What is the ruling regarding musical singing (Ghinā')?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Testimonies
Primary text
Singing is permissible without dislike or prohibition by Abu Bakr al-Khallal and his student Abu Bakr 'Abd al-'Aziz, provided it is free from reprehensible acts or slander. Al-Khallal interpreted the reported dislike from Ahmad as applying only to blameworthy actions, not the speech itself. Sa'd ibn Ibrahim, many Medinans, and al-'Anbari also permitted it without dislike, citing the narration of 'A'ishah where the Prophet, peace be upon him, permitted two maids to sing on a festival day, saying, "Leave them, for these are days of Eid" (Agreed Upon). Furthermore, 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, stated that singing is the provision for a traveler. Al-Qadi preferred that it is disliked but not forbidden, aligning with the opinion of al-Shafi'i, who considered it disliked amusement.
Supporting text
A group of Hanbali scholars held that singing is forbidden. Ahmad, when consulted regarding the sale of a singing female slave belonging to an orphan, insisted she be sold simply as a slave, not at the inflated price of a singer. They based their prohibition on interpretations of Quranic verses, such as Ibn al-Hanafiyyah interpreting {Avoid the statement of falsehood} (Quran 22:30) as referring to singing, and Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud interpreting {And of mankind is he who buys idle talk} (Quran 31:6) similarly. A tradition reported from Abu Umamah stating the Prophet forbade buying, selling, and profiting from the earnings of female singers was cited, though its chain of narration was critiqued.