Hypocrites - Munafiq

Pornography Advice

How can I advise someone who is addicted to pornography? 

 

I have a friend who uses the internet and goes to pornographic websites. What is the shar’i ruling on that, and how can I help him to keep away from such things?.

Praise be to Allaah.  

It is not permissible to look at pornographic pictures that show the charms of women, either on internet web sites or in newspapers or magazines etc. That is because looking at them is a means of enjoying them and knowing the beauty of the woman in the picture. 

This may also be a means that leads to something haraam, so it is also regarded as haraam, because the means come under the same rulings as the ends. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 2424. 

Many people take the matter of looking at pictures of non-mahram women lightly, on the grounds that these are just pictures and are not real. But this is a very serious matter, because it inevitably tempts a man to try to look at the woman directly. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them”

[al-Noor 24:30] 

Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1/268 

You can help your friend to keep away from these things by always advising him and making him fear Allaah, and reminding him that Allaah is always watching him and that nothing is hidden from Him. And remind him of the blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon him, such as giving him eyes with which to see things that will benefit him, and He has forbidden him to use them to look at things that He has forbidden. Remind him that Allaah will question him about that, hence Allaah concludes the verse referred to above with the words (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what they do”

[al-Noor 24:30] 

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, the hearing, and the sight, and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned (by Allaah)”

[al-Isra’ 17:36] 

If a wise man thinks about it, when he is looking at these haraam pictures, he will realize that there is nothing behind these glances but loss, pain and sorrow, because he cannot really get what he sees in these pictures. 

The poet spoke the truth when he said: 

“When you give free rein to your eyes, this will cause great pain to your heart.

You will see what you cannot have, and you will feel frustration because you do not have some of what you see.” 

So it is clear that there is nothing to be gained from these pictures except the wrath of Allaah, and wasting time and money on things that are not pleasing to Him, and tormenting yourself. 

The Muslim has to seek chastity by means of marriage, and try his best to achieve that. 

He should also give up bad company who may have a bad effect on him and encourage him to go to these bad web sites. 

He should also keep himself busy with things that will benefit him in both religious and worldly terms, such as memorizing the Book of Allaah, attending gatherings of dhikr, and going to useful websites that contain sound knowledge.

Islam Q&A

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How to Avoid Pornography

The Internet is a wonderful place. But it holds many temptations for many people. Online pornography, for example, can become a time-consuming addiction for a lot of people. If it's becoming a problem for you, here are some tips to help you break the habit.

  Steps

Make the Decision to Stop

1. Think carefully about why you want to avoid online pornography. 

What's important to you? 

Are you wasting too much time perusing adult sites? 

Are you concerned about how your behavior is affecting your family? 

Are you losing sleep? 

Are you becoming antisocial? 

Do you feel guilty because of religious reasons? 

Having a strong reason for avoiding pornography is a great motivator. If possible, make a list of reasons why you want to avoid porn, with the strongest reasons at the top. 

Review the list every morning and every night. 

(If you're worried about keeping this list on your computer, you can easily keep it locked up in a password-protected file.) 

2. Make a promise to yourself that you will try not to watch pornography.
Making a promise will help set boundaries.
If you need help, you can talk about it with a friend or a family member.  

3. Do your best to keep your promise.
Habits are hard to break.
If you feel like you're slipping, think about the benefits your abstinence has brought you. 

4. Look at yourself in the mirror. 

When you have tempting thoughts, look into the mirror and tell yourself that you are better than that.

Remove All Adult Material From Your Computer

1. Get rid of everything on your computer that is even remotely related to pornography. 

Do not keep anything at all. If you have bookmarks to porn sites, delete them. Empty your cache and delete your history. If you are a member of a porn site, resign your membership. It goes without saying that you should stop renting pornographic videos or DVDs. And don't forget to disable your webcam if you use it for libidinous pursuits.

Reevaluate the Time You Spend on the Computer

1. Don't spend lonely nights surfing the Internet.
Try to go to bed at the same time as the rest of the family, or earlier.

2.Try not to be alone in a room with the computer. Plan how much time you will use the Internet, and for what purpose. Follow your own guidelines. And remember, having broadband access doesn't force you to use the Internet all day long. 

3. Before turning on your computer, make a list (on paper) of all the things you want to accomplish. Methodically work your way through the list and turn off the computer when you're done. Afterward, get away from computer and make plans to do something else.

Get a Hobby

1. 1
   Instead of spending so much time alone on the computer, develop an interest in something else. Develop a hobby, join the gym, spend time with your family, do some volunteer work. There are a million ways to spend your free time.
2. 2
   Try to meditate for a few minutes during the day. This will help you focus on your goals.
3. 3
   Think positive. By constantly telling yourself not to look at pornography it can keep the idea in your head. Instead of focusing on what not to do, focus on productive, enjoyable things you can do instead, even if it's as simple as something like a crossword puzzle.

Let Your Computer Help You

1. 1
   Install software to filter pornographic web content (see external links below). It will help to protect you from stumbling into pornography by accident. That's important. If you are tech-savvy you can edit your hosts file to block your common haunts.
2. 2
   Keep your internet history - do not delete it. Remove all "scrubbing" software and other ways you used to conceal your online behavior. Where the history was a liability before, it is now a powerful weapon against temptation. Knowing the history is there is a great motivator not to visit inappropriate websites. Show your spouse or partner your now-clean history as a reward and a way to regain trust.

Edit Tips

• TIPS FOR PROBLEM MANAGEMENT:
  • If you fall into the trap again, don't give up. Give it another try. Don’t stop trying.
  • Pornography addiction can be made worse by feelings of shame, loneliness, and hopelessness. If you seek out help and guidance and talk to your pastor, family members, and friends, you will probably find some emotional support that will help you. See if there are any support groups you can join.
  • After falling into the temptation again, go back and review what specific things might have triggered you. Eliminate all the things that caused the problem and you will have a more manageable task in stopping it altogether.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• TIPS FOR ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES:
  • Try taking a cold shower or drinking cold water.
  • If your body needs to release (masturbate), try to do so in a clean way without looking at any pornographic images. The brain will crave pornographic images less and less over time and you will soon have a more manageable drive.
  • Plan specific activities that you will go do (go to the gym, read, paint, etc) the next time you feel like watching pornography.
  • Outdoor activities and sunshine will alleviate porn cravings. Take up good hobbies and sports like gardening, golf, running, swimming, walking, basketball, bicycling, chores, etc.
  • Religious people can reflect on their belief system for help and talk to others who share their beliefs, including church leaders.
  • During the day go over the list of reasons why you want to avoid porn and the list of things you will do to avoid a relapse.
  • Try to mentally categorize your life activities into three types: 1 - Green (safe activities that won’t lead you into temptation); 2 - Yellow (dangerous behaviors that could lead to porn, such as home alone channel-surfing); 3 - Red (activities that lead directly to porn use).
  • When you feel yourself moving into a "Yellow" zone, it is time to react: stop and find something safe to do instead.
  • How badly do you want to be free from porn? Becoming porn-free may entail sacrifice. Ask yourself: Do I really need the Internet at home? Do I really need cable TV? Or even any TV? That may seem fanatical, but if you don't have TV or Internet, your access to porn will be severely curtailed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• TIPS FOR COMPUTER USE:
  • Don't spend time alone with the computer.
  • Install a filter/history program on your computer that someone you trust can use to hold you accountable.
  • Stick with reputable websites.
  • Try and use SafeSearch while searching.
  • If something looks questionable, don't let curiosity get the best of you. Delete it or close the window.
  • Be wary of sites that exist in countries with more lenient laws about Internet pornography. The last two or more characters of a domain name designate its country of origin (ie: www.somesite .de is a German domain name).
  • Be careful about going to any video sites like youtube; many videos there have at least soft porn. Stay away. if you must see a video, watch that one and then leave. Don't browse around.
• Do not register for pornographic sites. Even if you delete a previous account, the site moderator will still have you on file.
• Watch out for porn-oriented spam in your email. Filter and block it. Change your email address if it won’t stop.
• Use filtered search engines or reputable directories to find the information you need.

