Listening to music in Islam

22-4-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

I was reading your fatwas about music and to some extent I agree with what you say and consequently I've stopped listening to music and replaced it with listening to Qur'an or Islamic lectures. However, I still have a problem, the place where I work is constantly playing music through their speakers and I cannot avoid listening to it. In fact these days any shop you walk into has music blaring out through the speakers and its getting worse. You will rarely find a street where music isn't being emitted from some source. If music is completely haram as you say, how do I avoid this problem? Will I be held account for something I have no control over? Please state the Hadith where it states that the action I am doing is actually Haram.

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
First of all, we ask Allah to reward you for not listening to music and your return to that which is right, i.e. listening to Qur'an and to Islamic lectures. We also ask Allah to make you persist on the right till death. As for the problem you're facing now which is music from neighbouring shops, we advise you to face it with the following:
1. Enjoin the good and forbid the bad in a good and wise manner within your ability. Imam Muslim reported from Abu Said Al Khudri that he heard the Messenger of Allah as saying: "He who amongst you sees something abominable should modify it with the help of his hand; and if he has not strength enough to do it, then he should do it with his tongue; and if he has not strength enough to do it, (even) then he should (abhor it) from his heart and that is the least of faith".
2. Distribute Fatwas that forbid music and put them in public places and distribute Islamic cassettes to replace of music cassettes if you can otherwise at least deny it with your heart.
3. Occupy yourself with listening to that which is of some profit for you in this life and the Hereafter.
4. If the shops' owners insist on playing music loudly, try to get somewhere else to work free from these bad things. Know that Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {… And whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. …}[65:2-3].
Allah also Says (interpretation of meaning): {… and whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make his matter easy for him.} [65:4].
The Prophet also said: "Whoever leaves something for the Sake of Allah, Allah will provide him with a better thing".(Imam Ahmad)
We ask Allah to guide us and you to the right path.
As for your question on whether we are being held responsible for something we did not do, if you deny it according to your ability then you will not be held account for it but if you accept it and do not do anything to change it then you will be judged for that.
Allah knows best.