلِیٌّ وَهِیَ تَضْرِبُ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عُثْمَانُ وَهِیَ تَضْرِبُ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عُمَرُ فَاَلْقَتِ الدُّفَّ تَحْتَ اِسْتِهَا ثُمَّ قَعَدَتْ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم اِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَخَافُ مِنْكَ يَا عُمَرُ ! اِنِّیْ كُنْتُ وَهِیَ تَضْرِبُ فَدَخَلَ اَبُوْبَكْرٍ وَهِیَ تَضْرِبُ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عَلِیٌّ وَهِیَ تَضْرِبُ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ عُثْمَانُ وَهِیَ تَضْرِبُ فَلَمَّا دَخَلْتَ اَنْتَ يَا عُمَرُ ! اَلْقَتِ الدُّفَّ ـ

(Reported by Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī, who declared it ṣaḥīḥ [sound].)

Vocabulary: innī kuntu nadhartu — I had made a vow; in raddaka Allāhu ṣāliḥan — if Allah brings you back safe and sound; bayna yadayka — in front of you.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Burayda (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out on his campaigns. When he returned, a black woman came and said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "O Messenger of Allah! I had made a vow that if Allah Most High brought you back in health and safety, I would play the daff in your presence and sing." He said to her: "If you made a vow, then play and sing; otherwise not." So she

began playing the daff. Meanwhile Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) came in, and she went on playing the daff as before. Then ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) came in; the woman remained occupied in what she was doing. Then ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) came in; she went on playing the daff as before. After that ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) came in, and she threw down the daff in alarm and sat on top of it. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Shayṭān is afraid of you, O ʿUmar!" He said: "In my presence this daff went on playing; then Abū Bakr came and still it went on playing; after that ʿAlī came and still it went on playing; after that ʿUthmān came and still it went on playing; but when you came, O ʿUmar, she put the daff aside." (Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī reported it.)

عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ رضى الله عنه قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلٰى قَرَظَةَ بْنِ كَعْبٍ وَ اَبِیْ مَسْعُوْدٍ الْاَنْصَارِیِّ فِیْ عُرْسٍ اِذَا جَوَارٍ يُغَنِّيْنَ فَقُلْتُ اَیْ صَاحِبَیْ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم وَاَهْلِ بَدْرٍ يُفْعَلُ هٰذَا عِنْدَكُمْ فَقَالَا اجْلِسْ اِنْ شِئْتَ فَاذْهَبْ فَاِنَّهٗ قَدْ رُخِّصَ لَنَا اللَّهْوُ عِنْدَ الْعُرْسِ ـ [reading uncertain]

(Reported by al-Nasāʾī.)

Vocabulary: fī ʿurs — at a wedding; jawārin — young girls.

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat ʿĀmir ibn Saʿd (may Allah be pleased with him); he said: I went to a wedding at [the house of] Qaraẓa ibn Saʿd and Abū Saʿīd al-Anṣārī, and what did I see but young slave-girls singing. I said: "O Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and you who took part in the Battle of Badr! Is this being done in your presence?" Then both of them said: "If you wish, sit; otherwise go away, for we have been given permission for singing at weddings." (Al-Nasāʾī reported it.) [reading uncertain]

Among the groups of the people of knowledge, some have written several works on this subject, but a group of the people of knowledge has judged them weak — to the extent that Ibn Ḥazm said that no ḥadīth on this subject meets any standard of soundness, and that everything on this subject is fabricated (mawḍūʿ). He also claimed that the above-mentioned ḥadīth of Abū ʿĀmir and Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī is munqaṭiʿ [has a break in its chain] between al-Bukhārī and Hishām. There is disagreement, too, concerning the instruments of play and amusement, and concerning singing without them. The majority (jumhūr) have inclined towards its being unlawful. Taking the above-mentioned ḥadīths as their proof, the people of Madīna, those of the ẓāhirī scholars who agree with them, and a group of the Ṣūfīs have inclined towards the permissibility of listening to singing, even if it be with the flute and musical instruments. Al-Rūyānī and al-Qaffāl have also stated that the madhhab [school] of Mālik ibn Anas holds singing with musical instruments to be permissible. [reading uncertain] And those who declare it permissible say: in the chain of the ḥadīth of Abū Mālik and Abū ʿĀmir are Ṣadaqa ibn Khālid and ʿAlī ibn Junayd, who narrated from Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn; they are not reliable, and what al-Mizzī narrated from Aḥmad is not correct. [reading uncertain] Moreover, the word "yastaḥillūn" [they will deem lawful] is not explicit for prohibition. Abū Bakr Ibn al-ʿArabī has given several meanings for it. One of them is that the singer holds the belief that it is lawful. The second is that it is a majāz mursal [a metonymic figure of speech] for the use of these things.

Footnote (1): al-Shawkānī said in Nayl al-Awṭār, vol. 7 [the Arabic text follows; Hasrat's own Urdu rendering of it is given in the main text above and in the Urdu footnote below]:

قَدْ وَضَعَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ اَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ فِیْ ذٰلِكَ مُصَنَّفَاتٍ وَلٰكِنَّهٗ ضَعَّفَهَا جَمِيْعًا بَعْضُ اَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ حَتّٰى قَالَ ابْنُ حَزْمٍ اَنَّهٗ لَا يَصِحُّ فِی الْبَابِ حَدِيْثٌ اَبَدًا وَكُلُّ مَا فِيْهِ فَمَوْضُوْعٌ وَزَعَمَ اَنَّ حَدِيْثَ اَبِیْ عَامِرٍ وَ اَبِیْ مَالِكٍ الْاَشْعَرِیِّ الْمَذْكُوْرَ مُنْقَطِعٌ فِيْمَا بَيْنَ الْبُخَارِیِّ وَهِشَامٍ وَقَدِ اخْتُلِفَ فِی الْغِنَاءِ مَعَ اٰلَةٍ مِنَ الْاٰلَاتِ الْمَلَاهِیْ وَبِدُوْنِهَا فَذَهَبَ الْجُمْهُوْرُ اِلَى التَّحْرِيْمِ مُسْتَدِلِّيْنَ بِمَا سَلَفَ وَذَهَبَ اَهْلُ الْمَدِيْنَةِ وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمْ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ الظَّاهِرِ وَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الصُّوْفِيَّةِ اِلَى التَّرَخُّصِ فِی السَّمَاعِ وَلَوْ مَعَ الْعُوْدِ وَالْيَرَاعِ وَحَكَى الرُّوْيَانِیُّ حَسَنَ الْقَفَّالُ اَنَّ مَذْهَبَ مَالِكِ بْنِ اَنَسٍ اِبَاحَةُ الْغِنَاءِ بِالْمَعَازِفِ قَالَ الْمُجَوِّزُوْنَ اَمَّا حَدِيْثُ اَبِیْ مَالِكٍ اَوْ اَبِیْ عَامِرٍ فَفِیْ اِسْنَادِهٖ صَدَقَةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ وَ عَلِیُّ بْنُ الْجُنَيْدِ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ مَعِيْنٍ اَنَّهٗ لَيْسَ بِشَیْءٍ ـ وَرَوَى الْمِزِّیُّ عَنْ اَحْمَدَ اَنَّهٗ لَيْسَ بِمُسْتَقِيْمٍ وَاَيْضًا اَنَّ لَفْظَةَ "يَسْتَحِلُّوْنَ" لَيْسَتْ نَصًّا فِی التَّحْرِيْمِ فَقَدْ ذَكَرَ اَبُوْبَكْرِ بْنُ الْعَرَبِیِّ لِذٰلِكَ مَعْنَيَيْنِ اَحَدُهُمَا الْمُغَنِّیْ يَعْتَقِدُ اَنَّ ذٰلِكَ حَلَالٌ ـ اَلثَّانِیْ اَنْ يَكُوْنَ مَجَازًا عَنِ الْاِسْتِرْسَالِ فِی اسْتِعْمَالِ تِلْكَ الْاُمُوْرِ ـ

[reading uncertain]

وَاَيْضًا اَنَّ الْمَعَازِفَ مُخْتَلَفٌ فِیْ مَدْلُوْلِهَا ـ فَقِيْلَ اِنَّهَا اٰلَاتُ الْمَلَاهِیْ وَعَنِ الْجَوْهَرِیِّ اَنَّهَا الْغِنَاءُ وَالَّذِیْ فِی الصِّحَاحِ اَنَّهَا اللَّهْوُ وَفِیْ حَوَاشِی الدِّمْيَاطِیِّ الدُّفُوْفُ وَيُطْلَقُ عَلَى الْغِنَاءِ عَزْفٌ وَعَلٰى كُلِّ لَعِبٍ عَزْفٌ وَاِذَا كَانَ اللَّفْظُ مُحْتَمِلًا لَاَنْ يَكُوْنَ لِلْاٰلَةِ وَبِغَيْرِ الْاٰلَةِ لَمْ يَنْتَهِضْ لِلْاِسْتِدْلَالِ وَاَمَّا حَدِيْثُ ابْنِ عُمَرَ وَ زَمَّارَةِ الرَّاعِیْ فَحَدِيْثٌ مُنْكَرٌ وَاَيْضًا لَوْكَانَ سَمَاعُهٗ حَرَامًا لَمَا اَبَاحَهٗ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِابْنِ عُمَرَ وَلَا ابْنُ عُمَرَ لِنَافِعٍ وَلَنَهٰى عَنْهُ وَاَمَرَ بِكَسْرِ الْاٰلَةِ لِاَنَّ تَاْخِيْرَ الْبَيَانِ عَنْ وَقْتِ الْحَاجَةِ لَا يَجُوْزُ ـ وَاَمَّا سَدُّهٗ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلّم لِسَمْعِهٖ فَيَحْتَمِلُ اَنَّهٗ كَمَا كَانَ يَتَجَنَّبُ كَثِيْرًا مِنَ الْمُبَاحَاتِ كَمَا تَجَنَّبَ اَنْ يَبِيْتَ وَفِیْ بَيْتِهٖ دِرْهَمٌ اَوْ دِيْنَارٌ قَالَ ابْنُ النَّحْوِیِّ فِی الْعُمْدَةِ وَقَدْ رُوِیَ الْغِنَاءُ وَسَمَاعُهٗ عَنْ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِيْنَ فَمِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ عُمَرُ كَمَا رَوَاهُ ابْنُ عَبْدِ الْبَرِّ وَغَيْرُهٗ ـ وَعُثْمَانُ كَمَا نَقَلَهُ الْمَاوَرْدِیُّ وَ صَاحِبُ الْبَيَانِ وَالرَّافِعِیُّ ـ وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمٰنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ كَمَا رَوَاهُ ابْنُ اَبِیْ شَيْبَةَ ـ وَاَبُوْ عُبَيْدَةَ ابْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ كَمَا اَخْرَجَهُ الْبَيْهَقِیُّ وَابْنُ مَاجَةَ وَ سَعِيْدُ بْنُ مَنْصُوْرٍ وَالْوَاحِدِیُّ وَبِلَالٌ وَعَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الْاَرْقَمِ وَاُسَامَةُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ كَمَا اَخْرَجَهُ الْبَيْهَقِیُّ اَيْضًا وَحَمْزَةُ كَمَا فِی الصَّحِيْحِ وَابْنُ عُمَرَ كَمَا اَخْرَجَهُ ابْنُ طَاهِرٍ وَالْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ كَمَا اَخْرَجَهُ اَبُوْنُعَيْمٍ وَعَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ كَمَا رَوَاهُ ابْنُ عَبْدِ الْبَرِّ وَعَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ كَمَا نَقَلَهُ اَبُوْطَالِبٍ الْمَكِّیُّ وَحَسَّانُ كَمَا رَوَاهُ اَبُو الْفَرَجِ الْاَصْبَهَانِیُّ ـ وَعَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو كَمَا رَوَاهُ الزُّبَيْرُ بْنُ بَكَّارٍ وَ قَرَظَةُ بْنُ كَعْبٍ كَمَا رَوَاهُ ابْنُ قُتَيْبَةَ وَخَوَّاتُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ ـ وَرَبَاحٌ الْمُعْتَرِفُ كَمَا اَخْرَجَهُ صَاحِبُ الْاَغَانِیْ وَالْمُغِيْرَةُ بْنُ شُعْبَةَ كَمَا حَكَاهُ اَبُوْ طَالِبٍ الْمَكِّیُّ وَعَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ كَمَا حَكَاهُ الْمَاوَرْدِیُّ وَعَائِشَةُ وَالرُّبَيِّعُ كَمَا فِیْ صَحِيْحِ الْبُخَارِیِّ وَغَيْرِهٖ وَالتَّابِعُوْنَ فَسَعِيْدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ وَسَالِمُ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ حَسَّانٍ وَخَارِجَةُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ وَ شُرَيْحٌ الْقَاضِیْ ـ وَسَعِيْدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ وَ عَامِرٌ الشَّعْبِیُّ وَعَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ اَبِیْ عَتِيْقٍ وَعَطَاءُ بْنُ اَبِیْ رَبَاحٍ

[reading uncertain]

وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ شِهَابٍ الزُّهْرِیُّ وَعُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيْزِ وَ سَعْدُ بْنُ اِبْرَاهِيْمَ الزُّهْرِیُّ وَاَمَّا تَابِعُوْهُمْ فَخَلْقٌ لَا يُحْصَوْنَ، مِنْهُمُ الْاَئِمَّةُ الْاَرْبَعَةُ وَابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ وَجُمْهُوْرُ الشَّافِعِيَّةِ ـ اِنْتَهٰى اُصُوْلُ كَلَامِ ابْنِ النَّحْوِیِّ وَاخْتَلَفَ هٰؤُلَاءِ الْمُجَوِّزُوْنَ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَالَ بِكَرَاهَتِهٖ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَالَ بِاسْتِحْبَابِهٖ قَالُوْا لِكَوْنِهٖ يُرِقُّ الْقَلْبَ وَيُهَيِّجُ الْاَحْزَانَ وَالشَّوْقَ اِلَى اللهِ ـ هٰذَا مَا لَخَّصْتُهٗ مِنْ نَيْلِ الْاَوْطَارِ لِلشَّوْكَانِیِّ وَذَكَرَ الشَّيْخُ الْاَجَلُّ عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْبِلْجَرَامِیُّ فِیْ سَبْعِ سَنَابِلَ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ الْاِمَامُ الْعَلَّامَةُ كَمَالُ الدِّيْنِ اَبُو الْفَضْلِ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ ثَعْلَبٍ الْاَقْوٰى اَمَّا الْاِمَامُ اَبُوْحَنِيْفَةَ فَحَكٰى صَاحِبُ التَّذْكِرَةِ الْحَمْدُوْنِيَّةِ اَنَّهٗ سُئِلَ هُوَ وَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِیُّ عَنِ الْغِنَاءِ فَقَالَا لَيْسَ مِنَ الْكَبَائِرِ وَلَا مِنْ اَسْوَاِ الصَّغَائِرِ وَذَكَرَ ابْنُ قُتَيْبَةَ اَنَّهٗ ذُكِرَ عِنْدَ اَبِیْ يُوْسُفَ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ الْغِنَاءُ فَذَكَرَ قِصَّةَ جَارِ اَبِیْ حَنِيْفَةَ وَهِیَ مَا حَكَاهُ ابْنُ قُتَيْبَةَ وَغَيْرُهٗ اَنَّهٗ كَانَ لَهٗ جَارٌ كَانَ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ يُغَنِّیْ بِهٰذَا الشِّعْرِ

اَضَاعُوْنِیْ وَاَیَّ فَتًى اَضَاعُوْا ۔۔۔ لِيَوْمِ كَرِيْهَةٍ وَسِدَادِ ثَغْرٍ

وَكَانَ اَبُوْ حَنِيْفَةَ يَسْتَمِعُ اِلَيْهِ وَاَنَّهٗ فَقَدَ صَوْتَهٗ لَيْلَةً فَسَاَلَ عَنْهُ فَقِيْلَ وُجِدَ بِاللَّيْلِ وَسُجِنَ فِیْ سِجْنِ الْاَمِيْرِ عِيْسٰى فَلَبِسَ عِمَامَتَهٗ وَتَوَجَّهَ اِلَى الْاَمِيْرِ وَشَفَعَ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ قَالَ لَهٗ اَبُوْ حَنِيْفَةَ اَضَعْنَاكَ يَا فَتٰى قَالَ بَلْ حَفِظْتَ وَتَمَامُ هٰذَا اَنَّهٗ قَالَ لَهٗ فَصِرْ اِلٰى مَا كُنْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ غِنَائِكَ وَاِيْنَاسِنَا وَحَكَى الْحَافِظُ فِیْ رِسَالَتِهٖ عَنْ اَبِیْ يُوْسُفَ اَنَّهٗ كَانَ يَحْضُرُ مَجْلِسَ هَارُوْنَ الرَّشِيْدِ وَفِيْهِ الْغِنَاءُ فَبَكٰى اَحْيَانًا وَفِیْ مُلْتَقَى الْاَبْحُرِ اَنَّ الْاِمَامَ دُعِیَ اِلٰى وَلِيْمَةٍ فِيْهَا لَهْوٌ قَالَ الْاِمَامُ اُبْتُلِيْتُ بِهٖ مَرَّةً فَصَبَرْتُ ـ اِنْتَهٰى ـ قَالَ اَبُوْ مُسْهِرٍ عُبَيْدُ اللهِ وَهُوَ صَاحِبُ كُلِّ مُعْضِلَةٍ وَقَالَ ابْنُ مَعِيْنٍ ضَعِيْفٌ وَقَالَ مَرَّةً لَيْسَ بِشَیْءٍ وَقَالَ ابْنُ الْمَدِيْنِیِّ مُنْكَرُ الْحَدِيْثِ وَقَالَ ابْنُ حِبَّانَ رَوٰى مَوْضُوْعَاتٍ عَنِ الْاَثْبَاتِ وَاِذَا رَوٰى عَنْ عَلِیِّ بْنِ يَزِيْدَ اَتٰى بِالطَّامَّاتِ قَالَ الْبُخَارِیُّ عَلِیُّ بْنُ يَزِيْدَ ضَعِيْفٌ (الشوکانی) ـ

[reading uncertain]

Footnote (1) [Hasrat's Urdu rendering]: Moreover, there is disagreement about the meaning of maʿāzif; its meaning is disputed. Some have said that it means instruments of amusement (lahw); it is narrated from al-Jawharī that it means singing; and in al-Ṣiḥāḥ it is that it means amusement (lahw). In al-Dimyāṭī's marginal notes it means the daff. The word "ʿazf" is also used for singing, and every kind of play is also called ʿazf. And since the word carries the possibility of referring to an instrument or to [singing] without an instrument, a proof cannot be established [from it]. And the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar in which the shepherd's flute is mentioned is a munkar [rejected] ḥadīth (it contradicts other ḥadīths). Further, had listening to it been unlawful, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would not have permitted Ibn ʿUmar to listen, nor would Ibn ʿUmar have permitted Nāfiʿ; and he would have forbidden them from it and ordered that instrument to be broken, because it is not permissible to withhold an explanation at the time when it is needed. As for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ closing his blessed ears, this carries the possibility that, just as he used to abstain from many permissible things, this too was of that kind — just as he used to avoid spending the night with a dirham or a dinar kept in the house. Ibn al-Naḥwī has written in the book al-ʿUmda that singing and listening to it are narrated from a group of the Companions and

