40 Ahadith Condemning Music, Dance, and Singing

Written by: Abu Hamzah Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi​

Introduction​

Arabic:
‏إِنَّ الْـحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَـحْمَدُهُ، وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، أَمَّا بَعْدُ:

❖ Quranic Foundation​

Arabic:
الشَّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكُمُ الْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِالْفَحْشَاءِ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةً مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًا ۗ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
(Surah al-Baqarah: 268)


Translation:
"Shayṭān threatens you with poverty and commands you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing."

Selected Authentic Aḥādīth Condemning Music, Gambling, and Related Sins​

❖ Ḥadīth ①​

Prohibition of Alcohol, Gambling, and Drums


Arabic:
«إن الله حرم عليكم الخمر والميسر والكوبة وقال: كل مسكر حرام»
Musnad Aḥmad 1/289, 274, 350 | Abū Dāwūd 3696 | al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī 10/221 | Ṭabarānī al-Kabīr 12/101-102 | Dāraqutnī 3/7 | Ṣaḥīḥah 1806, 2425


Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Indeed, Allah has prohibited wine, gambling, and the drum. And every intoxicant is ḥarām.”

❖ Ḥadīth ②​

Changing the Name of Alcohol Won’t Make It Permissible


Arabic:
«ليشربن ناس من أمتي الخمر يسمونها بغير اسمها ... يخسف الله بهم الأرض ويجعل منهم القردة والخنازير»
Ibn Mājah 4020 | Ibn Ḥibbān 1384 (Ṣaḥīḥ) | Aḥmad 6/342 | Ibn Abī Shaybah 8/107 | Bayhaqī 10/221, 8/295 | Ṭabarānī 3419


Translation:
Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Some people from my Ummah will drink wine, calling it by another name. Music and female singers will be played over their heads. Allah will cause the earth to swallow them, and transform some of them into apes and swine.”

❖ Ḥadīth ③​

Ḥarām: Alcohol, Gambling, Drums, Sarangi


Arabic:
«إن الله حرم على أمتي الخمر والميسر، والميزر والكوبة والقنين، وزادني صلاة الوتر»
Musnad Aḥmad 2/165–172, 158 | Abū Dāwūd 3685 | Bayhaqī 10/221–222 | Ṣaḥīḥah 708


Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr رضي الله عنه narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Verily Allah has forbidden for my Ummah: alcohol, gambling, wheat-based intoxicants, the drum, and the sarangi. And He has gifted me the Witr prayer.”

❖ Ḥadīth ④​

Music Listeners Deprived from Heavenly Voices


Arabic:
«من استمع إلى صوت غناء لم يُؤذن له أن يستمع إلى صوت الروحانيين في الجنة ... من الروحانيون؟ قال: قرّاء أهل الجنة»
Kanz al-ʿUmmāl 7/333


Translation:
Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever listens to singing (music) in this world will not be allowed to hear the voices of the heavenly beings in Paradise.”
When asked: “Who are the heavenly beings?” He replied:
“The reciters of the people of Paradise.”

Qur’anic Verse
Arabic:
﴿ وَمَا كَانَ صَلَاتُهُمْ عِندَ الْبَيْتِ إِلَّا مُكَاءً وَتَصْدِيَةً ۚ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ ﴾
(Surah al-Anfāl: 35)


Translation:
“And their prayer at the House was nothing but whistling and clapping. So taste the punishment for your disbelief.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑤​

Five Types of People Destined for Hellfire


Arabic:
«وأهل النار خمسة: الضعيف الذي لا زبر له ... والخائن ... والمخادع ... وذكر البخل أو الكذب ... والشنظير الفحاش»
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Jannah, 7207


Translation:
ʿIyāḍ ibn Ḥimār al-Mujāshiʿī رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in a sermon:
“The people of Hell are five:
① The feeble who lack resolve and blindly follow others
② The treacherous one who betrays even in the smallest matter
③ The one who deceives you regarding your family and wealth
④ The miser or the liar
⑤ The one who is foul-mouthed and vulgar.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑥​

Signs of a Hypocrite


Arabic:
«أربع من كن فيه كان منافقًا خالصًا ...»
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Īmān, 34


Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr رضي الله عنه narrated:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“There are four characteristics; whoever has them is a pure hypocrite.
If he speaks, he lies.
If entrusted, he betrays.
If he makes a promise, he breaks it.
If he argues, he behaves immorally.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑦​

Zinā of the Limbs


Arabic:
«كتب على ابن آدم نصيبه من الزنا ...»
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Qadar, 1157


Translation:
Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“It has been decreed upon the son of Ādam his share of zinā, and he will inevitably commit it.
The eyes commit zinā by looking,
The ears by listening,
The tongue by speaking,
The hands by touching,
The feet by walking (to the place),
And the heart desires and wishes—
The private parts either confirm or deny this.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑧​

Punishment for Listening to a Female Singer


Arabic:
«من قعد إلى قينة يستمع منها، صبّ الله في أذنيه الآنك يوم القيامة»
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaghīr 2/163


Translation:
Anas رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever sits with a female singer and listens to her, molten lead will be poured into his ears on the Day of Judgment.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑨​

Forbidden: Singing, Gossip & Listening to Both


Arabic:
«نهى عن الغناء والاستماع إليه، ونهى عن النميمة والاستماع إليها»
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaghīr 2/190


Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه narrated:
“The Prophet ﷺ forbade singing and listening to it, as well as gossiping and listening to gossip.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑩​

15 Signs Bringing Calamity on the Ummah


Arabic:
«إذا فعلت أمتي خمس عشرة خصلة، حلت بها البلاء ... منها: اتخاذ القينات والمعازف»
Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 2210 | Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ 5451


Translation:
ʿAlī رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When my Ummah adopts fifteen traits, calamities will descend upon them...”
One of them is:
“When female singers and musical instruments become widespread.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑪​

Divine Punishments for Music and Drinking


Arabic:
«إذا ظهرت القينات والمعازف وشربت الخمور ... فليُرتقبوا عند ذلك: ريحًا حمراء، وزلزلة، وخسفًا، ومسخًا، وقذفًا، وآيات تتتابع...»
Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 2211 | Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ 5450


Translation:
Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When female singers and music become widespread, and alcohol is consumed excessively, and the later generations curse the earlier ones—then wait for:
A red wind, earthquakes, the earth swallowing people, transformations into animals, stoning, and continuous signs (one after another).”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑫​

Cursing Those Who Use Living Creatures for Target Practice


Arabic:
«إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لعن من اتخذ شيئًا فيه الروح غرضًا»
Musnad Aḥmad 6259 – Graded Ṣaḥīḥ by Shaykh Shuʿayb al-Arna'ūṭ


Translation:
Saʿīd ibn Jubayr narrated:
I was with ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما when we passed by some young men of Quraysh who had tied a bird to use for target practice. They agreed to give every missed arrow to its owner. When they saw Ibn ʿUmar, they scattered.
He said:
“Who did this? May Allah curse the one who did it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed the one who takes a living creature as a target.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑬​

Atonement for Swearing by False Gods or Inviting to Gambling


Arabic:
«من حلف فقال في حلفه: واللات، فليقل: لا إله إلا الله، ومن قال لصاحبه: تعال أقامرك، فليتصدق بشيء»
Musnad Aḥmad 8073 | Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Adab, 6107


Translation:
Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever swears saying ‘By al-Lāt’, should say: Lā ilāha illallāh. And whoever says to his companion, ‘Come, let me gamble with you,’ should give something in charity.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑭​

Playing Dice Is a Sin Against Allah and His Messenger


Arabic:
«من لعب بالنرد (وفي رواية: بالكعاب) فقد عصى الله ورسوله»
Musnad Aḥmad 19750 | al-Ḥākim 1/50 | Ibn Abī Shaybah 7/737 – al-Ḥākim graded it Ṣaḥīḥ


Translation:
Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever plays with dice (or game pieces), he has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑮​

Allah Hates the Flattering Tongue


Arabic:
«إن الله عز وجل يبغض التبليغ من الرجال: الذي يتخلل بلسانه كما تتخلل الباكرة بلسانها»
Abū Dāwūd 5005 | Tirmidhī 2853 – Graded Ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī


Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr رضي الله عنه narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Indeed Allah, Mighty and Majestic, hates a man who speaks with excessive eloquence and flattery — as a cow uses its tongue to graze.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑯​

Good Manners vs. Hypocrisy


Arabic:
«الحياء والعي شعبتان من الإيمان، والبذاء والبيان شعبتان من النفاق»
Tirmidhī 2027 | Ibn Abī Shaybah 118 | Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ 4796 – Graded Ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī


Translation:
Abū Umāmah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Modesty and restraint in speech are two branches of faith; while shamelessness and excessive speech are two branches of hypocrisy.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑰​

Playing Dice Is Like Dipping in Swine's Blood


Arabic:
«من لعب بالنردشير فكأنما غمس يده في لحم خنزير ودمه»
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2260 | Musnad Aḥmad 23444


Translation:
Sulaymān ibn Buraydah narrated from his father:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever plays with dice, it is as if he dipped his hand in the flesh and blood of a pig.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑱​

Ibn ʿUmar Followed the Sunnah by Avoiding Music


Arabic:
«سمع صوت زمارة راع، فوضع أصبعيه في أذنيه ... وقال: رأيت رسول الله ﷺ فعل مثل هذا»
Musnad Aḥmad 4965 | Abū Dāwūd 4924 – Graded Ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī


Translation:
Nāfiʿ reported:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه once heard the sound of a shepherd’s flute. He placed his fingers in his ears, turned his camel away from the road, and said:
“O Nāfiʿ, do you hear it?”
I replied: “Yes.”
He kept moving until I said, “No, it has stopped.”
Then he removed his fingers and returned to the road.
He said:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ do exactly this when he heard a shepherd’s flute.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑲​

Aisha and the Singing Slave Girl – Prophet’s Reaction


Arabic:
«قينة بني فلان ... فأعطاها طبقًا فغنت ... فقال النبي ﷺ: قد نفخ الشيطان في منخريها»
Musnad Aḥmad 15811 | al-Kubrā lil-Nasāʾī 8960 | Ṭabarānī 6686 – Authentic on the condition of al-Bukhārī and Muslim


Translation:
As narrated by as-Sāʾib ibn Yazīd:
A woman came to the Prophet ﷺ, and he said to ʿĀʾishah:
“Do you know who this is?”
She said, “No.”
He said:
“This is a singing slave-girl of such-and-such tribe. Would you like her to sing for you?”
ʿĀʾishah said: “Yes.”
He gave her a tray, and she sang.
The Prophet ﷺ then said:
“Indeed, Shayṭān has blown into her nostrils.”

❖ Ḥadīth ⑳​

عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ:
لَيَبِيتَنَّ قَوْمٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ عَلَى طَعَامٍ وَشَرَابٍ وَلَهْوٍ، فَيُصْبِحُوا وَقَدْ مَسَخُوا قِرَدَةً وَخَنَازِيرَ
Musnad Abī Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī, Ḥadīth: 1137 | Shuʿab al-Īmān by al-Bayhaqī | al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 1604


Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
"A group from this Ummah will spend the night indulging in food, drink, and entertainment, and when morning comes, they will have been transformed into monkeys and pigs."

Qur’ānic Verse:
Allah, the Most High, said:
وَمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ الشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنبَغِي لَهُ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ وَقُرْآنٌ مُّبِينٌ ‎﴿٦٩﴾
(Sūrah Yā-Sīn, 36:69)
❀ “We did not teach him (Muḥammad ﷺ) poetry, nor is it befitting for him. It is nothing but a Reminder and a clear Qur’ān.”

❖ Ḥadīth ㉑​

عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ:
إِنَّ رَبِّي تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى حَرَّمَ عَلَيَّ الْخَمْرَ، وَالْكُوبَةَ، وَالْقِنِين، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالْغُبَيْرَاءَ، فَإِنَّهَا ثُلُثُ خَمْرِ الْعَالَمِ
Musnad Aḥmad: 15560 | Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 8/197 | al-Sunan al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī: 10/222 | al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī: 18/897
(Graded Ḥasan li-Ghayrih by Shaykh Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ)


Translation:
Qays ibn Saʿd ibn ʿUbādah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, my Lord, Blessed and Exalted, has forbidden upon me wine, the drum (kūbah), and Roman dice (qanīn). And beware of al-ghubayrāʾ, for it constitutes one-third of the wine of the world.”
(al-ghubayrāʾ: a fermented drink made from wheat and barley)

❖ Ḥadīth ㉒​

عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ: مَرَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِحَيِّ بَنِي النَّجَّارِ، وَإِذَا جَوَارٍ يَضْرِبْنَ بِالدُّفِّ وَيَقُلْنَ: نَحْنُ جَوَارٍ مِنْ بَنِي النَّجَّارِ، يَا حَبَّذَا مُحَمَّدٌ مِنْ جَارٍ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ قَلْبِي يُحِبُّكُنَّ
Musnad Abū Yaʿlā: 6/134, Ḥadīth: 3409 | al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 3154


Translation:
Anas (RA) narrated: The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ passed by the neighborhood of Banū al-Najjār, and some young girls were beating the duff and singing:
"We are girls from Banū al-Najjār, what a blessed neighbor is Muḥammad!"
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allāh knows that my heart loves you.”

