The great scholar Ibn AlQayyim (may Allah be merciful with him) after quoting the Hadith in his book AlIghathah stated, "This Hadith is related by AlBukhari in his Sahih as evidence in a Mu`llaq form but using wording of certainty. He said, "Chapter on those who deem alcoholic beverages as lawful giving them other names. Hisham ibn `Ammar said that he was told by Sadaqah ibn Khalid that he was told by `AbdulRahman ibn Yazid ibn Jabir that he was told by `Atiyyah ibn Qays AlKilaby that he was told by `AbdulRahman ibn Ghanm AlAsh`ary that he was told by Abu `Amir or Abu Malik AlAsh`ary who, by Allah, never told me a lie that he heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:
Verily, among my Ummah (nation) there will be people who will deem as lawful: Zina, silk, Khamr (alcohol) and musical instruments. And verily, some people will stay near a high mountain; their shepherd will come to them with one of their herds in the evening, and the poor will come to them for a need, but they will say, 'Return to us tomorrow.' So Allah will destroy them by night and bring down upon them the high mountain, and He will transform others into apes and monkeys until the Day of Resurrection.
and he did not doubt the authenticity of the Hadith on the contrary to Ibn Hazm who doubted it authenticity to support his groundless view concerning the permissibility of musical instruments. Actually, Ibn Hazm claimed the Hadith to be Munqati` as Al Bukhari did not connect the chian of narrators to himself. However, such a groundless opinion can be refuted through the following aspects:
First: It is a fact that AlBukhari met Hisham ibn `Ammar and heard Hadiths from him. Thus, saying Hisham said suchandsuch is tantamount to saying we were told by Hisham.
Second: A lBukhari would never have deemed it permissible for himself to use wording of certainty while reporting from Hisham unless he had been fully certain that Hisham had already authentically reported it. This often happens because AlBukhari reported so many wellknown Hadiths from that Sheikh. Undoubtedly, AlBukhari is very far away from being Mudallis (a Hadith narrator who provides misleading information about his Shaykh or the chain of narration).
Third: He included it in his book called Sahih (authentic) to support one of his views. Had the Hadith not been Sahih, he would not have done so.
Fourth: He related it in a Mu`allaq form using wording of certainty not that of doubt. It is a habit of his that he would say the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said suchandsuch if he left a Hadith he related undecided or if it did not met his authenticity criteria. However, wherever he says the Prophet (peace be upon him) said suchandsuch, then he was certain that the Hadith was authentically traceable back to the Prophet.
Fifth: Leaving all the above facts aside, the Hadith is related through Sahih uninterrupted chains of narrators by others. Abu Dawud under the Chapter on Clothing said: We were told by `AbdulWahhab ibn Najdah that he was told by Bishr ibn Bakr that he was told by `AbdulRahman ibn Yazid ibn Jabir that he was told by `Atiyyah ibn Qays that he said that he heard `AbdulRahman ibn Ghanm Al Ash`ary said that he was told by Abu `Amir or Abu Malik ... mentioning the Hadith in an abridged form. It is also related by Abu Bakr A lIsma`ily in his book AlSahih in the form of a Musnad Hadith (a Hadith with a sound chain of narration). He attributed the Hadith decisively to Abu `Amir without any doubt in it. Inferred from the Hadith is that musical instruments are idle instruments as agreed upon by linguists. Were they permissible, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not dispraise deeming them lawful and would not connect deeming them lawful to deeming alcohol and adultery (or damask based on the difference of the wording of the Hadith's two narrations) lawful. Actually, damask the Companions authentically reported to have worn is not the kind that is dispraised in the Hadith as damask is of two kinds; one made of silk and another made of wool.
Moreover, Ibn Majah in his Sunan said: `Abdullah ibn Sa`id told him that Mu`awiyah ibn Salih told him that Hatim ibn Hurayth told him that Ibn Abu Maryam told him that `AbdulRahman ibn Ghanam
A lAsh`ary told him that Abu Malik AlAsh`ary (may Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) to have said: Verily, people from my Ummah (nation) shall drink Khamr (alcohol), calling it by a name other than its true name. Stringed instruments and songstresses will be played above their heads. Allah will cause the earth to swallow them and make of them apes and pigs. This is a trustworthy chain of narrators. Inferred from the Hadith is that Allah threatened those who deem musical instruments lawful to cause the earth to swallow them and turn them into apes and pigs. Although they are threatened for doing all these acts in total, each act has its share of dispraise and threat. To the same effect, many Hadiths were reported on the authority of Companions such as Sahl ibn Sa`d AlSa`idy, `Imran ibn Husayn, `Abdullah ibn `Amr, `Abdullah ibn `Abbas, Abu Hurayrah, Abu Umamah Al Bahily, `A'ishah, the mother of the believers, `Aly ibn Abu Talib, Anas ibn Malik, `AbdulRahman ibn Sabit and AlGhazy ibn Rabi`ah. We will quote these Hadiths so that the people of the Qur'an will feel delighted therewith and so that the people of Satan's singing will feel disappointed. He then quoted them all."
Had not it been for the sake of briefing, I would also quote them for you, dear reader. However, I refer those who want to read them to the book of AlIghath so that they may feel delighted and comfortable. Being so many and of variable chains of narrators, they constitute clear proof and irrefutable evidence of prohibiting and disliking songs and musical instruments. They are also to be added to the Ayahs quoted above and Hadiths indicating prohibiting songs and musical instruments. Furthermore, all of them indicate that using such things and being occupied therewith are means leading to Allah's wrath and punishment, to going astray and to leading others astray from Allah's path (we ask Allah to protect us and all Muslims against these things and to make us safe from falling into misleading temptations, for in fact He is the One capable of doing so!)
As for the opinions of scholars on songs and musical instruments, including Companions and those who followed them in good, there are many opinions recorded (we have already quoted some of them). However, below are some more which we quote as completion and support of the opinions quoted above. May Allah grant us success!
It is related by `Aly ibn AlJa`d and others that `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Singing produces hypocrisy in the heart as water nurtures grass. The same Hadith is traceable back to the Prophet
(peace be upon him). However, it is more reliably known to be the speech of Ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him).
The great scholar Ibn AlQayyim (may Allah be merciful with him) in his book AlIghatah, after quoting the tradition mentioned above, commented, "A question may arise: why from among all sins should singing produce hypocrisy in particular?
The answer is: It is a clear indication of the Companions understanding of the state of the heart and actions and knowledge about heart diseases and cures. It also indicates that they are true spiritual reformers in contrary to those who deviated from their way and tried to reform hearts by the greatest disease. By doing so, it was as if they were trying to heal diseases by poison. This is exactly
what they did through many or most of medicines they produced. Thus, coincidence of scarcity of doctors and multitude of patients resulted in many diseases that were never suffered from by the Salaf (righteous predecessors). It also resulted in a patient's refusal of the beneficial medicine provided by the LawGiver and acceptance of things that have the effect of making the disease severer. Therefore, calamity spread, evil became aggravated, houses, streets and markets became full of patients and ignorant people became doctors.