Question Hour - Dr. Zakir Naik

Q. I have a doubt about playing of musical instruments. Is this an act of Satan?
Faiz-ullah-Khan, Jammu and Kashmir.

A. Prohibition of music is recorded in many authentic Ahadith.


Narrated Abu Malik Al-Ashari:

“The Messenger (pbuh) of Allah (SWT) said, “Some people of my Ummah will drink wine, calling it by other than its real name, merriment will be made for them through the playing of musical instruments and the singing of lady singers. Allah will cleave the earth under them and turn others into monkeys and swines. [Ibn Ma’jah Vol.5 Hadith No.4020]


Narrated Abu Amir or Abu Malik Al Ashari that he heard the Prophet saying, “From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful. And there will be some people who will stay near the side of a mountain and in the evening their shepherd will come to them with their sheep and ask them for something, but they will say to him, ‘Return to us tomorrow.’ Allah will destroy them during the night and will let the mountain fall on them, and He will transform the rest of them into monkeys and pigs and they will remain so till the Day of Resurrection.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol.7 Hadith No.5590]


However, there are some Ahadith which indicate that it is permissible to beat the ‘daff’ i.e. the tambourine (which is open on one side and covered on the other).


Narrated Urwa on the authority of Aisha


“On the days of Mina, (11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) Abu Bakr came to her while two young girls were beating the tambourine (daff) and the Prophet was lying covered with his clothes. Abu Bakr scolded them. The Prophet uncovered his face and said to Abu Bakr, “Leave them, for these days are the days of ‘Id and the days of Mina.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol.2 Hadith No.987]


Narrated Ar Rabi (the daughter of Muawwidh bin Afra): “After the consummation of my marriage, the Prophet came and sat on my bed as far from me as you are sitting now, and our little girls started beating the tambourines (daff) and reciting elegiac verses mourning my father, who had been killed in the battle of Badr. One of them said, ‘Among us is a Prophet who knows what will happen tomorrow.’ On that the Prophet said, ‘Leave this (saying) and keep on saying the verses which you had been saying before.’ [Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol.7 Hadith No.5147]


Therefore from the above evidence it is concluded that the use of musical instruments in general is forbidden in Islam, with the exception of the ‘Daff’.


Music usually intoxicates a person and takes one away from the path of Allah (swt). Music engages a person’s mind and takes him/her away from the remembrance of his/her Creator and from realizing and focusing his/her attention on the purpose of his/her creation. In musical songs, most of the times the listeners even appreciate illogical, incorrect and blasphemous matter and content. A person will realize this when he starts pondering over the meaning of many Hindi and English songs, lyrics and ghazals. Here we find that it is because of music that the person’s mind is intoxicated and the person deviates from the straight path. And Allah Knows the Best.

Q. At one place the Qur’an mentions that man is
created from sperm and in another place it mentions that man is created from dust. Are these two verses not contradicting?


Hello_brother41@yahoo.com


A. 1. Man created from sperm and dust


The Qur’an refers to the lowly beginnings of a human being from a drop of sperm, in several verses including the following verse from Surah Al-Qiyamah:


“Was he not a drop of sperm emitted (in lowly form)”? [Al-Qur’an 75:37]
The Qur’an also mentions in several places that human beings were created from dust. The following verse makes a reference to the origin of human beings:


“(Consider) that We created you out of dust”. [Al-Qur’an 22:5]


We now know that all the elements present in the human body (i.e. the constituent elements of the human body) are all present in the earth in small or great quantities. This is the scientific explanation for the Qur’anic verse that says that man was created from dust.


In certain verses, the Qur’an says that man was created from sperm, while in certain other verses it says that man was created from dust. However this is not a contradiction. Contradiction means statements, which are opposite or conflicting and both cannot be true simultaneously.


2. Man created from water

In certain places the Qur’an also says that man was created from water. For instance in Surah Al-Furqan it says:


“It is He Who has created man from water”. [Al-Qur’an 25:54]


Science has proved all the three statements to be correct. Man has been created from sperm, dust as well as water.


3. It is not a Contradiction but a Contradistinction

Suppose I say that in order to make a cup of tea one needs water. One also needs tealeaves or tea powder. The two statements are not contradictory since both water and tealeaves are required in order to make a cup of tea. Furthermore if I want sweet tea I can even add sugar.


Thus there is no contradiction in the Qur’an when it says that man is created from sperm, dust and water. It is not a contradiction but a contradistinction. Contradistinction means speaking about two different concepts on the same subject without conflict. For instance if I say that the man is always truthful and a habitual liar, it is a contradiction, but if I say that a man is always honest, kind and loving, then it is a contradistinction.

Have you ever received an email about someone who had a dream about “Hazrat” Zaynab or Aisha, the holy Prophet or some old man with a white beard - asking you to forward it on to x number of people in order to receive good fortune? And those that don’t pass it on may face some curse or hardship from Allaah? If you have, and have been unsure what to do with such an email then please read this...


To put it simply such emails should NOT be forwarded and instead the delete button should be hit without hesitation. Such emails create doubt in one’s heart and fall into the category of shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is the only sin which if we were to die upon; Allah has informed us He will never forgive! Thinking that forwarding the email may in some way change our fate, either by benefiting us or warding off some bad luck, is in fact to put faith in other than the Mighty Will of Allah


We should know that not a single event occurs without the knowledge of our Creator, al Alim. Know that EVERY matter that exists was ordained 50,000 years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. And know that every last breath, movement, and occurrence was written down by Allah.
How can it be that an electrically typed message, no matter how religious the people described were, or how many people sent or received it, can make the slightest of difference when compared to what Allaah Ta’ala has willed?