❖ Ḥadīth ㉓​

وَعَنْهُ قَالَ: لَمَّا قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الْمَدِينَةَ، لَعِبَتِ الْحَبَشَةُ لِقُدُومِهِ، فَرَحًا بِذَلِكَ، لَعِبُوا بِحِرَابِهِمْ
Musnad Aḥmad: 12677 | Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 4923
(Declared Ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī)


Translation:
Anas (RA) reported: When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madīnah, the Abyssinians celebrated his arrival with joy by displaying their skill with spears.

❖ Ḥadīth ㉔​

وَعَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ:
لَيَكُونَنَّ فِي هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ خَسْفٌ، وَقَذْفٌ، وَمَسْخٌ، وَذَلِكَ إِذَا شَرِبُوا الْخُمُورَ، وَاتَّخَذُوا الْقَيِّنَاتِ، وَضَرَبُوا بِالْمَعَازِفِ
Dhamm al-Malāhī by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, Ḥadīth: 153 | al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 2203


Translation:
Anas (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“In this Ummah there will certainly be land collapses, stone pelting, and transformation (into animals), and this will happen when they drink wine, adopt female singers, and use musical instruments.”

Qur’ānic Verse:
وَاسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُم بِصَوْتِكَ وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ...
(Sūrah al-Isrāʾ, 17:64)
❀ “Incite whoever you can among them with your voice, rally against them your cavalry and infantry...”
→ Interpreted by some scholars to include music among Satan’s tools.

❖ Ḥadīth ㉕​

وَعَنْهُ مَرْفُوعًا، قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ:
صَوْتَانِ مَلْعُونَانِ: صَوْتُ مِزْمَارٍ عِنْدَ نِعْمَةٍ، وَصَوْتُ وَيْلٍ عِنْدَ مُصِيبَةٍ
Musnad al-Bazzār: 1/377, Ḥadīth: 795 | al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 427


Translation:
Anas ibn Mālik (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
“Two sounds are cursed: the sound of a flute during times of blessing, and the sound of wailing during calamities.”

Qur’ānic Verses:
أَفَمِنْ هَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ تَعْجَبُونَ ﴿٥٩﴾ وَتَضْحَكُونَ وَلَا تَبْكُونَ ﴿٦٠﴾ وَأَنتُمْ سَامِدُونَ ﴿٦١﴾
(Sūrah al-Najm: 59–61)
❀ “Do you then wonder at this statement (Qur’ān), and laugh and not weep? While you amuse yourselves (in heedlessness)?”

❖ Ḥadīth ㉖​

عَنْ أَبِي عَامِرٍ، أَوْ أَبِي مَالِكٍ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ:
لَيَكُونَنَّ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَقْوَامٌ يَسْتَحِلُّونَ الْحِرَ، وَالْحَرِيرَ، وَالْخَمْرَ، وَالْمَعَازِفَ...
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ashriba, Ḥadīth: 5590 | Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 4039 | al-Sunan al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī: 10/221 | al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 90


Translation:
Abū ʿĀmir (or Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī) (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“There will be people from my Ummah who will make lawful fornication, silk, wine, and musical instruments...”


→ The remainder of the narration speaks of Divine punishment for such behavior, including transformation into animals.

❖ Ḥadīth ㉗​

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ رَأَى رَجُلًا يَتْبَعُ حَمَامَةً، فَقَالَ: شَيْطَانٌ يَتْبَعُ شَيْطَانَةً
Musnad Aḥmad: 8524 | Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Adab: 4940 | Sunan Ibn Mājah: 3764–3765
(Graded Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī)


Translation:
Abū Hurayrah (RA) narrated: The Prophet ﷺ saw a man chasing a pigeon and said:
"A devil is chasing a she-devil."


This statement is a metaphor indicating wasteful or vain pursuits, likening them to the misguidance of Shayṭān.

❖ Ḥadīth ㉘​

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ:
أَصْدَقُ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَهَا الشَّاعِرُ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيدٍ: أَلَا كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مَا خَلَا اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Adab, Ḥadīth: 6147


Translation:
Abū Hurayrah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The most truthful word ever uttered by a poet is the verse of Labīd:
‘Indeed, everything besides Allah is falsehood.’”


Though the Prophet ﷺ was not a poet, he acknowledged truth in speech, even from poets, when it aligns with Tawḥīd (monotheism).

