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The question

Did the story of the people of Dihyah and their استقبال (reception) of him with the tambourine, which was the reason for the revelation of the verse: "But when they saw a transaction or a diversion, they rushed to it," occur before the prohibition of the tambourine?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The text of the verse is: "And when they saw a transaction or a diversion, they rushed to it and left you standing. Say, 'What is with Allah is better than diversion and than transaction, and Allah is the best of providers.'" {Al-Jumu'ah:11}. The prohibition of the drum is not absolute; there are exceptions, such as the arrival of a traveler. Scholars have differed in interpreting "diversion" (lahw) in the verse, and whether it was accompanied by trade or not. In the Sahihayn, on the authority of Jabir bin Abdullah, the verse was revealed when people dispersed from the Prophet (peace be upon him) during the sermon due to a trade caravan. Ibn Hajar holds that the verse was revealed due to the arrival of the mentioned caravan, and that "diversion" (lahw) is what arises from seeing the arrivals, and that it may include the diversion that accompanied the arrival of caravans, such as slave girls playing musical instruments, or people going to seek trade and diversion.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy