Musicality And The Soul | Mufti Abu Layth

Sayyidah F, shukran. Much love for the super chat. Music has a natural existence. Classical rags are seen as notes coming directly from the divine. Is music therefore an emanation of God? I would word it differently. I would say I would agree with music with those people who say music is what nourishes the soul.

You see, in many ways I would um I I would say and agree that in certain melody or in certain vibrational frequencies one will encounter intimations of the divine.

So it is and when we look at the cosmos right from you know, you you use you zoom right out and you zoom right in. Okay. So even as you zoom out, you can go on to YouTube and you can type in things like the Earth's frequency and the kind of vibrational frequency the sound that it gives off and people arguably have something they call a God frequency and they have all they give them all kinds of names, but there is a

certain kind of vibrational energy that can't be ignored. And you zoom right in. Arguably that right into the very core building blocks of reality.

You see? Allah says fil afaq that you've zoomed out into the cosmos wa fi anfusikum. You go right into everything as you know it. And when you go at a subatomic and you a quark level and you're going arguably deeper.

One explanation is that it is simply a vibration of some form of energy that by vibrating is giving rise to existence and reality. So it's fascinating and I think it's undeniable. Um So that's Yeah.

And it's amazing that even when the prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam in the Hadith is describing the the you know, receiving divine revelation the experience is described as in some ways resonance with resonance of musicality and instruments that they the ringing of a bell.

The vibrational frequency and tremors that that causes and that's in Sahih Bukhari. So you've got I it's undeniable and so many people in the past would heal through therapy and so sorry through music therapy. And you had what they called the maristans which were the classical Muslim medieval hospitals.

And there were certain amongst them that practiced musical therapy. So they um cured people with that and and that goes right back to the Greek tradition with Plato speaking about some music which heals and some music which could be dangerous, he argues. So yeah. And then there are some people who feel that music is haram.

Um you know, if that's and that's a view. They follow their scholars who say that they have some evidence to say that from some textual evidence. Um both sides have very clear evidences. So people who feel it's haram don't listen to it.

You know, it's um I that my advice would be that people who you know, this isn't about converting people or trying to win people over to an argument. What this simply is is stating that this is for those people who follow that perspective. Other people who feel that no, music is haram for me.

Um in my worldview this is from the devil, let's say. Then sure. But you know, I do find it strange. I can't remember now. I don't really watch much um Islamic lectures by people and stuff. Not saying that in a kind of um self-conceited or arrogant way.

I'm just saying because often it's I just I don't know. Maybe I don't find them as um refreshing as I would seek. So and I do listen to occasionally different people. So maybe some in Arabic and um and I'll listen to certain people and questionably occasionally if I get a chance I will listen to uh Javed Ahmad Ghamdi stuff and other people's as well.

But I can't remember. There was some somebody sent me a clip and in it there was um this the it was I can't remember. It starts and there's some music in the background. Not that this is an issue for me, but and those people who find it fine. But it began with some music in the background. And then it said that like as a disclaimer that the music there were no instruments used to produce this um whatever it was, this beat.

Um But the the this was produced through what do we call it? I've forgotten now. But it was produced through just um I've forgotten the term for it, the musical term. When somebody just produces it with their mouth. So they kind of like not beatboxing, but kind of just they're making the instrumental sounds just through their mouth, not using an instrument.

And it was very good. It seemed very digital. I mean, I was like, oh, okay. That wow, that's impressive. Uh so one side of me was like, oh, okay. That seemed really instrumental and seemed But the other side of me was then okay, so you see so that's fine then. But is this not in many ways? So if it serves the same purpose one question would be that what does God have against strings?

And what does God have against simple you know, exercises of I don't know, you know whether it's going to be pressing or blowing into a flute or um You see, if because if you believe You see, to me either you believe that music is not haram.

And then that's fine. You know, you to you you are with those ulama that have written that music is not haram. Fair enough. You know, whether people think you're right or wrong, but you're with those ulama and they and they have this basis in Islam for that. So there's a Hadith for example, the prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam heard music. He didn't condemn it. There's uh many Shawkani has an entire category complete of many of the salaf who are listening to music, having um many of their servants perform musical instruments for them.

And this coming right down through the schools of um including the different madhhabs and you have Maliki fiqh and different people highlighting and there's a diverse view of course. But okay, so you have these ulama that say that it's not haram. Including Shawkani at the end by the way just concludes it's not haram. So sure. So you've got these people Ibn Hazm and Nabulsi, all these great scholars.

Or you've got the view that it is haram. So you feel it's haram. Okay, fine. You know, my respect that and that's your devotion to God. But then if you're going to say ah but I'm going to listen to music and I'm going to condemn music.

But this music simulation is okay because I've kind of beat the system and made it using digital or using my mouth I've managed to and you know simulate musical echoes and and so as to almost trick people even though you're not trying to trick but so as to trick someone that they couldn't actually tell.

Then you see the question is well what is it that God was actually prohibiting in that perspective? Was he prohibiting simply stroking a string? Was that what he was prohibiting? Was he simply prohibiting blowing into a flute? The actual act of you know of aspiration and exhaling? Is that what God was What is it that he was actually after?

Because if the Sharia has makasid it has objectives. And this is why Imam Malik was so against this passionately this ibtalul hiyal because he said this is like then infantilizing God. Like it's like you're trying to trick God. Like you're saying ah you know you don't want me to do this so I'm going to do it like this.

So either you just don't believe it's haram so you say look fine you know God doesn't surely this is not what God means and he had other objectives and this is what those objectives are and you know God doesn't have anything since there is vibration in existence. In fact existence only exists because of vibrational frequency. Otherwise we couldn't exist. So why would God have anything against that and fine you're in that camp or you're against it and you just declare it haram and but I don't see the you see trying to a loophole modus operandi is

it's it's very um I I don't know to me and people may be fine with it but this is where why Imam Malik and these people they was they saw this as infantilizing God that you're treating God like a child. Like you think you can trick him. So yeah that's my thoughts on it. But may Allah make it easy. I get it people are through going through their own journeys but I think at time one needs to introspect and look within and think that hmm you know how is my relationship and what am I doing?