Question:

Is the use of the daff permitted for anasheed?

A clear majority of Muslims around the local masajid and colleges are engulfed in the music industry. When some of them try to retract themselves from this ocean of filth, they initially search for alternatives - i.e. 'nasheeds' with the same familiar music playing and slowly cut down on the amount of music they listen to.

Many will complain that nasheeds without any music is bland and boring, and does not serve the purpose of a nasheed - to instill zeal for worship and the love of Allah in the heart etc. So the next most halal compliant type of nasheed is those with only the daff.

These nasheeds are becoming more and more popular and seem to resonate at the same frequency of a growing number of Muslims. They see nasheeds with daffs as a middleway between the two extremes of no music at all and music indistinguishable from non-Muslim forms.

Can Muslims in the west take a dispensation (if the use of the daff is impermissible) and settle with permitting the use of the daff. This is because sometimes when someone is told to stop a haram act, they find it difficult to see the perfection behind Islamic laws and feel that 'Islam is being shoved down their throats', so if they were shown a variant of what they are used to (in this case nasheeds with daffs) then they'll be able to appreciate and relate to it better.

Answer:

The Daff (a one sided drum) is permitted, however, we should limit its use to the manner described in hadith ie. On the occasion of a wedding etc. As for the Anasheeds that are presently being listened to, they are blameworthy for several reasons and thus should be abandoned. For example some modern nasheeds actually employ many other musical instruments along with the daff and secondly, the unhealthy consequences that result from the creation of nasheed groups, with youngsters seeing them as their role-models, whilst Islam strives to teach that importance is in other things such as learning Deen, Dawah, Ibadah and Piety etc. And that we should take those who excel in these ways as our role models. In addition to this, in many cases, the mannerisms of anti-islamic (Faasiq) singers are observed in these singers and yet the imitation of the wicked is also forbidden in Islam.

Furthermore, we should try to emphasise to people that Islam means total submission to the will of Allah taala through obedience to His commands. Allah's Religion is not to be followed by first putting any divine commandment to the "touchstone" of our intellects and reason which, in truth, is steeped in ignorance and pride. This attitude is very dangerous and must be corrected as it will lead many to abandon many of the beautiful teachings of our Deen simply because their corrupted or immature minds are unable to come to terms with the Islamic laws. If someone is trying to leave listening to music and he has switched to these nasheeds, then he should be commended for his noble intention (to become a better a Muslim), and at the same time we should have patience with them. However, what is unjustifiable is to consider this transitional phase like a permitted thing in itself, for the reasons mentioned.

Mufti Mohammed Sajjad

Wallahu Aalam bis-sawab

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The answer to this question is the opinion of the scholar and does not reflect the opinion of other scholars of As-Suffa Institute and As-Suffa Institute as an organisation.