Edit Warnings

• Do not guess website addresses. Many pornographic sites have similar addresses of non-pornographic sites. Use a search engine instead.
• Do not follow links in email that is unsolicited. If it is a link you want to visit, copy and paste it into a browser instead of clicking on it. Often spam and phishing email (Identify-and-Resist-Phishing-Bait) will hide script behind their links.
• Do not open attachments in unsolicited emails. To secure against pop-ups and other bad scripts, use a free web-based email service to complete online registrations.
• Do not search for ambiguous terms such as "girls," "pump," "bagel," or "pony." Think carefully before typing a key word search.
• Avoid illegal websites offering Keygens, Cracks or illegal software. These websites usually have explicit pornographic banners that might tempt you.
• Don't think that the number of days you have abstained is the most important thing. You can abstain for a year or more and still have a relapse. Although you should be encouraged if you've abstained for a long time, you're better off asking yourself: "How far away am I from porn right now?" In other words, beware of complacency.
• Although getting help from a spouse is important, you need to think carefully about how and when to break this news. If your spouse doesn't know about your interest in pornography, it may be devastating news.
• Too often, pornography advertisements exist on less-than-reputable sites that host topics related to software piracy, hacking, cracking, and online gambling.

Edit Addiction programs

• If you have developed a serious porn addiction, you should consider undertaking the principles used in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or other 12-step recovery programs that have helped many people overcome self-destructive compulsions.

What a porn-recovery program based on the 12 AA steps would entail:

• 1. We admit that we were powerless over porn — that our lives had become unmanageable.
  2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
  3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
  4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
  5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
  6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
  7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
  8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
  9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
  10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
  11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
  12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to porn addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Beware!!!
  
  

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, or below the legal age of consent. The term is most often defined in criminal law.

Victims of rape can be severely traumatized; in addition to psychological harm resulting from the act, rape may cause physical injury, or have additional effects on the victim, such as acquiring of a sexually transmitted infection or becoming pregnant. Furthermore, following a rape, a victim may face violence or threats of thereof from the rapist, and, in some cultures, from the victim's own family and relatives.

Sustaining factors

The World Health Organization states that the principal factors that lead to the perpetration of sexual violence are:

• beliefs in family honour and sexual purity;
• ideologies of male sexual entitlement;
• weak legal sanctions for sexual violence.

 Additional symptoms of Acute Stress Disorder include:

• Depersonalization or dissociation (feeling numb and detached, like being in a daze or a dream, or feeling that the world is strange and unreal)
• Difficulty remembering important parts of the assault
• Reliving the assault through repeated thoughts, memories, or nightmares
• Avoidance of things, places, thoughts, and/or feelings that remind the victim of the assault
• Anxiety or increased alertness (difficulty sleeping, concentrating, etc.)
• Avoidance of social life or place of rape

Rape in India is one of India's most common crimes against women. Marital rape is now illegal in India but is still widespread. Rape cases in India have doubled between 1990 and 2008

Types:

• 1 Groth typology
  • 1.1 Anger rapist
  • 1.2 Power rapist
  • 1.3 Sadistic rapist
• 2 Date rape
• 3 Gang rape
• 4 Spousal rape
• 5 Rape of children
• 6 Statutory rape
• 7 Prison rape
• 8 War rape
• 9 Rape by deception
• 10 Corrective rape

 Rape by gender

• 1 Rape of females by males
• 2 Rape of males by males
• 3 Rape of males by females
  • 3.1 Non-statutory female-on-male rape
  • 3.2 Statutory female-on-male rape
• 4 Rape of females by females

Rape in India has been described by Radha Kumar as one of India's most common crimes against women. In the 1980s, women's rights groups lobbied for marital rape to be declared unlawful, as until 1983, the criminal law (amendment) act stated that "sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age is not rape". Marital rape is now illegal in India but is still widespread. Official sources show that rape cases in India have doubled between 1990 and 2008.

Ruling on music, singing and dancing

 Music Good or Bad

 Evidence of prohibition in the Qur’aan and Sunnah:

 Allaah says in Soorat Luqmaan (interpretation of the meaning):

 “And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of Allaah…” [Luqmaan 31:6]

•  The scholar of the ummah, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: this means singing.

•  Mujaahid (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: this means playing the drum (tabl). (Tafseer al-Tabari, 21/40).

•  Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: this aayah was revealed concerning singing and musical instruments (lit. woodwind instruments). (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 3/451).

•  Al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: this includes all manner of haraam speech, all idle talk and falsehood, and all nonsense that encourages kufr and disobedience; the words of those who say things to refute the truth and argue in support of falsehood to defeat the truth; and backbiting, slander, lies, insults and curses; the singing and musical instruments of the Shaytaan; and musical instruments which are of no spiritual or worldly benefit. (Tafseer al-Sa’di, 6/150)

•  Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The interpretation of the Sahaabah and Taabi’in, that ‘idle talk’ refers to singing, is sufficient. This was reported with saheeh isnaads from Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn Mas’ood. Abu’l-Sahbaa’ said: I asked Ibn Mas’ood about the aayah (interpretation of the meaning), ‘“And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks’ [Luqmaan 31:6]. He said: By Allaah, besides Whom there is no other god, this means singing – and he repeated it three times. It was also reported with a saheeh isnaad from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that this means singing. 

There is no contradiction between the interpretation of “idle talk” as meaning singing and the interpretation of it as meaning stories of the Persians and their kings, and the kings of the Romans, and so on, such as al-Nadr ibn al-Haarith used to tell to the people of Makkah to distract them from the Qur’aan. Both of them are idle talk. Hence Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “Idle talk” is falsehood and singing. Some of the Sahaabah said one and some said the other, and some said both.



Singing is worse and more harmful than stories of kings, because it leads to zinaa and makes hypocrisy grow (in the heart); it is the trap of the Shaytaan, and it clouds the mind. 
The way in which it blocks people from the Qur’aan is worse than the way in which other kinds of false talk block them, because people are naturally inclined towards it and tend to want to listen to it.



The aayaat condemn replacing the Qur’aan with idle talk in order to mislead (men) from the path of Allaah without knowledge and taking it as a joke, because when an aayah of the Qur’aan is recited to such a person, he turns his back as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in his ear. If he hears anything of it, he makes fun of it. All of this happens only in the case of the people who are most stubbornly kaafirs and if some of it happens to singers and those who listen to them, they both have a share of this blame. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/258-259).

 Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

 “[Allaah said to Iblees:] And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice (i.e. songs, music, and any other call for Allaah’s disobedience)…” [al-Israa’ 17:64]

 It was narrated that Mujaahid (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice” – his voice [the voice of Iblees/Shaytaan] is singing and falsehood.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This idaafah [possessive or genitive construction, i.e., your voice] serves to make the meaning specific, as with the phrases [translated as] “your cavalry” and “your infantry” [later in the same aayah]. Everyone who speaks in any way that is not obedient to Allaah, everyone who blows into a flute or other woodwind instrument, or who plays any haraam kind of drum, this is the voice of the Shaytaan. Everyone who walks to commit some act of disobedience towards Allaah is part of his [the Shaytaan’s] infantry, and anyone who rides to commit sin is part of his cavalry. This is the view of the Salaf, as Ibn ‘Abi Haatim narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas: his infantry is everyone who walks to disobey Allaah. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan).

 Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

 “Do you then wonder at this recitation (the Qur’aan)?

And you laugh at it and weep not,

Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)”

[al-Najm 53:59-61]

  ‘Ikrimah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: it was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that al-sumood [verbal noun from saamidoon, translated here as “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)”] means “singing”, in the dialect of Himyar; it might be said “Ismidi lanaa” [‘sing for us’ – from the same root as saamidoon/sumood] meaning “ghaniy” [sing]. And he said (may Allaah have mercy on him): When they [the kuffaar] heard the Qur’aan, they would sing, then this aayah was revealed. 

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning) “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)” – Sufyaan al-Thawri said, narrating from his father from Ibn ‘Abbaas: (this means) singing. This is Yemeni (dialect): ismad lana means ghan lana [sing to us]. This was also the view of ‘Ikrimah. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).

 It was reported from Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not sell singing slave women, do not buy them and do not teach them. There is nothing good in this trade, and their price is haraam. Concerning such things as this the aayah was revealed (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of Allaah…’ [Luqmaan 31:6].” (Hasan hadeeth)

 The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

 “Among my ummah there will certainly be people who permit zinaa, silk, alcohol and musical instruments…” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari ta’leeqan, no. 5590; narrated as mawsool by al-Tabaraani and al-Bayhaqi. See al-Silsilah al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 91).

 Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This is a saheeh hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh, where he quoted it as evidence and stated that it is mu’allaq and majzoom. He said: Chapter on what was narrated concerning those who permit alcohol and call it by another name.

