Music in Islam .

Ibn Al-Qayyim said:

“From among the artful machinations and entrapment of Allah’s enemy [Satan], with which he has snared those possessing little good sense, knowledge and deen [faith], and by which he has stalked the hearts of the false and ignorant people, there is the listening to whistling, wailing, hand-clapping and song to the accompaniment of forbidden [musical] instruments.Such things block the Quran from people’s hearts and make them devoted to sin and disobedience. For song (to musical accompaniment) is the Quran of Ash-Shaytaan (Satan). It is a dense veil and barrier, preventing nearness to Ar-Rahmaan! (Allah)

By way of such song, Satan deceives vain souls, making it appear pleasing to them through his cunning appeal to their vanities. He insidiously whispers false, specious arguments suggesting the ‘goodness’ in song. These arguments are accepted, and as a result, the Quran becomes an object of neglect and abandonment.”

Source: Page 224, vol. 1 of Ighaathatul Lahfaan

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From the greatest things that strengthen satanic states is listening to song and music, this is none other than the listening of the polytheists about which Allah, the Exalted says:

“And their prayer at the House was nothing save whistling and clapping.”

[Al-Anfal (8): 35]

Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), and others from the Salaf said, “At-Tasdiya is clapping with the hands and al-Mukaa is like whistling. The polytheists used to do this as an act of worship” [As-Suyuti, ‘ad-Durr al-Manthur’ [3/183] referred it to al-Faryabi, Abd Bin Humaid, ibn Jarir, ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Abi Shaybah from Ibn Abbas]

As for the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions, their worship consisted entirely of that which was ordered by Allah such as salah, recitation of the Qur’an, Dhikr and the likes. They gathered together for those actions of worship legislated and therefore they never gathered to listen to song…done by clapping or drums. Never once did he (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) become overcome with spiritual ecstasy and never did his cloak fall off him – all narrations that mention this are lies by agreement of the scholars of hadeeth.

When the Companions of the Prophet  (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) used to gather, he would order one of them to recite and the rest would listen. [Refer to at-Turtushi, al-Hawadith wal Bida’a pp.161-167].

Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be please with him) used to say to Abu Musa al-Ashari: “Remind us of our Lord.” So he would recite and they would listen. [Reported by ad-Darimi and Abdur-Razzak al-Musannaf, with a Saheeh isnad]

The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) passed by Abu Musa while he was reciting and he said to him, “I passed by you last night while you were reciting, so I stood listening to your recitation.”  He replied, ‘If I knew that you were listening, I would have embellished it for you in the best of ways.’

Meaning that I would have beautified my recitation for you.

This is as the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“Beautify the Qur’an with your voices”

[Abu Dawud and Nasa’i, with a saheeh isnad]

He (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said to ibn Masud:

“Recite the Qur’an to me.”

He said ‘Should I recite to you when it was revealed to you?’

He (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) replied:

“Indeed I love that I hear it from other than me.”

So I recited Surah an-Nisa to him until I reached this verse:

“So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and We bring you [O Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)] against these [people] as a witness?”

[An-Nisa (4): 41].

He (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said,

“That is sufficient for you,”

and his eyes were overflowing with tears.

[Saheeh al-Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim]

The likes of this listening is the listening of the Prophets and their followers as has been mentioned by Allah in the Qur’an:

“Those were they unto whom Allah bestowed His Grace from among the Prophets, of the offspring of Adam, and of those whom We carried (in the ship) with Nooh (Noah), and of the offspring of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Israel and from among those whom We guided and chose. When the Verses of the Most Beneficent (Allah) were recited unto them, they fell down prostrating and weeping.”

[Maryam (19): 58]

Allah said concerning the People of Cognisance:

“And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of what they have recognized of the truth”

[Al-Maidah (5): 83]

He, Glorious is He, commended those who listen in this way due to what they attain of increase in faith, the trembling of their skins and the tears in their eyes.

He, the Exalted says:

“Allah has sent down the best statement; a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah”

[Az-Zumar (39): 23]

“The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord do they rely – the ones who establish prayer and spend from what we have provided them. Those are the believers truly. For them are degrees [of position] with their Lord, forgiveness and noble provision.”

[Al-Anfal (8): 2-4]

As for the innovated listening which is the listening of clapping, drum, and wind instruments, none of the Companions, the Successors and any of the great Imams of this religion took this to be a route to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted. Not one of them considered it to be a means of drawing close to Allah and an action of obedience; instead they considered this to be a blameworthy innovation.

Ash-Shaafi’i said: “I have left behind me in Baghdad something that was innovated by the heretics that they called at-taghbir, which used to distract people from the Qur’an.” [Refer to al-Hafiz Diya ad-Din al-Maqdisi, ‘Juz Ittiba as-Sunan’ [pp.28-29] and Tablis Iblis [p.301 of the summary].]

Ibnul Qayyim in “Masalah as-Sama”, pp119-120, said, “Taghbir was where they struck stretched leather with the stick or a cushion which gave off a particular sound to which they would recite moving poetry that would incite one to asceticism. Now if this is what ash-Shaafi’i, may Allah sanctify his soul, thought of taghbir then what would he have said concerning listening to the types of poetry and singing that contains mention of the belover, the excellence of meeting him, the sweetness of his reprimand, communion in love, coming close to him, the bitterness of leaving…”

The Awliya of Allah know this fact well and know that shaytaan has a major role to play in it and this is why the best of them who used to attend such sessions later repented.

The further a person is from cognizance and completion in his closeness to and love of Allah, the greater the role that shaytaan has to play in misguiding him. This innovated listening [i.e. Music] is comparable to alcohol; rather its affect upon the soul is greater than the affect of alcohol. 

This is why when the intoxication of the listeners becomes strong the devils descend to them, speaking upon the tongues of some and carrying others through the air. 

It is also possible that enmity arise between the listeners in the same way that enmity appears amongst the drunk, the devils accompanying one person could be stronger than the devils accompanying another therefore when they fight, and they kill the opponent. 

…In reality such sessions take the person further away from Allah and are actually satanic states.

Taken from: “The Friends of Allah and the Friends of Shaytaan”, Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Pages: 341-350

taken from: 

http://dawatussalafiyyah.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/music-from-among-the-artful-entrapments-of-allahs-enemy-satan/

http://dawatussalafiyyah.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/from-the-greatest-things-that-strengthen-satanic-states-is-listening-to-song-and-music/