al-Ghina wa al-Maazif fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna wa Athar al-Sahaba
- Author died
- 1440 AH
- Editions
- Safeer Press
al-Ghina wa al-Maazif fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna wa Athar al-Sahaba (Singing and Musical Instruments in the Light of the Quran, the Sunnah, and Reports of the Companions) is a legal treatise by Saeed bin Wahf al-Qahtani (d. 1440 AH / 2018 CE) addressing Islamic rulings on singing and musical instruments.
Background and Purpose
The treatise was authored in response to a contemporary Quran reciter who, in the second half of 1431 AH, issued a public legal opinion (fatwa) declaring singing and music permissible. Al-Qahtani completed the text on Tuesday afternoon, 8 Sha'ban 1431 AH, aiming to refute this position by presenting textual evidences from the Quran and the Sunnah, the consensus and traditions of the Companions and early Successors, and the rulings of the four Sunni legal schools and other verifying scholars regarding the prohibition of singing and musical instruments, while outlining the specific forms of singing that remain legally permissible. In compiling the work, the author drew substantially upon the rulings and determinations of his teacher, Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baz.
Structure and Content
The book is arranged into ten thematic chapters (mabahith):
- Definition of Singing and Musical Instruments: An overview of the linguistic and technical definitions of ghina (singing) and ma'azif (musical instruments).
- Prohibition of Speaking About God Without Knowledge: A warning against issuing religious edicts without sound evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah.
- Prohibition of Singing: Scriptural proofs from the Quran, the Sunnah, and statements of the Companions establishing the prohibition of songs and musical entertainment.
- Severe Warnings: Textual warnings directed toward practitioners and listeners of singing and musical instruments.
- Terminology: An exploration of the names and designations applied to singing, musical instruments, and instruments of diversion (alat al-lahw).
- Specific Legal Issues: Detailed discussions on singing, instrumental music, and pipes or flutes (al-mazamir).
- Harms and Corruptions: An analysis of the spiritual, moral, and practical detriments associated with listening to music.
- Permissible Singing: An exposition of the limited forms of vocal performance permitted under specific conditions in Islamic law.
- Refutation of Critics: A critical response to scholars and figures who declared hadiths prohibiting singing to be weak.
- Verified Legal Rulings: A compilation of authoritative contemporary and classical fatwas concerning songs, instruments, and entertainment equipment.
Reception
The treatise was reviewed and prefaced by Salih al-Fawzan, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia, in a commendation dated 2 Shawwal 1431 AH. Al-Fawzan endorsed the treatise as a comprehensive and beneficial treatment of the subject, praising its thorough presentation of scriptural evidence and scholarly statements prohibiting musical instruments and its refutation of unsubstantiated opposing views.
Answer updated