Using Musical Instruments in a Halal Manner
What about the prohibitions on musical instruments?
There are hadiths which speak about the prohibition on the use of musical equipment, but they refer to the entertainment and amusement that are haram. There are scholars who view the prohibition of instruments used predominantly for haram purposes, even when they can be used for halal purposes. However, we see no problem in using these same instruments for halal purposes, whether they are predominantly or equally used for haram.
Instruments of Plaintive Melodies
What about instruments which produce plaintive notes, such as the flute?
The issue lies not in the joy or the sadness, for a person may be moved to experience delight in sadness- which causes a type of prohibition in this field in the prevalent view of some jurists.
The qasidas of knowledge are often love verses-what about their recitation?
If the qasida provides deeper knowledge, but its delivery is that of a ghazal and its general ancillaries, so that people understand only the ghazal content, then it does not fall within the parameters of halal, its intent being to influence the mind.
Classical Music
I do not have such a music background that I can differentiate between the types of music. But it is well-known that classical music suggests intellectual thought more than simple amusement or delight. If this, indeed, is the case, then one may rule on its permissibility.
In case of doubt concerning a melody-is it halal or haram-what is the solution?
Where there is doubt, the ruling is for permissibility-on the premise that everything is permissible until you know for certain that it is forbidden.
Can we define what is meant by "tunes of the people of immorality?"
The "tunes of the people of immorality" refers to those tunes which suggest dancing, delight, or lust.
A Woman Singing For Her Husband
Is it permitted for a woman to sing for her husband?
It is not allowed for her to sing forbidden songs, meaning that if the song is not permitted, or if it falls within the category of illicit songs (consisting of lies or deceit) then she is not allowed to sing, even to herself.
Singing At Weddings
It appears that there are hadith which make an exception for weddings, but there is no mention of the use of musical instruments. The hadith which points to the permissibility of singing at weddings is not restricted to the conditions we have so far mentioned. It is to be expected that the lyrics should not be haram, although they may be amusing and the tunes delightful.
A Woman's Reciting At Men's Gatherings
Is it allowed for a woman to recite Islamic qasidas to non-mahram?
There is a verse which says: "Do not lower your voice, for he in whose heart there is sickness may be moved with desire" (al-Ahzab, 33:32)- which means that trilling and lilting the voice by the woman in front of non-mahram men is forbidden according to the Shariah, on the premise that it might lead to the negative consequences indicated by the verse.
The Problem Lies in Influence
Is this view always unconditional?
The issue is connected to influence-for were the woman to recite poetry or verses, but non-suggestively, it would not constitute haram. The problem arises then in respect of the effect of the woman's speech. But she may recite verses without any suggestiveness. Some women have a naturally melodious voice, where any rise or drop in tone is suggestive, and this is what we construe from the verse "Do not lower your voice."
There Is a View That States "The Voice of a Woman Is Private"
We do not say this because women used to speak with the Prophet and the Imams. Moreover, the biographies show that women sought out and questioned `ulama without this eliciting a prohibition from any religious authority regarding the voice of the woman.
The proponents of the above view claim that a woman may speak to a man only in emergencies. We believe that the biographies referred to issues which bear little relation to emergencies. On the contrary, they arise under normal circumstances, for why else would it be transmitted from the time of the Prophet that the women behaved in straightforward manner; that they came to him to pledge allegiance and emigrated to Medina, and God ordered the Muslims to test the women "of their right hand"? We find no basis for stipulating the condition of emergency in this area.
The Prophet used to go forth with the women to treat the wounded, to give water to the thirsty, and so forth. This required mixing and speaking to them.
The Ruling on Chess
The Hadith that Speak about Chess
When we study the hadiths that have surfaced among Shia and Sunnis on the subject of chess, we find that there are narratives which suggest of prohibition ("it is sinful"; "do not approach it!"). There is the hadith on this subject where a person asked about chess and was told: "If God classified it between truth and falsehood, where would it be?" He replied, "With falsehood." He said: "What is it with you and falsehood!" Another person asked about chess and he said: "There is no good in it."
Another hadith states: "The one who indulges in chess is like one who indulges in pork." He asked "What should he do?" The answer was, "He must wash his hands to cleanse himself of it."
These hadiths suggest dislike more than they do prohibition. But we also find hadiths which explain the words of God, "Eschew the abominable from the idols" (al-Hay, 22:30). In some exegetical works [tafsirs] the reference is to chess. What is clear, however, is that there is no clear proof for the prohibition, only a scenario where play is wagered in some form. Considering chess as gambling points to this, and gambling is understood to encompass wagering.
