Listening To Nazams Which Are On The Tune Of Hindi Music

• Unfortunately, nazams which are sung with Hindi/English song tunes are becoming very common and widespread. It will not be permissible to listen or sing to these nazams due to the following reasons:
  
  
• •  The person who sings the song, must have heard the  Hindi/English song to learn the tune, or heard it from someone who listened to the Hindi/English song. Thus, a person will be lead into listening to Hindi/English songs with the excuse of learning their tunes.
  • The person singing the song causes other people to think bad of him. People will think he must have listened to the Hindi/English song, so this is how he has learnt the tune. Allah Ta’aala has prohibited us from being the cause of sin.
  • People who have listened to this song and made Tawbah from it, will be reminded about their sin again. According to Shari’ah, one should regret his sins.
  • We have been prohibited by the Shari’ah from imitating the non-Muslims.
  • Hadhrat Ibn Umar Radiallahu Anhu reports that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said:
    
    

    “The one who imitates a certain nation is from amongst them.”
    (Musnad Ahmad vol. 2 pg. 50 and Abû Dawûd vol. 4 pg. 391)

• When it is incorrect for us to emulate them in eating, drinking, dressing, etc. then can it be correct for us to imitate their tunes in singing the praises of Allah Ta’aala and Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam? Can we sing the praises of Allah Ta’aala with the tune of the majority of whom refute the very same Allah Ta’aala? Verily, this is gross injustice.
  
  
• Hadhrat Mufti Muhammad Shafee Saheb rahimahullah has stated that all the Ulama have agreed that singing in itself (without musical instruments and other factors that could render it unlawful) is permissible provided that the following four conditions are fulfilled:
  
  1. It must not be merely for enjoyment and pass-time.
  2. It must not be sung with distinct musical tunes that conform to the rhythms of musicians.
  3. It must not contain any unlawful or undesirable speech such as backbiting, mocking others, or the description of any woman, etc.
  4. It must be sung at times without leading to the leaving out of a compulsory act (such as Salaah) or to committing any other evil/sin.
  
  
• Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi Rahimahullah was asked for a Shar’ee ruling with regards to teaching children how to sing Na’ts (i.e. poems containing the praises of Rasulullah sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam). He replied in the following manner: “To send salutations upon Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam is in itself an act of reward and virtue. It is permissible for everyone to do so, young and old. But respect and etiquette demands that each one should sit and do so individually. It should not be read in a chorus (i.e. one voice) wherein the tunes of songs and Qawaali are adopted. The same ruling goes for singing Na’ts. If it is sung with a tune, it falls in the ambit of ‘Lahwa La’ib’ (mere amusement-which is not permissible in Islam).Therefore, total precaution should be taken in this aspect.”
  (Fataawa Mahmoodiyah vol.17 pg.234)

  Thus, we can see that a great Mufti of our times has also warned us against singing Nazams and Na’ts with the tune of songs.

• Mufti Kifayatullah Rahimahullah states, “It is not permissible to listen to such people that sing songs (albeit without musical instruments), with distinct musical tunes and in a method that conforms to the rules and rhythms of musicians”.
  (Kifayatul Mufti vol. 9 pg. 179).
  
  
• Ibnu Abdil Barr Rahimahullah, a leading authority in Hadîth, states, “That it is permissible to render a nazam (without musical instruments) in the tune of the Ancient Arabs. However, it is abhorrent according to the majority of the Scholars to render Nazams in the tune of the Non- Arabs. (This obviously includes tunes of the English and Hindi songs). To mention all the scholars is not possible. However, amongst the Scholars that have disliked nazams in Non Arab tunes are Saeed Ibn Musayyab Rahimahullah and Muhammed Ibn Sireen Rahimahullah and many others (At-Tamhîd vol. 9 pg. 186).
  
  
• In his work Al Istizkâr, Ibnu Abdil Barr Rahimahullah claims that it is abhorrent to sing Nazams (Songs) in the tune of the Non-Arabs according to the majority of the Scholars.
  (Al-Istizkâr vol. 26 pg. 55)

In conclusion, it will not be permissible to listen to a nazam which is along the tune of Hindi/English songs.