Listening to music and musical instruments

Ibn Mas'ood (رضى الله عنه) used to swear by Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) that the āyah:

"And of mankind is he who purchases the idle talk [i.e. music, singing, etc.] to mislead [men] from the path of Allah …."
SURAH LUQMAN 6

referred to singing, Abu Āmir and Abu Mālik al-Ash'ari (رضى الله عنه) reported that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:

"Among my ummah will be people who will make permissible al-herra, al-hareer, al-khamr and al-ma'āzif – liberalism, silk, alcohol and musical instruments … "
BUKHARI; see FATH AL-BARI, 10/51

Anas (رضى الله عنه) reported that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:

"In this ummah, there will be punishments of earthquake, showers, of stones and deformity (transformation into animals); when the people will be involved in drinking khamr (intoxicants), listen to female singers and play musical instruments."
AT-TIRMIDHI, hadith #2212

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) forbade the "koobah" (a kind of drum), and described the flute as the voice of the immoral fool. The early scholars such as Imam Ahmad (رحمة الله), stated that musical instruments such as the 'ood (lute), tanboor (a long-necked stringed instrument), reed flute, rabab (rebec) (stringed instrument resembling a fiddle) and cymbal, are harām.

There is no doubt that modern instruments such as violin, qānoon (stringed musical instrument resembling a zither), organ, piano, guitar, etc, are also included in the prophet's prohibition of musical instruments, because their effect and impact is greater than that of the ancient instruments mentioned in some hadiths.

They are even more intoxicating than khamr, as scholars such as ibn Qayyim mentioned. Hence, the prohibition and the sin involved are greater when the music is accompanied by singing in the voices of female singers, and it is even worse when the lyrics speak of love and describe physical beauty. Some scholars said that singing paves the way for zinā (adultery or fornication), and that it makes hypocrisy grow in the heart. Generally speaking, music and singing form one of the largest temptations of our times.

What is very difficult is the fact that music is nowadays a part of so many things, such as clocks, doorbells, children's toys, computers, telephones, etc., and avoiding it takes a great deal of determination, in which Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) is the only source of help.
MUHARRAMĀT, Forbidden Matters, Some People Take Lightly, by Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid