Is listening to music considered a major sin or a minor sin, and does it become a major sin through persistence and excessiveness?

This is a matter of disagreement among scholars. Some consider listening to unlawful music (ghina) to be among the major sins, while others consider it a minor sin, applying the rule that persistence in a minor sin makes it a major one. The apparent view — and Allah knows best — is that merely listening to music is not, in principle, a major sin, though it could become so depending on the individual's circumstances.