Is music allowed?

What does the Qur'an say?

• The people who believe that Shaytan is their enemy will avoid all paths that lead to him. Allah says, وَاسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُم بِصَوْتِكَ "And incite [to senselessness] whoever you can among them with your voice" [Qur'an, 17:64] So shaytan uses his voice, meaning music to call people to disobey Allah and become deviant. Many songs, of old and new artists, if played backwards, contain blunt praise for shaytan and demonic messages. 
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• Music is conceited, narcissistic and useless talk. Allah says, وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلّ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا أُولَـٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ "And of the people is he who buys لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ to mislead [others] from the way of Allāh without knowledge and who takes it in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment." [Qur'an, 31:6] By the consensus of companions (r.a) like Abdullah ibn Masood and Abdullah ibn Abbas (r.a), لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ is music. Music is amusing but vain and frivolous, it deviates from the path of Allah, and causes people to become unconcerned and irresponsible to the Deen.

Reference: Musicians sold their soul to Shaytan for fame and wealth and sing about shaytan.


What did the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) say about music? 

• Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "I have been sent as a mercy and guide to mankind. And I have been sent to break the flute, the tambur (string instrument like guitar or violin) and all traditions of ignorance."
• Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, "People of my Ummah will drink wine, by calling it other than its real name. Merriment will be made for them through the playing of musical instruments and singing of women, Allah will purge the earth of them and turn them into apes and swines." Ibn Majah
• Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said, near the Day of Judgment people will make intoxicants, silk and music halal (lawful) when it is haram (prohibited by Allah).

What did the scholars say?
The scholars said that the love of music and the love of Qur'an cannot be combined in the same heart. Meaning a person will either incline towards music or incline towards the Qur'an.

Umar bin Abdul Aziz (rahimaullah) said to his son, "I warn you again music, I warn you against music, I warn you against music! No one listens to it except that Allah causes them to forget the Qur'an." Meaning, the consequence of music is such that it makes one neglect Qur'an. Music destroys a person's faith in Allah, and his understanding and practice of Islam.

Yazeed ibn Waleed used to say, "Ya Bani Umayyah, stay away from singing because it will remove shyness and modesty from you. it will increase you in lusts and do away with your dignity, composure and respect. Music is like alcohol, it causes intoxication." A person who is addicted to music not understand how he is behaving and what he is saying. He is befuddled and enslaved to selfish and evil desires. He has no sense of shame in this thoughts or poise in his manners. He reacts on impulse and is easily aggravated to extreme levels of anger and/or depression. He is constantly conflicting with the opposite gender.

Umar bin Abdul Aziz (rahimaullah) said to the teachers of his sons, "Begin with instilling in them the hatred of music, which starts with shaytan and ends with the wrath of Allah. Music grows hypocrisy in the hearts the same way water causes plants to grow." That is, people who listen to music are usually two-faced. Their environment and their mood determines how they will react. They are emotional, careless, hasty and rash and therefore, disloyal and untrustworthy. Notice, people who listen to music are most likely to swear, lie and be uncommitted to their relations, school/office work and promises.

People of Madina said, "only the treacherous and defiantly disobedient to Allah listen to music."
Imaam Shafa'i said, "A sinner listens to music and his testimony/witness should not be accepted in any case."

Imaam Ahmed bin Hambal said, "music creates hypocrisy in the heart, and I do not like it."
Al Qasim said, "Singing is falsehood, a clearly unlawful and immoral."
Al Hasan al Basri said, "If there is music in a walima, then do not go to it." It is sunnah to accept the invitation for walima but if music will be played during it, then it is more recommended to decline the invitation. 

A man was asked by ibn Abbas (r.a) if it was permissible to listen to music without lyrics, meaning only tunes and no words in it. He (r.a) said, "When the truth prevails on the Day of Judgment, which side do you think music would be on? The side of Qur'an, Salah and remembrance of Allah? Or on the side of falsehood and sin?" The man said falsehood and sin. He (r.a) said, "you have answered the question yourself."

Source: The end of music by shaykh Kamal al Mekki and Subliminal Messages by brother Imran Merchant