Nasheeds

Dear Readers, Salam Aleikum!

Insha'Allah you are all well and healthy. I would like to discuss the topic of music and its effect on behaviour. The following view on haram music is shared by both the Sunni and Shi'ite schools of Islam, for it is described by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and by the 12 infallible Imams (peace be upon all of them).
It is haram (not permissible) to listen to music which advertises satanic acts; such as disrespect towards women, discrimination, racism, criminal acts, drug taking, alcohol consumption, promiscuity and even polytheism (belief in multiple deities, other or next to Allah). Listening to songs which contain these factors can 'intoxicate' the soul and therefore are in the category of drinking and taking drugs. Any substance, behaviour or thoughts that feed addictions and lead one from the righteous path are considered haram. The reason for this is quite clear, when one is not fully conscious or aware of his/her acts, then irrational behaviour could lead to great sins. We must all remember that Satan (eternally damned he be) is always amongst us. Insha'Allah we can fight against his influences and pursue the path of truth towards paradise!

Insha'Allah

I would like to stress again, that this is a view shared by both schools of Islam. We must all work to reduce the deviation of the Ummah (the Islamic community), our Muslim brothers and sisters might not all follow the exact same path, but it benefits nobody to emphasize the differences. And no matter what, they are Muslims and just like the People of the Book (the Jewish and Christians) are to be respected.

Listening to haram music is forbidden in a couple of Hadiths (a saying, act, validly or invalidly, ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad, (peace be upon him)) and in the Holy Qu'ran itself. In addition I will share some interpretations of the Hadiths concerning music, by Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khamene'i.

 "And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Qur'an) by way of mockery.  For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hell-Fire).
(The Noble Qur'an - 31:6)

"And Istafziz [literally means: befool them gradually] those whom you can among them with your voice (i.e. songs, music, and any other call for Allâh's disobedience), make assaults on them with your cavalry and your infantry, mutually share with them wealth and children (by tempting them to earn money by illegal ways usury, etc., or by committing illegal sexual intercourse, etc.), and make promises to them." But Satan promises them nothing but deceit.

 (The Noble Qur'an - 17: 64)

"From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful. And there will be some people who will stay near the side of a mountain and in the evening their shepherd will come to them with their sheep and ask them for something, but they will say to him, 'Return to us tomorrow.' Allah will destroy them during the night and will let the mountain fall on them, and He will transform the rest of them into monkeys and pigs and they will remain so till the Day of Resurrection."
(Volume: 7, Book Number: 69, Hadith Number: 494v. Narrated Abu 'Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash'ari)
 Both retrieved from : Islamic Network

Q. What is meant by lahwi mutrib music?  And how best can one recognize it? 
A. Mutrib lahwi music is that which due to its characteristics keeps human beings away from Allah, the Sublime, and away from moral merits and drives them towards sinful acts and carelessness. Its recognition rests with the common people. 
Q. Do such things as the personality of the musician, the place where music is conducted, and the aims of the music have any say in the ruling in the matter of music?
A. The haram type of music is that suitable for dissolute gatherings of sin. However, the personality of the musician, the vocalized words accompanying the music, the venue, and all other circumstances may contribute to place it in the category of haram, lahwi, mutrib music, or another haram category, e.g., if the music, due to the mentioned things, leads to certain corruption.
(Answers given by the Office of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khamene’i)
(Retrieved from : Practical Laws of Islam)

Before you figuratively throw away your mp3-players, there are however forms of music which ARE allowed. And not to contradict the case I just made I will explain which type of music is permissible and why.
The type of music which is halal is the Nasheed, which is an Islamic song executed in the name in Allah and has lyrics recommending the good and condemning the bad. Therefore it is halal (permissible) for a Muslim to listen to these songs, for they do not lead on astray and increases dhikr (rememberance of Allah) whenever they are played. To summarize this blog I will include the following video taken from the site of the Deen Show.

 

Insha'Allah I have enlightened you on the topic of music,
please do not hesitate to comment on any discrepancies.
Below I am listing a small selection of my favourite Nasheeds,
feel free to share your favourites in the comments below!

Until next time, brothers and sisters!