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How sound is the designation "psalm of Satan" for singing without musical instruments, based on the saying of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), "Are there psalms of Satan in the house of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?" And does Imam Ibn al-Qayyim have a saying that supports this?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The naming of the duff (tambourine) as "Satan's flute" is correct, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, approved Abu Bakr's naming it so. The Prophet's silence regarding the two girls was due to it being permissible for them, and he covered himself with his garment and turned away from the amusement so that they would not feel shy; this was out of his compassion. The hadith indicates the prohibition of the duff outside of Eid days, because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gave the reason that they were days of Eid. So, what prevents the prohibition is the joy and happiness of Eid. This indicates that its naming as "Satan's flute" was well-known and established among the Companions, and the Prophet did not object to Abu Bakr's naming it so. Rather, he told him to let the two girls continue, because it was Eid. And this singing was the singing of the Ansar about courage and war.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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