a group of the Tābiʿīn [the Successors]. Among the Companions are Ḥaḍrat ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) — Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr and others have narrated this; and Ḥaḍrat ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with him), whom al-Māwardī, the author of al-Bayān and al-Rāfiʿī have reported; and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (may Allah be pleased with him), as Ibn [Abī] Shayba narrated; and Abū ʿUbayda ibn al-Jarrāḥ (may Allah be pleased with him), as al-Bayhaqī and Ibn Mājah, Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr and al-Wāḥidī have recorded; and Bilāl, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Arqam and Usāma ibn Zayd, of whom al-Bayhaqī too has written; and Ḥamza (may Allah be pleased with him), as is in the Ṣaḥīḥ; and Ibn ʿUmar, of whom Ibn Ṭāhir [reading uncertain] has written; and Barāʾ ibn Mālik, of whom Abū Nuʿaym has written; and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaʿfar, whom Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr has narrated; and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Zubayr, whom Abū Ṭālib al-Makkī has reported; and Ḥassān, of whom Abū al-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī has written; and ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar [reading uncertain], whose narration Zubayr ibn Bakkār has given; and Qaraẓa ibn Kaʿb, whom Ibn Qabīṣa [reading uncertain] and Khawwāt ibn Jubayr have narrated; and Rabāḥ al-Muḥtarif [reading uncertain], of whom the author of al-Aghānī has written; and Mughīra ibn Shuʿba, whose account Abū Ṭālib al-Makkī has given; and ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, whom al-Māwardī has mentioned; and Bībī ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and Rubayyiʿ, whose narration is found in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and elsewhere. And among the Tābiʿīn: Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, Sālim ibn ʿUmar ibn Ḥassān, Khārija ibn Zayd, Qāḍī Shurayḥ, Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, ʿĀmir al-Shaʿbī, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAtīq, ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, Muḥammad ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī, ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz and Saʿd ibn Ibrāhīm al-Zuhrī; and among [those after] the Tābiʿīn there is a great multitude that cannot be counted. Among them are the four imāms, Ibn ʿUyayna and the majority of the Shāfiʿīs. Al-Shawkānī's statement has ended.

The gist of Ibn al-Naḥwī's words is that those who regard singing as permissible differ among themselves. Some of them hold it to be makrūh [disliked], and some hold it to be mustaḥabb [recommended], because it softens the heart and stirs longing for Allah. This is what I have taken, by way of summary, from al-Shawkānī's Nayl al-Awṭār. And al-Shaykh al-Ajall ʿAbd al-Wāḥid Bilgrāmī has written in Sabʿ Sanābil that the Shaykh, Imām and ʿAllāma Kamāl al-Dīn Abū al-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Thaʿlab al-Aqwā said that, concerning Abū Ḥanīfa, the author of al-Tadhkira al-Ḥamdūniyya has stated that he and Sufyān al-Thawrī were asked about singing, and both said that it is not among the major sins, nor is it among the worst of the minor sins. And Ibn Qutayba has mentioned that when singing was mentioned in the presence of Abū Yūsuf (may Allah have mercy on him), he related the story of Abū Ḥanīfa's neighbour — and Ibn Qutayba and others have related it — that he had a neighbour who used to sing this verse every night:

They lost me — and what a young man they lost! — the one [who stood firm] on the day of battle and in guarding the frontier; they lost me.

And Abū Ḥanīfa used to listen to it attentively. One night he did not hear his voice, so he asked about him, and he was told that he had been found [out] at night and had been confined in the prison of Amīr ʿĪsā. Then he

put on his turban, went to the Amīr and interceded [for him]. Then when that man came out, he said to him: "O young man, did we lose you?" He replied: "You did not! Rather, you looked after [me]." And the story ends in this way: he said to him: "Go back to the occupation you were engaged in — your singing and keeping us company." And al-Ḥāfiẓ has narrated in his Risāla from Abū Yūsuf that he used to attend the gathering of Hārūn al-Rashīd, and there was singing in it, and at times he would weep in it. And in Multaqā al-Abḥur it is [stated] that the Imām (Abū Yūsuf) was invited to a walīma [wedding feast] at which there was singing and music. The Imām said: "I was once put to the trial of it, and I bore it patiently." Abū Mushir said: "ʿUbayd Allāh is a man of great difficulties" (that is, accepting what he says is a very difficult matter). Ibn Maʿīn said that he is weak, and at one time he said: "He is nothing" (not reliable). Ibn al-Madīnī said that he is munkar al-ḥadīth (his ḥadīth is rejected). Ibn Ḥibbān said that he narrated fabricated reports from trustworthy people, and that when he narrated from ʿAlī ibn Yazīd he brought about calamities. And al-Bukhārī said that ʿAlī ibn Yazīd too is weak. [reading uncertain]

وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رضى الله عنه اَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم قَالَ اِنَّ اللهَ حَرَّمَ الْخَمْرَ وَالْمَيْسِرَ وَالْكُوْبَةَ ، وَكُلُّ مُسْكِرٍ حَرَامٌ ـ

(Reported by Aḥmad.)

Translation: It is narrated from Ḥaḍrat Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Allah Most High has made unlawful wine, gambling and dice [kūba], and every intoxicating thing is unlawful." (Aḥmad reported it.)

☆ اَلْغِنَاءُ يُنْبِتُ النِّفَاقَ فِی الْقَلْبِ كَمَا يُنْبِتُ الْمَاءُ الْبَقْلَ (اِبْنُ اَبِی الدُّنْيَا فِیْ ذَمِّ الْمَلَاهِیْ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُوْدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمٰنِ بْنِ غَنْمٍ رَضِیَ اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَنْهُمَا) ـ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِیْ اَبُوْ عَامِرٍ وَ اَبُوْ مَالِكٍ الْاَشْعَرِیُّ سَمِعَ النَّبِیَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ لَيَكُوْنَنَّ مِنْ اُمَّتِیْ قَوْمٌ يَسْتَحِلُّوْنَ الْحِرَ وَالْحَرِيْرَ وَالْخَمْرَ وَالْمَعَازِفَ ـ

(Narrated by al-Bukhārī.)

☆ Marginal note: (… وَذٰلِكَ اِذَا كَانَ فِی الْغِنَاءِ ذِكْرُ النِّسَاءِ بِعَيْنِهَا) [reading uncertain]

Translation: Singing produces hypocrisy (nifāq) in the heart, just as water makes vegetables grow. (I say: this is the case when particular women are mentioned in the singing.) [(Ibn Abī al-Dunyā in Dhamm al-Malāhī, from Ibn Masʿūd, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ghanm (may Allah be pleased with them both).)] Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī heard the Prophet ﷺ saying: "There will certainly be people in my umma who will make lawful the private parts [illicit intercourse], silk, wine and musical instruments."

عَنْ نَافِعٍ اَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا، وَسَمِعَ صَوْتَ زَمَّارَةِ رَاعٍ فَوَضَعَ اِصْبَعَيْهِ فِیْ اُذُنَيْهِ وَعَدَلَ رَاحِلَتَهٗ اِلَى الطَّرِيْقِ وَقَالَ رَاَيْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم سَمِعَ زَمَّارَةَ رَاعٍ فَصَنَعَ مِثْلَ هٰذَا ـ

(Reported by Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah.)

Translation: Ḥaḍrat Nāfiʿ (may Allah have mercy on him) related that Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the sound of a shepherd's flute, so he put his two fingers in his two ears and turned his mount aside from the road, and said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ

hear a shepherd's flute, and he did the same."

عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللهِ بْنِ زَحْرٍ عن علی يزيد عن القاسم عن ابی امامة رضى الله عنهم اجمعين عن النبی صلّى الله عليه وسلّم قال ان الله بعثنی رحمة وهدیً للعالمين وامرنی ان امحق المزامير والكبارات ـ

(Reported by al-Tirmidhī.)

[reading uncertain]

Translation: It is narrated from ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Zaḥr, [from] ʿAlī [ibn] Yazīd, [from] al-Qāsim, [from] Abū Umāma (may Allah be pleased with him): the Noble Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah has sent me as a mercy and a guidance for the worlds, and has commanded me to destroy the mazāmīr (instruments played with the mouth) and the drums."