Back to search

What is the ruling on music in Islam, and is it forbidden if used for dancing and the like, but permissible otherwise?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Music is forbidden by the Sunnah and scholarly consensus. This is indicated by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "There will be among my Ummah people who will legalize illicit sexual intercourse, silk, alcoholic drinks, and musical instruments." The scholars have unanimously agreed on its prohibition. Al-Qurtubi mentioned that there is no disagreement regarding the prohibition of listening to flutes, string instruments, and drums, and that they are the symbols of the people of alcohol and iniquity. Therefore, music is forbidden in all circumstances.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy