Mufti Menk is posed a question by a young child regarding the permissibility of music and the punishment for listening to music. Arguably, music can be considered a grey area in Islam, which music is good and which is harmful for us is constantly up for debate. Many of our youth will argue that they listen to music because they like the beat and are not influenced by the content of the lyrics. Here, Mufti Menk clears the matter.
He explains that indeed there are certain types of music that is harmless but this does not include modern day music from RnB artists such as Beyonce and Rihanna. The brand of music they impose on the young generation is that of promiscuity, hyper sexualisation and love at its most shallow level.
We may not realise consciously, but music tampers with our mind. Moreover, why do we need music? We have the melodious Qur’an and the beautiful words of our Lord Allah (swt) that lead us to the right path and keep us away from sin.
With regards to the punishment for listening to music, that is up to Allah and we are not in a place to speculate on that matter.
(Here’s another interesting piece on The Muslim Vibe on the same topic: The infectious nature of pop music)
