Music : The hardener of hearts

“Bro you listened to the new song that came out yesterday?”
Reply:“I don’t listen to music.”
“How’s that even possible? Music is the food for the soul.”
Reply:“How so?”
“Like when I’m sad I listen to sad music, when I’m happy I listen to upbeat music, when I’ve nothing to do I listen to music and so on.”

Now let’s debunk this thing that music is the food for soul. You’re sad, you listen to a sad song, you find it relatable but it ends in minutes. How was it beneficial? Did it make anything better? Did it give you a solution to your problem? No! It made you more sad. Someone may say that it gives us a hope that we are not alone and many people pass through the difficulties I’m going through. But it still didn’t lessen your sadness. You want to know what’s the better option? Or the best one? When you’re feeling sad and alone and sometimes even tears don’t come out, your heart feels pain but eyes don’t shed a single tear, you want to cry but you can’t, instead of turning on the music, try listening to the recitation of Quran. It’ll soften your heart so much that you’ll cry your heart out like a baby. And now for the best option, grab your prayer mat and offer prayer with long sujood, ask for His help in sujood. When you finish prayer, raise your hands for dua, tell Allah everything even though He already knows. Your heart will feel so much lighter, contentment will overcome your sadness and you will realise how ignorant you were to listen to music in your sad hours.

What about that rap and pop music in parties? How are we supposed to have a party without it? Listen pal, if your company is the partying one that can’t survive without music, you have to change it. Friends have a huge impact on your life and you can’t afford to have those friends who turn you away from Allah. Try to have a nice company to keep you closer to Allah.

Some scholars refer to music as the QURAN OF SHAITAN. Why? Because when you listen to music too much, it keeps pushing you away from the book of Allah and your heart doesn’t find happiness in reciting the Qur’an. This music industry is playing with young minds, collecting money from our new generations that have indulged deep into it. The modern music industry is straight away the path of shaitan, with provoking lyrics and showing bougie lifestyle that isn’t even real. Young minds start fantasizing that lifestyle and that pulls them away from shukar and contentment. They start to take these musicians as their heroes to have a successful worldly lifestyle but forget that this world is temporary.

It was narrated from Abu Malik Ash’ari that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“People among my nation will drink wine, calling it by another name, and musical instruments will be played for them and singing girls (will sing for them). Allah will cause the earth to swallow them up, and will turn them into monkeys and pigs.”

[Sunan Ibn e Maja : 4020]

This is exactly what’s happening today. Our youth is surrounded by these sins so much that these seem normal to them now. And normalizing of sins is a risky stage , so we have to take measures to keep ourselves and people around us away from this filthy industry. It isn’t even a debate that music is haram or not, since those that say it’s permissible, don’t allow this modern music. So let’s stay away from it.

It was narrated that Al-Awza’i said:

Umar bin ‘Abdul-‘Aziz wrote a letter to ‘Umar bin Al-Walid in which he said: ‘The share that your father gave to you was the entire Khumus,[1] but the share that your father is entitled to is the same as that of any man among the Muslims, on which is due the rights of Allah and His Messenger, and of relatives, orphans, the poor and wayfarers. How many will dispute with your father on the Day of Resurrection! How can he be saved who has so many disputants? And your openly allowing musical instruments and wind instruments is an innovation in Islam. I was thinking of sending someone to you who would cut off your evil long hair. ‘

[Sunan Nisai : 4140]

Now what’s the solution? How to avoid it? If you’re someone who is deeply into this stuff, should start by replacing instrumental versions with a acapella , then switch to non musical covers, and then leave that too. Instead you can listen to podcasts so it’ll increase your knowledge and is a good activity for free time too. Start connecting to the words of Allah and gradually you’ll build an unbreakable bond with Quran and a strong level of iman.

May Allah protect each and every single Muslim from all these sins. Aameen.

Written by: Hamsa Fatima