There was music and women singing in the Prophet's house.
Author: Dr. Farid Younis, Former Professor of Middle Eastern Cultural Anthropology and Islamic Philosophy, Founder and Novator of Islamic Democracy (California, USA), Member of the Advisory Board of Sangar
A sister from Kabul asks: "Are women allowed to sing, and if so, with or without hijab?"
First of all, we must know that in Islam, the right to forbid anything is the right of God alone, not His slave, and this is clear from scholars like the late Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the eminent Sunni scholars. Please read the book of the late Qaradawi, "Halal and Haram in Islam". Secondly, in Islam, what is halal or haram for men is also halal or haram for women. Something cannot be permitted for men and prohibited for women.
Music is one of the fine arts and is permissible for both men and women. There is no mention in the Quran or the Prophet Hadith that music is prohibited. It is permited to hear the voice of both men and women, whether speaking or singing, and there is no mention in the Quran or the Prophetic Hadith that it is forbidden to hear a person's voice, whether male or female.
Singing is permissible for both men and women, and our religious texts never mention that a woman should not sing. This is not found in the Quran or the Hadith. On the contrary, in the Prophetic Hadith, we read the following:
“The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked his wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) at a wedding: "Why aren't you having fun and enjoying yourself? The bridegroom is one of the Ansars, and they are interested in music.’” This hadith shows that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) not only did not say that music was forbidden but also asked about its absence, and that there should be music at the party.
Another hadith. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) went to his daughter Aisha and saw in the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) two women singing and playing the tambourine. Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) did not like this scene, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who was lying down to relieve fatigue, raised his head and said: “Do not touch them, for these are days of celebration and joy.” This hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is recorded in the texts of the hadiths “Sahih” - Bukhari, Muslim, and other authoritative sources, conveys that in the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), music and women were singing.
Thus, singing for a woman in the presence of men, namely the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), is not only not haram as the ignorant Taliban understand it, it is also not haram and is absolutely permissible for women to sing like men.
We come to the question of whether a singer should wear a hijab or not. The hijab is not obligatory and is not a pillar of faith in Islam, but it is a pillar of piety. One is more pious than the other. It cannot be said that a woman without a veil is an unbeliever.
Righteousness and faith in God are two different things. But in a Muslim society, a dress with a satr symbolizes the piety of a woman, whether she is a singer or not. In Islam, clothing is not a uniform, as in Communist China under Mao Zedong, when everyone wore clothes of the same type and color. As for the awrah, that is, the body, arms, and legs, any dress a woman has is correct, whether it is trousers or a long skirt, whether it is on a singer or not.
According to the Quran, Muslims are responsible for their sins and righteousness, and no one has the right to deprive a person, created free, of the right to freedom. Religion came to free people from all restrictions, because a person is created free and decides for himself. If a woman does not observe the hijab, for example, wearing short sleeves, this is her personal business and has nothing to do with her faith in God.
