Music & Islam

By Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (Mark Hanson)

• The tension the scholars of Islam have with music

• No-one can make a blanket statement that music is haram or halal

• Imam Al-Ghazali & Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi holding Samā ( sacred music ) to be good

• The scholars have always been very wary of music

• Plato in “The Republic” outlaws certain types of music because they are harmful to the soul

• According to the “Ethos Theory”, music has a long term effect on a person’s character

• Al Farabi & his Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir “The Big Book Of Music”

• There are demonic & angelic effects that different sounds have

• The scholars of Islam were / are very concerned with the demonic affects of sound

• Demons / Jinns use music as a tool to lure people away from God

• Prophet Dāwūd ( David ) ʿAlayhi al-salām sang the Psalms

• The tension in Islam regarding music is a good thing because it prevents people from the dangers of demonic sounds.