Fatwa ID: 08847
Answered by Alimah Humairah Badshah
Question:
I understand that listening to songs with music is haram. Will it be permissible for a man to listen to a recorded audio singing of a male or female that one does not know, and which is free of music and the contents of the singing is nothing against Islam but does have romantic verses (love songs)?
Is reading romance/love novels that doesn’t have any vulgarity/ adultery etc. permissible? Such as Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
When it comes to any kind of speech or writing, one must first confirm the permissibility of the medium itself. Writing and reading, which includes novels, is permissible, as well as a man singing and listening to such. However, the beautified voice of a woman (as would occur during singing) is part of her awrah, and so it would not be permissible for a non-mahram man to listen to the singing of a non-mahram woman.
Should the permissibility of the medium be established, one must then look at the contents and the validity thereof. All mediums are the same in this regard, so speech, poetry, singing and writing would all have the same conditions for the contents.
Vulgarity, slander and libel, mocking satire of a specific person (in most cases), and that which beautifies and encourages immorality and disbelief are all prohibited. It is also prohibited to describe a specific living woman in a poetic fashion, although this prohibition is lifted for the dead. Conversely, it is praiseworthy to call people to religious beliefs and actions and to encourage them in such, to relate the Qur’an and Ahadith, and to relate such stories, narrations and speech which reminds the listener of Allah (عز و جل) and Islam. Anything which falls into neither the prohibited nor the praiseworthy is considered neutral.
Once the contents of something have been confirmed not to fall into one of the prohibitions, one must finally consider the amount one involves themselves in the matter in question. It is disliked to indulge in neutral and idle matters in excess to the extent that one is distracted from the remembrance of Allah (عز و جل) and the Shariah.
From this we can see that there is no problem with fictional novels which contain elements of romance, so long as they contain no vulgarity or immorality. The same would apply to permissible songs without musical instruments sung by a man one does not know which contain permissible elements of romance, ie: ‘love songs’. However, for a man, listening to songs sung by a woman one does not know would not be permissible.
References:
أَقُولُ: وَعَلَى هَذَا يُمْكِنُ أَنْ يَكُونَ إشَارَةً إلَى أَنَّ الْمَكْرُوهَ مِنْهُ مَا دَاوَمَ عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلَهُ صِنَاعَةً لَهُ حَتَّى غَلَبَ عَلَيْهِ وَأَشْغَلَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَعَنْ الْعُلُومِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ. وَبِهِ فُسِّرَ الْحَدِيثُ الْمُتَّفَقُ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – «لَأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ أَحَدِكُمْ قَيْحًا خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا» ، فَالْيَسِيرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ إذَا قُصِدَ بِهِ إظْهَارُ النِّكَاتِ وَاللَّطَافَاتِ وَالتَّشَابِيهِ الْفَائِقَةِ وَالْمَعَانِي الرَّائِقَةِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي وَصْفِ الْخُدُودِ وَالْقُدُودِ، فَإِنَّ عُلَمَاءَ الْبَدِيعِ قَدْ اسْتَشْهَدُوا مِنْ ذَلِكَ
…
بِأَشْعَارِ الْمُوَلَّدِينَ وَغَيْرِهِمْ لِهَذَا الْقَصْدِ. وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ الْمُحَقِّقُ ابْنُ الْهُمَامِ فِي إشْهَادَاتِ فَتْحِ الْقَدِيرِ أَنَّ الْمُحَرَّمَ مِنْهُ مَا كَانَ فِي اللَّفْظِ مَا لَا يَحِلُّ كَصِفَةِ الذُّكُورِ وَالْمَرْأَةِ الْمُعَيَّنَةِ الْحَيَّةِ وَوَصْفِ الْخَمْرِ الْمُهَيِّجِ إلَيْهَا وَالْحَانَاتِ وَالْهِجَاءِ لِمُسْلِمٍ أَوْ ذِمِّيٍّ إذَا أَرَادَ الْمُتَكَلِّمُ هِجَاءَهُ، لَا إذَا أَرَادَ إنْشَادَ الشِّعْرِ لِلِاسْتِشْهَادِ بِهِ أَوْ لِيُعْلِمَ فَصَاحَتَهُ وَبَلَاغَتَهُ. وَيَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ وَصْفَ الْمَرْأَةِ كَذَلِكَ غَيْرُ مَانِعٍ إنْشَادُ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ – لِذَلِكَ وَهُوَ مُحْرِمٌ، وَكَذَا ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمَا -، وَمِمَّا يَقْطَعُ بِهِ فِي هَذَا قَوْلُ كَعْبٍ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ – بِحَضْرَةِ النَّبِيِّ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
وَمَا سُعَادُ غَدَاةَ الْبَيْنِ إذْ رَحَلُوا … إلَّا أَغَنُّ غَضِيضَ الطَّرْفِ مَكْحُولُ
تَجْلُو عَوَارِضَ ذِي ظَلْمٍ إذَا ابْتَسَمَتْ … كَأَنَّهُ مَنْهَلٌ بِالرَّاحِ مَعْلُولُ
وَكَثِيرٌ فِي شِعْرِ حَسَّانَ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ – مِنْ هَذَا كَقَوْلِهِ وَقَدْ سَمِعَهُ النَّبِيُّ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
تَبَّلَتْ فُؤَادَك فِي الْمَنَامِ خَرِيدَةٌ … تَسْقِي الضَّجِيعَ بِبَارِدٍ بَسَّام
فَأَمَّا الزُّهْرِيَّاتُ الْمُجَرَّدَةُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ الْمُتَضَمِّنَةُ وَصْفَ الرَّيَاحِينِ وَالْأَزْهَارِ وَالْمِيَاهِ فَلَا وَجْهَ لِمَنْعِهِ نَعَمْ إذَا قِيلَ عَلَى الْمَلَاهِي امْتَنَعَ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَوَاعِظَ وَحِكَمًا اهـ مُلَخَّصًا
وَفِي الذَّخِيرَةِ عَنْ النَّوَازِلِ قِرَاءَةُ شِعْرِ الْأَدَبِ إذَا كَانَ فِيهِ ذِكْرُ الْفِسْقِ وَالْخَمْرِ وَالْغُلَامِ يُكْرَهُ، وَالِاعْتِمَادُ فِي الْغُلَامِ عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَا فِي الْمَرْأَةِ: أَيْ مِنْ أَنَّهَا إنْ كَانَتْ مُعَيَّنَةً حَيَّةً يُكْرَهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مَيِّتَةً فَلَا
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.46-47
قَوْلُهُ وَشَاعِرٌ لِشَعْرٍ) لِأَنَّهُ إنَّمَا يَدْفَعُ لَهُ عَادَةً قَطْعًا لِلِسَانِهِ كَمَا مَرَّ، فَلَوْ كَانَ مِمَّنْ يُؤْمَنُ شَرُّهُ، فَالظَّاهِرُ أَنَّ مَا يُدْفَعُ لَهُ حَلَالٌ بِدَلِيلِ «دَفْعِهِ – عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ – بُرْدَتَهُ لِكَعْبٍ لَمَّا امْتَدَحَهُ بِقَصِيدَتِهِ الْمَشْهُورَةِ» تَأَمَّلْ (قَوْلُهُ وَمَسْخَرَةٌ وَحَكَوَاتِيٌّ) عِبَارَةُ الْمُجْتَبَى أَوْ الْمُضْحِكُ لِلنَّاسِ أَوْ يَسْخَرُ مِنْهُمْ أَوْ يُحَدِّثُ النَّاسَ بِمَغَازِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – وَأَصْحَابِهِ، لَا سِيَّمَا بِأَحَادِيثِ الْعَجَمِ مِثْلِ رُسْتُمَ وَاسْبِنْدِيَارَ وَنَحْوُهُمَا اهـ. تَأَمَّلْ وَانْظُرْ هَلْ النِّسْبَةُ فِي حَكَوَاتِيٍّ عَرَبِيَّةٌ
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.6 p.424
صَرَّحَ فِي النَّوَازِلِ بِأَنَّ نَغْمَةَ الْمَرْأَةِ عَوْرَةٌ
Kitab Fath Al-Qadeer (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.260
ثُمَّ نَقَلَ عَنْ خَطِّ الْعَلَّامَةِ الْمَقْدِسِيَّ: ذَكَرَ الْإِمَامُ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ الْقُرْطُبِيُّ فِي كِتَابِهِ فِي السَّمَاعِ: وَلَا يَظُنُّ مَنْ لَا فِطْنَةَ عِنْدَهُ أَنَّا إذَا قُلْنَا صَوْتُ الْمَرْأَةِ عَوْرَةٌ أَنَّا نُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ كَلَامَهَا، لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ لَيْسَ بِصَحِيحٍ، فَإِذًا نُجِيزُ الْكَلَامَ مَعَ النِّسَاءِ لِلْأَجَانِبِ وَمُحَاوَرَتِهِنَّ عِنْدَ الْحَاجَةِ إلَى ذَلِكَ، وَلَا نُجِيزُ لَهُنَّ رَفْعَ أَصْوَاتِهِنَّ وَلَا تَمْطِيطَهَا وَلَا تَلْيِينَهَا وَتَقْطِيعَهَا لِمَا فِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ اسْتِمَالَةِ الرِّجَالِ إلَيْهِنَّ وَتَحْرِيكِ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنْهُمْ، وَمِنْ هَذَا لَمْ يَجُزْ أَنْ تُؤَذِّنَ الْمَرْأَةُ. اهـ. قُلْت: وَيُشِيرُ إلَى هَذَا تَعْبِيرُ النَّوَازِلِ بِالنَّغْمَةِ
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.1 p.406
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Humairah Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham