Imam Abu Hanifah has perhaps the harshest view from amongst the four famous Imams of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).
His school of thought is the strictest, for he detested singing and considered it sinful. As for his disciples, they have explicitly confirmed the prohibition of listening to all musical amusements and pastimes, including wind instruments (mazamer) all types of tambourines, hand drums (duff) and even the striking of sticks (al-qadeeb).
They have asserted that such actions constitute disobedience to Allah and that the performer of such action is sinful, therefore necessitating rejection of his testimony.
They have further stated that it is incumbent upon the Muslim to struggle to avoid listening to such things, even if he were passing by or stationed near them (without any willful intention).
Abu Hanifah's closest disciple, Abu Yousuf, stated that if the sound of musical instruments (maazif) and amusements (malaahi) were heard coming from a house, the house could be entered without permission of its owners. The justification for this is that the command regarding the prohibition of abominable things (munkarat) is mandatory, and cannot be established if such entering rests upon the permission of the residents of the premises.
This is the madhab (position) of the rest of the Kufic scholars as well, such as Ibrahim An-Nakhai, Ash-Shabi Hammad and Ath-Thowri. They do not differ on this issue.
The same can be said of the general body of jurisprudence of Al-Basrah.
Ibnul-Qayyim specifies other aspects of the divine wisdom:
“Therefore know, song has particular characteristics which faint the heart, causing hypocrisy to sprout therein, just as water sprouts plants. Among its qualities is that it distracts the heart and prevents it from among contemplation and understanding of the Quran, and from applying it. This is because Quran and song can never coexist in the heart, since they are mutually contradictory.
Verily, the Quran forbids the pursuing of vanities and ordains restraint of the soul’s passions and temptations to evil.
Song, on the other hand, encourages the very opposite of these virtues, as it excites the hidden inner self and entices the soul inequity by driving it towards every shameful desire.
Sunan Abu-Dawud Book 41, Hadith # 4909
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud(raa) : Salam ibn Miskin(raa), quoting an old man who witnessed AbuWa'il in a wedding feast, said: They began to play, amuse and sing. He united the support of his hand round his knees that were drawn up, and said: I heard Abdullah (ibn Mas'ud) say: I heard the apostle of Allah (SAW) say: Singing produces hypocrisy in the heart.
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