Salam Alaikum,
This is an article I am working on, it is still not 100% complete but it is complete enough to give a fair idea of the points I am trying to make.
To the Admins: This article uses a few images to make a point, if you feel it is inapproriate please remove them. However please do consider the relevance of the images in context to the article itself before you make a decision please.
Sociological Observation: Impact of Music On Society
Sociology is the study of societies from a scientific view point. The science of Sociology and Sociologists all around the world study not just how people behave in a society but also the impact of different ideologies, beliefs, and practices on a people of a society. On one hand sociologists tell us that Music has many benefits such as relaxing an individual, or providing entertainment and on the other hand sociologists also tell us about the negative aspects of Music such as drug usage or alcoholism. These views may not be seen as negatively everyone, however we are discussing them here from a purely Islamic view point. So lets take a look at these issues.
The first thing we need to understand is that each genre of of Music has its own culture and style. For example, the culture of Rock n Roll is widely identified by the term 'Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll'. In the same way other genres of Music have their own cultures, fashions and statements which represent them. You may notice that people who are much into RnB or Hip Hop tend to behave in a certain way, they have their own dance styles and fashions. Same applies to fans of Rock n Roll or Dance / Trance and all other categories. The Music Industry is indeed no joke, it is a multi billion dollar industry and influences people all over the globe! Worldwide concerts are held to which people flock like worshippers flock to the Vatican or Mecca, to pay tribute to their 'idol'. The star stands on stage setting the mood and rhythm of the gathering and all the people in the congregation jump up and down dancing to the beat of the Music. Crammed in together like sardines in a can. There is no personal space, body contact with complete strangers is common and often in such congregations, is the usage of drugs, alcohol and other abusive substances to 'add to the fun'. Sometimes there are even rape cases, where individuals got too drunk and got taken advantage of!
Apart from that let us take at the 'idols' themselves - People like George Michael, Elton John, Marilyn Mason, 2Pac, etc etc. Fans often impersonate them to the last detail, from clothes to makeup! The lives of these individuals becomes something the fans start following closer than the lives of their own mother or father or even kids! I personally remember two such artists called Kurt Kobain and 2Pac. Kurt Kobain was a singer / artist from the group Nirvana. The group enjoyed astronomical success worldwide and Kurt Kobain became a name everyone knew. One day I was walking to school when 2 of my female class mates passed me crying. I of course stopped them and asked why. To my utter astonishment their reply was, 'Kurt Kobain committed suicide.' Honestly I just didn't know what to say - not out of sorrow - but out of the shock at the way these girls were behaving. A man they had never met, never truly known or even spoken to - yet they were devastated over him? I personally found that ridiculous especially taking into account the kind of human suffering going all over the world - and to cry over a man who did not have enough sense despite everything to preserve his life and help others? The second incident was pretty similar, only this time I heard it on the steps of my college from some young men and women, crying over the murder of 2Pac. All I asked them was, "Was he your uncle or relative?" Their reply was no. So I said, "well there are millions of people starving around the globe and you are shedding tears over a man called 2 Pac who got killed in a gang related incident?" They of course thought I was crazy and a 'blasphemer' (by music fan standards). These 2 examples I just stated to show the profound impact of the 'stars' on their fans. Which often leads them to do absolutely ridiculous things!
The impact of Music on humanity is profound, no one can deny that! Probably the majority of Earth's population is directly influenced by Music and its effects, which can range from relaxing a person to inciting rage. Indeed a powerful medium, Music, provides the means for many to express their emotions, in love songs, in songs of victories past and also in songs of rage and anger. Now as most of us already know that Islam prohibits certain types of Music, which include: Music with Musical Instruments with the exception of the duff, and Music with Vulgar or indecent lyrics in them. One may ask why? Well lets take a look at some of the most popular types of music around the world, Rock and roll, Dance, Hip Hop, Folk Songs, classical, etc and the ill effects they have on society. Following is a list of negative effects these kinds of Music are show to have in general on people in societies , in the table X represents as being applied to that category and 0 represent as not being applied.
