When i sing, my God listens

Posted by Ahmed Mustafa , Thursday, July 8, 2010 11:37 PM

I know this is a controversial topic and i also know that people are scared to debate what has been taught to them as the final word and nothing beyond it.

However music has been a huge part of my life since i was a kid. More often than not it has taught me lessons that no book could ever teach me, and has unearthed passions that i never knew existed inside me. Certain songs and singers have a way of speaking to you like no other, and it is those moments that have given music a certain reverence in my life.

So when people say that music is not allowed in our religion, it hurts me to hear that. Ive thought about it over and over again, and ive reached a conclusion that all those people are wrong and ill tell you why.

Recently i was listening to coke studios version of Abida Parveens rendition of bulley shah and a weird thing happened after that. I cried, got up and went to say my prayers. If a song can make me say my prayers, im pretty sure that its allowed. Take another example. Go listen to josh grobans 'remember when it rained'...it makes me think of God because it was He that gave Josh the voice to sing that song....does that still fall in the 'haram' category?

God has given us instructions that we need to follow, but with our own intuition. Im pretty sure that some sort of music is haram...take for instance the latest rnb hip hop i want to do ure booty type of songs...thats sexual promiscuity right in your face...which is wrong...

Think about it and give me your view.

Posted in , , , , , , ,

16 Response to "When i sing, my God listens"

Vagabond Says:

I vehemently support your point of view Ahmed bhai. Include Tina Sani's 'Arj'- Coke Studio in the list too. Read the lyrics with the song and Faiz Ahmed Faiz comes back to life.

July 9, 2010 at 12:10 AM
Unknown Says:

well Islam is not a religion based on intuition at all and there is black and white clearly defined that one needs to either follow or give up!
So i really dont think we can let ppl decide stuff without support from the sources of Islam like the Quran and Hadith!
I know urs was a positive outcome but people might just do wrong stuff based on intuition so justification for ones actions is necessary..

July 9, 2010 at 12:17 AM
Aazar Ali Shad Says:

Completely agree.........I feel spirituality whenever I listen to the song Dastan-e-Ishq and Ishq -e-haqiqi by areeb azhar.........I start loving my God.......I dont knw why ppl dont use their intellect :S.........Reply ahmed bhai

July 9, 2010 at 1:40 AM
Ahmed Mustafa Says:

@Ali - the Quran is a direction and is not meant to be taken at face value, or completely literally. Even the Quran itself states that we shouldnt use it if the naysayers use it to try to convince us. If we were to be taking it word for word, we would be killing unbeleievers whenever and whereever we saw them....woulnt we?

@Aazer: People dont use their minds because they arent educated enough to. The demise the Ummah is based on the very core issue of rejecting knowledge and education

July 9, 2010 at 2:39 AM
suhaibj Says:

I wrote this 5 days ago.

http://thefadingcrescendo.blogspot.com/

July 9, 2010 at 2:56 AM
Unknown Says:

well we need to take it word to word actually!
Its not an option of pick and choose!
and to support it we have the guidance from the Holy Prophet's words that we know as Hadith!

There are ppl who feel closer to God when they are stoned! So should they stay stoned and pray to God just bcoz their intellect justifies that?

July 9, 2010 at 4:23 AM
Maryam Says:

What a thought-provoking post...I'm not that well-versed on exactly what the Quran or Ahadis have said about music, but I do feel that listening to it isn't wrong. Listening to music doesn't make me forget Allah, or breed evil thoughts in me. It makes people happy, without harming anyone else. And yes, a lot of songs with spiritual overtones do tend to induce a spiritual state of mind.

July 9, 2010 at 6:38 AM
YSB Says:

This is a dilemma i have often faced. I LOVE music. speicifcally the sufi songs that you have mentioned. they make me cry too. but the dilemma is not with music alone but with painting and arts as well. If you make a portrait or a sculpture and reproduce God's creativity, why should that be wrong?
but here my friend, i think blind faith and concept of wisdom beyond which we can comprehend comes in. If music was allowed in Islam then who would think the RnB songs are wrong? you would have 10 justifications to play it and listen to it. i think its about the 'space' and the 'possibility' of misuse. i'm not well versed in any teachings. but this is my take on it. music is addictive it really is. and if its something you cannot let go and takes away your self control, thats where the problem is i guess.

