The newspaper al-Nakhbah al-Khaleejiyyah (issues nos. 128 and 133) mentioned a group of artists who start their songs with a mawwaal (poem in colloquial language) which starts with the singing of some verses from the Qur’aan. This has become common among many artists and actors. What is the Islamic ruling on singing the verses of the Qur’aan or giving them a tune like singing?
Praise be to
Allaah.
By
the inherent nature (fitrah) with which he is born, man instinctively
recognizes the enormity of this action and the seriousness of this sin,
and the ugliness of this crime. The sound human nature which believes
in pure Tawheed does not approve of these satanic practices.
All
the Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is obligatory to respect
and venerate the words of Allaah, and to protect them from faults and
shortcomings.
The
Qur’aan is the word of Allaah and is one of His attributes. Allaah still
speaks whenever He wills. This is what is indicated by the Qur’aan and
Sunnah, and this was the view of the imaams of Islam.
Mocking
the words and Book of Allaah, or trying to undermine their sanctity
and respect, is blatant kufr – no one would dispute that. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“If you ask them
(about this), they declare: ‘We were only talking idly and joking.’
Say: ‘Was it at Allaah, and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,
signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger that you were mocking?’
Make
no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed…”
[al-Tawbah
9:65-66]
This
aayah clearly states that those who mock Allaah, His Signs or His Messenger
are kaafirs, regardless of whether they regard that as being permissible
or not. Simply making fun of them is apostasy from Islam (riddah), according
to the consensus of the Muslims, even if the person did not really intend
to mock them but was “only” joking or trying to be funny.
Those
people were guilty of kufr who said of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions, “We
have never seen any people who love their stomachs more or tell more
lies or are more cowardly in battle than these Qur’aan-readers.” This
was narrated by Ibn Jareer in his Tafseer (10/172) with a jayyid
isnaad via Hishaam ibn Sa’d from Zayd ibn Aslam from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
‘Umar, who said: “During the campaign of Tabook, a man said in a gathering,
‘We have never seen any people who love their stomachs more or tell
more lies or are more cowardly in battle than these Qur’aan-readers.’
Another man who was present said, ‘You are lying, and you are a hypocrite.
I will most certainly tell the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about this. He conveyed
that to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and Qur’aan was revealed.’” Then ‘Abd-Allaah
ibn ‘Umar said: “I saw him hanging on to the saddle-bag of the camel
of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), stumbling on the rocks and saying,
‘O Messenger of Allaah, we were only talking idly and joking!’ and the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was saying, ‘Was it at Allaah, and
His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.)
and His Messenger that you were mocking? Make no excuse; you disbelieved
after you had believed!’”
The
apparent meaning of the aayah is that they were believers prior to that,
but then they became kaafirs by mocking that which they knew that it
was haraam to mock, but they did not think that this was kufr.
The
same is also true of those who begin their songs with a mawwaal (poem
in colloquial language) which starts with the singing of some verses
from the Qur’aan. They have taken the verses of the Holy Qur’aan for
singing, entertainment and amusement. This is one of the most serious
forms of belittling the Qur’aan and mocking its sanctity.
The
ummah is agreed that the one who belittles or mocks the Qur’aan or any
part of it is a kaafir. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, this
(the Qur’aan) is the Word that separates (the truth from falsehood,
and commands strict laws for mankind to cut the roots of evil).
And it is not a thing for
amusement”[al-Taariq 86:13-14]
Anyone
who takes any part of the Qur’aan for amusement, singing, dancing or
entertainment has taken it for amusement and play, and Allaah warn such
people of a humiliating torment:
“And
when he learns something of Our Verses (this Qur’aan), he makes them
a jest. For such there will be a humiliating torment
[al-Jaathiyah
45:9]
“And
it will be said: ‘This Day We will forget you as you forgot the Meeting
of this Day of yours. And your abode is the Fire, and there is none
to help you.’
This,
because you took the Revelations of Allaah (this Qur’aan) in mockery,
and the life of the world deceived you. So this Day, they shall not
be taken out from there (Hell), nor shall they be returned to the worldly
life (so that they repent to Allaah, and beg His Pardon for their sins)”
[al-Jaathiyah
45:34-35]
Al-Qaadi
‘Iyaad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh al-Shifaa’
(2/549): “Know that whoever belittles the Qur’aan or the Mus-haf, or
any part thereof, or insults them, or denies it, or even one letter
or aayah thereof, or disbelieves in it or in any part thereof or in
anything that is clearly stated therein, whether it be a ruling or a
story, or he knowingly affirms something that is denied therein, or
denies something that is affirmed therein, or he doubts any of that,
then he is a kaafir according to the scholars, by consensus. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
‘And
verily, it is an honourable well‑fortified respected Book (because
it is Allaah’s Speech, and He has protected it from corruption).
Falsehood cannot come to
it from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All‑Wise,
Worthy of all praise (Allaah)’
[Fussilat
41:41-42].”
Shaykh
al-‘Allaamah Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Husayni al-Husni al-Shaafa'i said
in his book Kifaayat al-Akhyaar (494): “With regard to committing
kufr by one's actions, this may take the form of such things as prostrating
to idols or to the sun or moon; throwing the mus-haf onto a rubbish-heap;
practising magic which involves worshipping the sun; offering sacrifices
to idols; or making fun of one of the names of Allaah, or His command
or His warning; or reciting Qur’aan to the beat of the daff (hand-drum)…”
Using
the verses of the Qur’aan for singing and putting musical accompaniment
to them is a worse act of kufr and a greater sin than reciting the Qur’aan
to the beat of a daff.
The
great scholar Shaykh al-Bahooti al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said in his book al-Rawd al-Murabba’ Sharh Zaad al-Mustaqna’
(p. 282), in the chapter on the rulings concerning apostates: “… or
he blatantly says or does something to mock the religion, or shows disrespect
towards the Qur’aan, or does not regard it as sacred…”
The
great scholar Ibn Farhoon al-Maaliki (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said in his book Tabsirat al-Hukaam (2/214): “Whoever belittles
the Qur’aan or any part of it, or denies it or one letter of it, or
disbelieves in any part of it, or knowingly affirms something that it
denies or denies something that it affirms, or doubts any part of it,
is a kaafir according to the consensus of the scholars.”
The
person who approves of their kufr and their belittling of the word of
Allaah and His Book is a kaafir like them. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
“And
it has already been revealed to you in the Book (this Qur’aan) that
when you hear the Verses of Allaah being denied and mocked at, then
sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but
if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them.
Surely, Allaah will collect the hypocrites and disbelievers all together
in Hell”
[al-Nisaa’
4:140]
BEWARE of two very serious matters:
Firstly:
the punishment and vengeance of Allaah for those who mock or belittle
His words. It was narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari (3617) via ‘Abd
al-Waarith, ‘Abd al-‘Azeez told us from Anas (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that he said: “A man was a Christian, then he became a Muslim.
He read al-Baqarah and Aal ‘Imraan, and he used to write
things down for the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then he went back to Christianity
and he used to say, ‘Muhammad does not know anything except that which
I wrote for him.’ Then Allaah caused him to die, and they buried him,
but the following morning the earth had thrown him out. They said, ‘This
is the work of Muhammad and his companions, because he left them, so
they dug him up.’ So they dug a deep hole for him, but in the morning
the earth had thrown him out again. They said, ‘This is the work of
Muhammad and his companions, because he left them, so they dug him up.’
So they dug another hole for him, making it as deep as they could, but
the following morning the earth had throw him out again. Then they knew
that it was not people who were throwing him out, so they left him where
he was.”
(Narrated
by Muslim in his Saheeh, 2781, via Sulaymaan ibn al-Mugheerah
from Thaabit al-Banaani from Anas, who said: “There was among us a man
from Banu al-Najjaar…” and he mentioned the same story, at the end of
which he said, “so they abandoned him.”
Secondly: leaving this crime without punishment.
For the Qur’aan is the word of Allaah, and it has a special status and
a special place in the hearts of the Muslims. So belittling its sanctity
and making fun of any part of it is a serious crime and a major sin.
If
the most evil elements of humanity in the twentieth century can come
and mock the sanctity of the words of Allaah or one of His attributes,
and make them like the words of any human beings or the words of the
dregs of humanity, and use it for singing, amusement and entertainment,
and they can get away with that and not have any punishment or ruling
of Allaah carried out against them, then this will open the door for
people to mess about with the sharee’ah and to insult the Divine Essence
and the attributes of Allaah, and to show disrespect towards the
greatest things in which the Muslims take pride.
If
worldly punishments such as imprisonment etc. are imposed upon those
who slander rulers and governors whether they deserve it or not, but
those who make fun of the Book of the Lord of the Worlds and any of
His Attributes are not taken to task, this is one of the most serious
and shameful of major sins.
I
am afraid that by turning a blind eye these people who mock the signs
of Allaah, the modern governments are sinking to the level described
by the poet:
“When
someone slanders the leader, he is taken to prison,
but when
someone slanders Allaah, we tell him that people are free to speak as
they wish.”
In
that case there can be no joy in a life lived under the shadow of corruption,
when things have gone out of control.
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