Heavy Metal
-Following / Idolizing of Stars[X]
-Sexual Exploitation through Music Videos/Culture[X]
-Heavy Influence on Fashion[X]
-Promotes usage of Drugs due to Music culture[X]
-Influencing Crime by either promoting it or inciting rage[X]
-Promotes Dance culture / clubs[X]
- Used for Dancing [X]
-Causes Alcohol Drinking due to music culture[X]
Rock n Roll Dance
-Following / Idolizing of Stars[X]
-Sexual Exploitation through Music Videos/Culture[X]
-Heavy Influence on Fashion[X]
-Promotes usage of Drugs due to Music culture[X]
-Influencing Crime by either promoting it or inciting rage[X]
-Promotes Dance culture / clubs[X]
- Used for Dancing [X]
-Causes Alcohol Drinking due to music culture[X]
Trance
-Following / Idolizing of Stars[X]
-Sexual Exploitation through Music Videos/Culture[X]
-Heavy Influence on Fashion[X]
-Promotes usage of Drugs due to Music culture[X]
-Influencing Crime by either promoting it or inciting rage[X]
-Promotes Dance culture / clubs[X]
- Used for Dancing [X]
-Causes Alcohol Drinking due to music culture[X]
Techno Hip Hop
-Following / Idolizing of Stars[X]
-Sexual Exploitation through Music Videos/Culture[X]
-Heavy Influence on Fashion[X]
-Promotes usage of Drugs due to Music culture[X]
-Influencing Crime by either promoting it or inciting rage[X]
-Promotes Dance culture / clubs[X]
- Used for Dancing [X]
-Causes Alcohol Drinking due to music culture[X]
RnB Blues
-Following / Idolizing of Stars[X]
-Sexual Exploitation through Music Videos/Culture[X]
-Heavy Influence on Fashion[X]
-Promotes usage of Drugs due to Music culture[X]
-Influencing Crime by either promoting it or inciting rage[X]
-Promotes Dance culture / clubs[X]
- Used for Dancing [X]
-Causes Alcohol Drinking due to music culture[X]
Easy Listening Classical
-Following / Idolizing of Stars[X]
-Sexual Exploitation through Music Videos/Culture[0]
-Heavy Influence on Fashion[0]
-Promotes usage of Drugs due to Music culture[0]
-Influencing Crime by either promoting it or inciting rage[0]
-Promotes Dance culture / clubs[0]
- Used for Dancing [X]
-Causes Alcohol Drinking due to music culture[0]
Folk Music Vocal Songs(no instruments)
-Following / Idolizing of Stars[X]
-Sexual Exploitation through Music Videos/Culture[0]
-Heavy Influence on Fashion[0]
-Promotes usage of Drugs due to Music culture[0]
-Influencing Crime by either promoting it or inciting rage[0]
-Promotes Dance culture / clubs[0]
- Used for Dancing [X]
-Causes Alcohol Drinking due to music culture[0]
From the table above we can see that music with the least musical instruments (vocal songs) have the least negative influence on people in society.
Allah swt forbids Alcohol in the Quran in the following words:
Al-Quran, Chapter 2 Al Baqara, Verse 219 They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin and some profit for men; but the sin is greater than the profit." They ask thee how much they are to spend; say: "What is beyond your needs." Thus doth Allah make clear to you His Signs: in order that ye may consider.
The same way is Music basically - it may have many benefits or profit, however its harmful or sinful impact on society outweighs the good in it. After all ask yourself as a parent (if you have kids), would you be particularly happy about your kid going to a concert by a heavy metal band called Iron Maiden ? Or to a dance club? If your answer was no then ask yourselves Why, and the reasons will be apparent. If your answer was Yes, then have a look at the table above again and think carefully.
If the text of this article has not been convincing enough for you then ask your self do you want your children aspiring up to, holding as role models, and looking like these popular singers?