July 9, 2010 at 6:57 AM
Accursed Thinker Says:

Ahmed Bhai I agree with you on this one. I remember having a conversation with you on this before. There is a school of thought in Islam which bans most kinds of art. But likewise there are many schools of thought which are more liberal. I being a musician myself, firmly believe that Islam being a religion of peace can't choke our creativity and expression. And if an expression leads someone to be closer to God, why does it have to be Haram?

July 9, 2010 at 10:40 AM
Aazar Ali Shad Says:

Yes Ahmad bhai...They have their minds blocked. I wish we could show them other beautiful side

July 9, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Muneeb Hamdani Says:

I totally agree with you. The music created by some singers takes you to a new spiritual level it does make you think about God and nature and all that has come into being. Singing that talks about sex or promotes sex is obviously haram. If all music was haram God would not have given the gift of singing to His prophet David

July 9, 2010 at 10:31 PM
Ahmed Lakhani Says:

Good Article. Makes you think and makes you want to read the Quran and find out what exactly is written about Music being forbidden, rather than listen to the views of these so-called scholars that we have in such an abundant amount in our country. Good Job A-M-H

July 9, 2010 at 11:35 PM
Rukhpar Mor Says:

Ha..this is an interesting topic but one of your comments made me cringe..I think the problem with 'Islamic' countries (and trust me, they're not very Islamic) is the lack of education concerning the deen..The Quran is to be taken literally, but the context needs to be kept in mind also...

Singing is not haram..we are supposed to recite the quran in a beautiful voice..however, music was disliked by the Prophet and he did forbid it to his followers....singing praises of Allah is not forbidden..
I am not music-free in my life, however, I don't want to say that just because I listen to it, it is halal...And I don't even like to argue on that matter...I say, do whatever you can and try your best to be good at your religion and don't let others judge you....Only Allah can do that=)

July 13, 2010 at 4:22 PM
Anonymous Says:

Honestly, I've struggled a lot with this as well...and my perspective is that to a large extent it's not about the music,it's about how you react and respond to it. A love song may not necessarily be haram, and a spiritual chant may not necessarily be devotional. Music is supposedly forbidden because it takes you away from the religion - but what if it doesn't? I really don't think there are absolutes...if there were, perhaps life would be much easier.

As a commenter says,some comments here make me cringe.

"If music was allowed in Islam then who would think the RnB songs are wrong? you would have 10 justifications to play it and listen to it."

That,for example,is an illogical and largely senseless statement. Just because a certain field is allowed doesn't mean that it's extreme or negatives are always accepted to. Art has a rich Islamic tradition in the form of calligraphy and architecture - does that mean that everyone should consider porn to be acceptable too? Similarly, just because I enjoy Ludovic Einaudi doesn't mean it's justified for me to grind on the dancefloor. No offense for someone who does, but it's not my thing, and I don't think it's okay for me.

July 15, 2010 at 11:25 AM
R Zaib Says:

I agree with your article. Saying music is haram according to Islam, as many people claim it to be, would be somewhat misleading and I have yet to come across a solid evidence to support this claim. Moderation is encouraged in our religion which clarifies this matter quite clearly. As long as avoidance of music during the prayer and also the holy months suggested is practiced, one would be in the right shape. In the end, it just boils down to the fact that everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion about religious matters..

July 15, 2010 at 7:47 PM
Unknown Says:

Hmmm... This is something I've thought about as well and look, it's not about music itself. What is essentially non permissible are musical instruments. Please hear me out.

Musical instruments are not allowed and they've been cursed by the Prophet (PBUH). You can look this up in the Sahih Bukhari. Music, on the other hand, is...well, it's a very natural thing. It's all around us. Even qirat is musical, man. My brother was listening to a Qari recite the Quran and he could identify all the chords that were being employed in the recitation.

If we think about the rights and wrongs of music, I don't think any of us could ever come to a conclusion. However, will there be consequences for listening to music? Is hot, molten lead going to be poured down our ears for listening to it? Yes. The Sahih Bukhari says so. So maybe it's not about the right or wrong. Maybe we should focus on the consequences of our actions. Just my two cents. :)

September 5, 2010 at 2:50 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)