Verdict of Music

Verdict of Music
answered by Sayyed Ahmad Al-Hassan
The successor and messenger of Imam Al-Mahdi pbuh
prepared by Sheikh Alaa al-Salem
Certified accurate by the English Translation Committee of Ansar Imam al-Mahdi pbuh
For more information and other works by Sayyed Ahmad al-Hassan translated to English please visit www.saviorofmankind.com or for the original Arabic please visit www.almahdyoon.org

Abbreviations
pbuh Peace be upon him/her (عليها السلام/عليه ~ alaihi/alaiha as- salam)
pbut Peace be upon them (عليهم السلام ~ alaihom assalam) pbuhap Peace upon him and progeny (وسلم الله عليه و آله صلى ~ salla
Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam)
swt Praise Him and Exalt Him (سبحانه و تعالى ~ sobhanahu wa
ta’ala)
(m) The Mighty and the Majestic (عز و جل ~ azza wa jal)
﴾﴿ Indicate narrations from Ahlulbayt pbut
[] Indicate passages from the Bible
﴾﴿ Indicate verses from the Quran
«» Indicate explanations by Sayeed Ahmad al-Hassan pbuh
within narrations, Bible passages or Quran verses —Trans. not in the original arabic but added by the translators
In the name of Allah, the Abundantly Merciful, the Intensely Mer- ciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
May the prayers and peace of Allah be upon Muhammad and his progeny, the Imams and the Mahdis.
This is the statement of the jurisprudential verdict of music in ref- erence to using it or listening to it or using its instruments, as clarified by Imam Ahmad al-Hassan pbuh in response to questions that were sent to him pbuh. And I will address the matter with four points:
First: It is forbidden (haram) to use musical instruments.
Q: Is it permissible (halal) to go to a wedding party with only women present, although there is singing and dancing?
A: ﴾It is permissible if there are only women, and men cannot hear. Also, if there is nothing forbidden such as the use of musical instru- ments.﴿
Reference: The Jurisprudential Answers, Miscellaneous Matters.
Second: It is forbidden to listen to music and not forbidden to hear it. In response to a question sent to Imam Ahmad al-Hassan pbuh concerning music and songs, he said, ﴾“Music is forbidden and songs are forbidden and listening to them is forbidden. And listening is in- tentional, and it is not like hearing which is unintentional. What are permissible are only the drums of war and blowing the horns for noti- fication.”﴿
Reference: Al-Jawab al-Monir Vol. 3 Q. 251.
And he pbuh was asked about the disagreement of clerics concern- ing the permissibility of listening to classical music, so he pbuh said,
﴾“It is not permissible to listen to music.”﴿

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And he pbuh was asked about the religious occasions that are held in which nasheeds [odes] are used, which contain music in addition to clapping and halahil.* So the answer from him pbuh was, ﴾“Clapping is permissible. As for halahil of women, they are permissible in front of women and not permissible in front of foreign men. And it is forbid- den to listen to music.”﴿
Reference: The Jurisprudential answers, Miscellaneous Matters.
Third: The music which is forbidden to listen to and forbidden to use is the music of songs and festivity or similar types of amusement, which are widely spread today.
Q: What is the verdict of using sound effects in movies?
A: ﴾In reference to music, if it is music of songs or is similar to that then it is not permissible to use it. As for sound effects that are for the purpose of demonstrating that a situation is sad, concerning or scary ... etc, then it is permissible. This means that it is permissible to use these types of effects as sound effects in a movie.﴿
Reference: The Jurisprudential answers, Miscellaneous Matters.
Fourth: There are sounds made by electronic devices that are produced and used in poetry and nasheeds. And their verdict is made clear in the next question and answer.
Q: We work in producing poetry and nasheeds that relate to the blessed call, and we ask for a ruling concerning the sound effects that are per- missible such as the sounds of drums and horns and clapping or some sounds of organs and pianos. What is the verdict concerning these? A: ﴾The sound of clapping, drums and horns used for notification, like
*. Halahil: Trilling cries of joy uttered by women during festival or wedding occasions or nuptial celebrations. —Trans.
Music Reference: Al-Jawab al-Monir Vol. 4 Q. 351.

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the ones that were used in war, or what is close to it, are permissible to use.
The sounds generated by electronic devices are also permissible if not composed in a manner of festivity and amusement; an example of what is permissible from the electronic devices would be sounds like raindrops, whistling of the wind, sounds of war drums or sad sounds ... etc.
And any form of chant or recitation that is commonly used by the people of debauchery, amusement and festivity must be avoided even if it was free of music or sound effects.﴿
Reference: The Jurisprudential answers, Miscellaneous Matters.
This was a brief demonstration of some of the matters concerning music, and I hope from Allah that his believing servants will benefit from it.
And praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Prepared by Sheikh Alaa al-Salem
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Music