Does he have to denounce it every time he hears musical ring tones from his friends’ mobile phones?
Question There is a lot of music everywhere and it is even common in mobile phones, workplaces and public places. Is the one who listens to it sinning, and does he have to denounce it? Is saying “May Allaah guide you” counted as denouncing? Every time one of my colleagues’ phones rings at work (for…
Question
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Listening to music and
putting it on mobile phones and in the workplace is haraam, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that musical
instruments are haraam when he said: “There will be among my ummah people
who will regard as permissible zina, silk, alcohol and musical instruments…”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5590) in a mu’aallaq report. This hadeeth indicates
that musical instruments are haraam for two reasons:
1 – The Prophet’s words
“[they] will regard as permissible” clearly indicate that the things
mentioned – including musical instruments – are forbidden in sharee’ah, but
those people will regard them as permissible.
2 – Musical instruments are
mentioned alongside things that are definitely haraam, namely zina and
alcohol; if they were not haraam they would not be mentioned alongside them.
al-Silsilah al-Saheehah
by al-Albaani (1/140-141).
See also question no.
5000
for the evidence that it is haraam to listen to musical instruments.
Secondly:
The sin in listening to
musical instruments and other haraam sins applies to the one who listens
deliberately, not the one whose ears it reaches without him meaning it to.
Al-Manaawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The one who hears it [i.e.,
musical instruments] should block his ears but if there is haraam
entertainment near him he does not have to move, and he is not sinning if he
hears it without meaning to. End quote.
Fayd al-Qadeer
(3/355).
Thirdly:
The evil must be denounced
as much as one is able, with one’s hand (by taking action) or with one’s
tongue (by speaking out) or in one’s heart (by hating it), because of the
report narrated by Muslim (49) from the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may
Allaah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you sees
an evil action, then let him change it with his hand [by taking action]; if
he cannot, then with his tongue [by
speaking out]; and if he cannot, then with his heart – and that is the
weakest of faith.”
This implies that it must
be denounced every time the evil appears and one is able to denounce it, if
it happens repeatedly, unless that will cause hardship or lead him to miss
out on things that are in his interests, which is more important than
denouncing that evil.
Important: Please see
the answer to question no. 96662.
If the one who is
denouncing the evil says to the one who is doing it “May Allaah guide you,”
this is a kind of denouncing, so long as it is understood as an objection
and disapproval of this evil.
And Allaah knows best.