Left to right - Elthon John, Marylin Mason, Poison Leader Singer
The decision in the end is for you to make and weight out the benefits vs the harms to society.
Sociologists would also recognise that music and music culture plays an important part in creating cohesive identities for many people. Music and culture generally is part of the way society speaks to itself and understands itself. You have chosen to look at what might be called western popular music and culture, leaving aside vast areas of music that exist apart from this. While it is true that some of these music genres you mention have cultures in which some people sometimes act in negative ways, there are many many more for whom music plays a vital part in the way they think about themselves and express their views and who live decent and ethical lives. Music has been a force for political and social change and for spiritual uplift and joyfulness. Young disaffected blacks have found a voice and a cultural identity in hip-hop, the working class youth of Thatcherite Britain found a perfect way to challenge the soulless culture of the time through punk and that also led to a strong anti racist platform in Rock Against Racism and various anti-fascist discourses that took place and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Music has brought great happiness and meaning into the lives of people since civilisation began and to dismiss it all with the wave of a dogmatically religious hand is simply foolish. There is not even a clear foundation for it in Islam and there is a wonderfully rich musical tradition within Muslim culture and I'm not talking about Yusuf Islam and Sami Yusuf et al. Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan - you name it and there has been music being made by Muslims for centuries, music that does not encourage the negative trends that you seem so worried about. The medium is not the message and to dismiss music in its entirety simply because some people sometimes do some things we disapprove of is simply irrational. How about if we applied that thinking to other things - the internet being the prime example. We all know the horrific things that go on on the web and yet here we all are posting away merrily. Should we ban the internet because some people misuse it? Would we not be biting our nose off to spite our face? Same with music. There is no unambiguous directive against music in Islam, whatever the extremists would like us to believe and until someone can prove to me otherwise I'll continue with my love of music and the joys and rewards it brings me.
The majority of Muslim scholars prohibit music and musical instruments. It is mentioned in Sahîh al-Bukhâri that Abû Mâlik al-Ash`arî said: “I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: “There will be a group of my people who will legalize for themselves adultery, pure silk, intoxicants, and stringed instruments."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I was ordered to avoid two foolish and vile sounds; a sound of a musical tunes and Satan’s musical instruments, and cries made on account of a calamity.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî]
The only exception to this ruling is the duff, a tambourine without bells, which only women are allowed to use among themselves as an accompaniment to their singing at weddings and on other festive occasions. This was permitted by the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Salam Alaikum
Well bro I did not deny that Music may have benefical purposes, that is why the article specifically quotes the verse from the Quran talking about Alcohol and then comparing it to Music.
You see though the "rock against racism" movement have been successful but look at what it contained? Concerts where mahram and non mahram were mixing, alcohol (im sure) was being drunk as well as drug usage. People were dancing and all those sorts of things.
There may be benefits in it but the harms outweigh the benefits. Look at whats going on around the world. Kids look towards Brittney Spears and boy bands as their "role models" and "ideals". The copy the fashions and actions of these people. Its just ridiclous. We as Muslims have to teach our kids the Truth and not just our kids but others too. We must not forget that the purpose of our life on this Earth is to Worship Allah and spread the message, not to be dancing around. As far as nasheeds are concerned bro there is no prohibition on that type of music at all. And please remember that the forbidden type of Music only gains us sins - it is not forbidden in the sense that we start to crack down upon it.
Honestly, think about it in depth insha'Allah keeping it in Islamic Prospective.
ps: I do listen to music myself but in moderation to the extent of only maybe 8 to 10 songs in a month which include nasheeds. So I would agree that music is good at times but in moderation.
[B][I]It is mentioned in Sahîh al-Bukhâri that Abû Mâlik al-Ash`arî said: “I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: “There will be a group of my people who will legalize for themselves adultery, pure silk, intoxicants, and stringed instruments."
Is that the one that says Allah will turn the people into pigs and monkeys?
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