Question
I read all that you had to say about the music and Islam and I was really impressed…music plays a large part in my life, and the question of its absolute prohibition has worried me for a really long time. On some other sites I’ve visited, Maulanas have plainly stated “it is haraam” in this dead end manner which didn’t satisfy me at all.
I was wondering if you knew about the recent upheaval there was about the playing of some songs backwards, which reveals chanting of satanic verses or weird horrific wailings and other such sounds.One example of such a song would be “Hotel California” by the Eagles. How is one to know if a song they are listening to has satanic material when played backwards? and if it does? Does this information hold no weight if the song is Ok when played normal way round? of course I try my best to avoid music with obviously blasphemic phrases etc. in it…but honestly it gets me thinking, if maybe Allah just wants us to stay completely away from music incase we cant tell the difference between what is totally against Islam and what is harmless. Also is it wrong for females to sing? and is it really a sign of the end of the world that there will be musical instruments and music played in every household?
Answer
Playing music backwards for hidden messages or ones that deal with Satanic content has been around for several decades. For the most part it is a gimmick of the music industry and nothing more. Those who partake in them whether for pleasure or any sort of seriousness will bear the burden of their actions. Having said that, if a person listens to a song and does not know that it has those sorts of messages in them he or she cannot be blamed for such a thing. No one can know for sure what kinds of messages are hidden in songs and only through some sort of investigation of the song could that be revealed. This does not seem realistic as the listener would have to listen to every song backwards just to see if it does indeed consist of these messages. There are far better things to do in life than to spend it on such an activity. Whatever is inserted into a song it can only be deemed wrongful of the listener if he or she actually knows what the song consists of. If the listener is clueless that there is a hidden message then neither is the message of any value nor is the person committing any wrong. If the song is decent and is played the way it is supposed to be played then there is nothing wrong with listening to it. Music is not against Islam but people make music that can go against the principles of Islam. Hence, to shut out all music would be a personal choice not one required by God. To turn away from anything due to the fear that it may contain something against your beliefs is commendable. Yet the fault in such a method is that the reality of it is so remote and more importantly cannot really be known that to take such drastic measures would seem imprudent. A healthy approach would be to always seek God and choose wisely what one exposes themselves to.
If musical instruments were a sign of the end of the world then the world would have ended a long time ago. Since the beginnings of man music has existed and it has permeated every aspect of life. Unfortunately sometimes people misuse it as they misuse just about everything else. The ahadith that are usually quoted regarding this issue is far deeper than drums and trumpets. One needs to analyze them and appreciate the exact message they present. As for the female voice then it is nothing but a gift from the Almighty. It cannot be deemed as wrongful for women to sing. The point here is not that there is something wrong with the actual instrument or voice but rather how they are used and for what purpose.
I hope I have clarified the issue.
God knows best.