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Fatwa CenterWhy musical instruments are forbidden in Islam
Question
Why is using music instruments is forbidden in Islam? What is the wisdom behind it?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The prohibition of musical instruments has been established with evidence, as has been underlined in many fataawa; please refer to fatwa 81545.
If it is proven prohibited by authentic evidence, then the ultimate wisdom of such prohibition should be the compliance with the sharee'ah provisions. Indeed, the Islamic sharee'ah enjoins what brings about pure or predominant benefits and deems plain or predominant evils prohibited. Hence, we must submissively abide by the sharee'ah ordinances. Please refer to fataawa 91109 and 92206.
However, there is no harm in seeking to know the wisdom behind the divine legislation after accepting it and submitting to it as due. The scholars advised that the wisdom behind deeming singing and musical instruments prohibited is that listening to them excites the inner sinful desires; urges towards actions incurring the wrath of Allaah; drives people away from the Quran, which then becomes an object of neglect and abandonment; and is the distinguishing feature of the people of vice and sin.
Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami 
narrated on the authority of Abu Al-ʻAbbaas Al-Qurtubi :
“As for flutes, stringed instruments, and drums, there is no difference of scholarly opinions on the prohibition on using them, and I have not heard from any of those whose opinion carries weight among the early generations and the leading scholars of the later generations anyone who regarded that as permissible. How can that not be prohibited when it is the hallmark of the people of alcohol and evildoing and it provokes desires, corruption and promiscuity?”
Ibn Al-Qayyim wrote, “You can hardly find someone who is fond of listening to singing and musical instruments who is not traveling on the path of misguidance in knowledge and action, choosing to listen to singing over the Quran; he would feel burdened by listening to the Quran to the extent that he may ask the reciter to stop and get angry with the reciter when he recites too long for them. On the contrary, he would never have enough when it comes to listening to singing...”
Allaah knows best.
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