 This hadeeth indicates in two ways that musical instruments and enjoyment of listening to music are haraam. The first is the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “[they] permit” which clearly indicates that the things mentioned, including musical instruments, are haraam according to sharee’ah, but those people will permit them. The second is the fact that musical instruments are mentioned alongside things which are definitely known to be haraam, i.e., zinaa and alcohol: if they (musical instruments) were not haraam, why would they be mentioned alongside these things? (adapted from al-Silsilah al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 1/140-141)

Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This hadeeth indicates that ma’aazif are haraam, and ma’aazif means musical instruments according to the scholars of (Arabic) language. This word includes all such instruments. (al-Majmoo’, 11/535).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: And concerning the same topic similar comments were narrated from Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi, ‘Imraan ibn Husayn, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas, Abu Hurayrah, Abu Umaamah al-Baahili, ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, Anas ibn Maalik, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Saabit and al-Ghaazi ibn Rabee’ah. Then he mentioned it in Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, and it indicates that they (musical instruments) are haraam.

It was narrated that Naafi’ (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Ibn ‘Umar heard a woodwind instrument, and he put his fingers in his ears and kept away from that path. He said to me, O Naafi’, can you hear anything? I said, No. So he took his fingers away from his ears and said: I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he heard something like this, and he did the same thing. (Saheeh Abi Dawood). Some insignificant person said that this hadeeth does not prove that musical instruments are haraam, because if that were so, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have instructed Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) to put his fingers in his ears as well, and Ibn ‘Umar would have instructed Naafi’ to do likewise! The response to this is: He was not listening to it, but he could hear it. There is a difference between listening and hearing. Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Concerning (music) which a person does not intend to listen to, there is no prohibition or blame, according to scholarly consensus. Hence blame or praise is connected to listening, not to hearing. The one who listens to the Qur’aan will be rewarded for it, whereas the one who hears it without intending or wanting to will not be rewarded for that, because actions are judged by intentions. The same applies to musical instruments which are forbidden: if a person hears them without intending to, that does not matter. (al-Majmoo’, 10/78).

Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: the listener is the one who intends to hear, which was not the case with Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both); what happened in his case was hearing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) needed to know when the sound stopped because he had moved away from that path and blocked his ears. So he did not want to go back to that path or unblock his ears until the noise had stopped, so when he allowed Ibn ‘Umar to continue hearing it, this was because of necessity. (al-Mughni, 10/173)

 (Even though the hearing referred to in the comments of the two imaams is makrooh, it was permitted because of necessity, as we will see below in the comments of Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him). And Allaah knows best).

 The views of the scholars (imaams) of Islam

Al-Qaasim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Singing is part of falsehood. Al-Hasan (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: if there is music involved in a dinner invitation (waleemah), do not accept the invitation (al-Jaami by al-Qayrawaani, p. 262-263).

 Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The view of the four Imaams is that all kinds of musical instruments are haraam. It was reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and elsewhere that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that there would be among his ummah those who would allow zinaa, silk, alcohol and musical instruments, and he said that they would be transformed into monkeys and pigs… None of the followers of the imaams mentioned any dispute concerning the matter of music. (al-Majmoo’, 11/576).

Al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The four madhhabs are agreed that all musical instruments are haraam. (al-Saheehah, 1/145).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The madhhab of Abu Haneefah is the strictest in this regard, and his comments are among the harshest. His companions clearly stated that it is haraam to listen to all musical instruments such as the flute and the drum, even tapping a stick. They stated that it is a sin which implies that a person is a faasiq (rebellious evil doer) whose testimony should be rejected. They went further than that and said that listening to music is fisq (rebellion, evildoing) and enjoying it is kufr (disbelief). This is their words. They narrated in support of that a hadeeth which could not be attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They said: he should try not to hear it if he passes by it or it is in his vicinity. Abu Yoosuf said, concerning a house from which could be heard the sound of musical instruments: Go in without their permission, because forbidding evil actions is obligatory, and if it were not allowed to enter without permission, people could not have fulfilled the obligatory duty (of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil). (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/425).

 Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about playing the drum or flute, if a person happens to hear the sound and enjoy it whilst he is walking or sitting. He said: He should get up if he finds that he enjoys it, unless he is sitting down for a need or is unable to get up. If he is on the road, he should either go back or move on. (al-Jaami’ by al-Qayrawaani, 262). He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The only people who do things like that, in our view, are faasiqs.” (Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 14/55).

 Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Among the types of earnings which are haraam by scholarly consensus are ribaa, the fee of a prostitute, anything forbidden, bribes, payment for wailing over the dead and singing, payments to fortune-tellers and those who claim to know the unseen and astrologers, payments for playing flutes, and all kinds of gambling. (al-Kaafi).

 Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, explaining the view of Imaam al-Shaafa'i: His companions who know his madhhab (point of view) stated that it is haraam and denounced those who said that he permitted it. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/425).

 The author of Kifaayat al-Akhbaar, who was one of the Shaafa’is, counted musical instruments such as flutes and others, as being munkar (evil), and the one who is present (where they are being played) should denounce them. (He cannot be excused by the fact that there are bad scholars, because they are corrupting the sharee’ah, or evil faqeers – meaning the Sufis, because they call themselves fuqaraa’ or faqeers – because they are ignorant and follow anyone who makes noise; they are not guided by the light of knowledge; rather they are blown about by every wind. (Kifaayat al-Akhbaar, 2/128).

 Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: With regard to the view of Imaam Ahmad, his son ‘Abd-Allaah said: I asked my father about singing. He said: Singing makes hypocrisy grow in the heart; I do not like it. Then he mentioned the words of Maalik: the evildoers (faasiqs) among us do that. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan).

 Ibn Qudaamah, the researcher of the Hanbali madhhab – (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Musical instruments are of three types which are haraam. These are the strings and all kinds of flute, and the lute, drum and rabaab (stringed instrument) and so on. Whoever persists in listening to them, his testimony should be rejected. (al-Mughni, 10/173). And he said (may Allaah have mercy on him); If a person is invited to a gathering in which there is something objectionable, such as wine and musical instruments, and he is able to denounce it, then he should attend and speak out against it, because then he will be combining two obligatory duties. If he is not able to do that, then he should not attend. (al-Kaafi, 3/118)

 Al-Tabari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The scholars of all regions are agreed that singing is makrooh and should be prevented. Although Ibraaheem ibn Sa’d and ‘Ubayd-Allaah al-‘Anbari differed from the majority, (it should be noted that) the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Adhere to the majority.” And whoever dies differing from the majority, dies as a jaahili. (Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 14/56).



In earlier generations, the word “makrooh” was used to mean haraam, then it took on the meaning of “disliked”. But this is to be understood as meaning that it is forbidden, because he [al-Tabari] said “it should be prevented”, and nothing is to be prevented except that which is haraam; and because in the two hadeeths quoted, music is denounced in the strongest terms. Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) is the one who narrated this report, then he said: Abu’l-Faraj and al-Qaffaal among our companions said: the testimony of the singer and the dancer is not to be accepted. I say: if it is proven that this matter is not permissible, then accepting payment for it is not permissible either.

 Shaykh al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said: What Ibraaheem ibn Sa’d and ‘Ubayd-Allaah al-‘Anbari said about singing is not like the kind of singing that is known nowadays, for they would never have allowed this kind of singing which is the utmost in immorality and obscenity. (al-I’laam)

 Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It is not permissible to make musical instruments. (al-Majmoo’, 22/140). And he said: According to the majority of fuqahaa’, it is permissible to destroy musical instruments, such as the tanboor [a stringed instrument similar to a mandolin]. This is the view of Maalik and is the more famous of the two views narrated from Ahmad. (al-Majmoo’, 28/113). And he said: …Ibn al-Mundhir mentioned that the scholars were agreed that it is not permissible to pay people to sing and wail… the consensus of all the scholars whose views we have learned about is that wailing and singing are not allowed. Al-Shu’bi, al-Nakha’i and Maalik regarded that as makrooh [i.e., haraam]. Abu Thawr, al-Nu’maan – Abu Haneefah (may Allaah have mercy on him) – and Ya’qoob and Muhammad, two of the students of Abu Haneefah said: it is not permissible to pay anything for singing and wailing. This is our view. And he said: musical instruments are the wine of the soul, and what it does to the soul is worse than what intoxicating drinks do. (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 10/417).

 Ibn Abi Shaybah (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported that a man broke a mandolin belonging to another man, and the latter took his case to Shurayh. But Shurayh did not award him any compensation – i.e., he did not make the first man pay the cost of the mandolin, because it was haraam and had no value. (al-Musannaf, 5/395).

 Al-Baghawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated in a fatwa that it is haraam to sell all kinds of musical instruments such as mandolins, flutes, etc. Then he said: If the images are erased and the musical instruments are altered, then it is permissible to sell their parts, whether they are silver, iron, wood or whatever. (Sharh al-Sunnah, 8/28)



Ma’aazif is the plural of mi’zafah, and refers to musical instruments (Fath al-Baari, 10/55), instruments which are played (al-Majmoo’, 11/577).
Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated from al-Jawhari (may Allaah have mercy on him) that ma’aazif means singing. In his Sihaah  it says that it means musical instruments. It was also said that it refers to the sound of the instruments.
In al-Hawaashi by al-Dimyaati (may Allaah have mercy on him) it says: ma’aazif means drums (dufoof, sing. daff) and other instruments which are struck or beaten (Fath al-Baari, 10/55).

Dance

With regard to dancing, it is not permissible in front of other men or women, because of the fitnah that may be caused by the movements of the body. With regard to dancing on the part of women, it is an evil action and we cannot say that it is permissible, because we have heard of incidents that have occurred among women because of it. 

If it is done by men that is even worse, because that is men imitating women, and the evil involved is well known. 

If dancing is done among a mixed group of men and women, as some of the foolish do, that is even worse because of the mixing and great fitnah involved, especially when that is done at a wedding party.

Response of male dancers

In a 2003 sociological study, male ballet dancers reported several stereotypes they had been confronted with including "feminine, homosexual, wimp, spoiled, gay, dainty, fragile, weak, fluffy, woosy, prissy, artsy and sissy".
In preparation for their 2009 anthology on masculinity and dance, Jennifer Fisher and Anthony Shay interviewed several male dancers from different age groups, ethnic backgrounds, and sexualities. In the interviews, the men were asked questions pertaining to the biased Western picture of male dancers such as “Do you think you’re now surrounded by any stereotypes about men and dancing?” and “Are there perceptions about men who dance that you think need changing?
One of the dancers interviewed, Aaron Cota, came up against unfair prejudices but helped dispel them. He took some time off to enter the Marine Corps. He tells of his fellow Marines’ reaction: "When they found out that [I would be earning a] dance degree, they were like 'What? You’re what?'. They were kind of confused. You just have to explain it to them. When the guys in my unit would see some of the things I’ve done, or they see videos of other people dance, and they’re like, 'Holy crap, how can they do that?' ... and they’re like 'Wow, that’s amazing,' and 'That’s kind of opened my eyes ...'".

Another dancer, David Allan, experienced very negative effects of the stereotype growing up. He tells of the time he performed in his school’s talent show at age eleven, “I was so excited about doing A Dance from David, my first choreography. So, when I came out in my pretty white tights, there was a big roar of laughter.... Later I met some guys in the hallway of my school who were making rude comments ... 'You’re that dancer guy' would turn into being thrown down the stairs."^[4]
US danseur Walter Patrick Bissell mentions that he was horribly ridiculed as a boy for taking ballet classes. He did his best to keep it secret, but it eventually leaked out and he was in fights with the other children every day for the rest of school days.^{[citation needed]} The same has been said of ballet professionals like Ethan Stiefel, Sascha Radetsky, Edward Villella, Jamie Bell among others.

Effect on participation

In a study done on peer attitudes of participants in “gender specific” sports (i.e. ballet and American football), teens ages 14–18 were found to have strong stereotypical views. Males who frequently participated in a “sex-inappropriate” athletic activity were perceived as more feminine than those who did not. The study also suggested, “This stereotyping of athletes may have an important impact on the willingness of athletes to participate in certain sports. Likewise, these stereotypes may tend to filter out certain types of potential participants — e.g., macho males ... in athletic activities which are 'inappropriate' for one's gender."^[5] Victoria Morgan, a former principal ballerina with the San Francisco Ballet, relates "... I feel there is a stigma attached to ballet in America that doesn't reflect the reality.... This makes it difficult to attract some audience members and boys for ballet companies".^[6]