❖ Ḥadīth ㉙​

عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، قَالَ: مَرَّ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ عَلَى أُنَاسٍ قَدْ وَضَعُوا حَمَامَةً يَرْمُونَهَا، فَقَالَ: نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ يُتَّخَذَ ذُو الرُّوحِ غَرَضًا
Sunan Ibn Mājah, Kitāb al-Dhabā’iḥ, Ḥadīth: 3187 | Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Abwāb al-Ṣayd: 1475 | Musnad Aḥmad: 2474
(Graded Ṣaḥīḥ by al-Albānī)


Translation:
ʿIkrimah said: Ibn ʿAbbās (RA) passed by some people who had tied a pigeon and were shooting at it. He said:
“The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ forbade taking any living being as a target.”


This prohibition addresses cruelty to animals and discourages using living beings for mere sport or entertainment, a practice still sadly common today.

❖ Ḥadīth ㉚​

عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، قَالَ: نَهَى رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ عَنْ صَبْرِ الدَّابَّةِ، قَالَ أَبُو أَيُّوبَ: لَوْ كَانَتْ لِي دَجَاجَةٌ مَا صَبَرْتُهَا
Sunan al-Dārimī: 1974 | al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr: 4001 | Sunan al-Kubrā al-Bayhaqī: 9/71 | Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān: 5609 | Musnad Aḥmad: 23987
(Graded Ṣaḥīḥ li-Ghayrih by Shaykh Shuʿayb al-Arnāʾūṭ)


Translation:
Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited tying up a living animal for target practice. He added: “If I had a chicken, I would not tie it for such a purpose.”

Qur'anic Verse (31:6–7):


“And of mankind is he who purchases idle talk to mislead others from the path of Allah without knowledge and takes it (the religion) for a mockery. For such there will be a humiliating punishment. And when Our verses are recited to him, he turns away in pride as if he had not heard them, as if there were deafness in his ears. So give him tidings of a painful punishment.”

❖ Ḥadīth ㉛​

عَنْ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ: الغِنَاءُ وَاللهِ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ (He repeated it three times.)
Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 6/309 | Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr: 3/486 | Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 21/62 | Mustadrak al-Ḥākim: 2/411
(Ḥākim graded it Ṣaḥīḥ)


Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (RA) said, while swearing by Allah:
“By Allah, Who there is no god besides Him, ‘idle talk’ in this verse (Luqmān: 6) refers to singing.”
He repeated this three times for emphasis.

❖ Ḥadīth ㉜​

عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ، قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَوْمَ قُرَيْظَةَ لِحَسَّانَ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ: أَهْجُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ، فَإِنَّ جِبْرِيلَ مَعَكَ
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3212 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2481


Translation:
al-Barāʾ (RA) narrated: On the day of Banū Qurayẓah, the Prophet ﷺ said to Ḥassān ibn Thābit (RA):
"Satirize the polytheists, for indeed, Jibrīl is with you."
He also used to say: “Answer on my behalf, O Ḥassān! O Allah, support him with the Holy Spirit.”

❖ Ḥadīth ㉝​

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، قَالَ: فِي هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ...
(Refers to: al-Māʾidah 5:90)
Sunan al-Kubrā al-Bayhaqī: 10/222 | Tafsīr Ibn Abī Ḥātim: 4/1196


Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr (RA) said regarding the verse:
"O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, altars, and divining arrows are an abomination of Shayṭān’s handiwork—so avoid them."
He added:
"In the Torah, it says: Allah sent the truth to remove falsehood and to abolish dancing, musical instruments, flutes, drums, and forbidden poetry. Whoever drinks alcohol after its prohibition, Allah will make him thirst on the Day of Judgment, and whoever avoids it after prohibition, Allah will give him to drink from the Pure Fountain."

❖ Ḥadīth ㉞​

أَنَّ أُمَّ عَلْقَمَةَ، قَالَتْ...
al-Adab al-Mufrad: 1247 | Sunan al-Kubrā al-Bayhaqī: 10/223–224 | Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 2/358


Translation:
Umm ʿAlqamah, the servant of ʿĀʾishah (RA), narrated:
When ʿĀʾishah's nieces were being circumcised, she was asked if someone could be invited to entertain them. She agreed. A man named ʿAdī came and started singing and shaking his head rhythmically. ʿĀʾishah passed by and said:
"Disgusting! This is a devil! Get him out!"

❖ Ḥadīth ㉟​

عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ:
فِي هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ خَسْفٌ وَمَسْخٌ وَقَذْفٌ...
Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 2212 | Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 1604


Translation:
ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn (RA) narrated: The Prophet ﷺ said:
"In this Ummah, there will be earth swallowing (khasf), transformation (maskh), and pelting (qadhf)."
A man asked, “When will that be, O Messenger of Allah?”
He replied: “When female singers and musical instruments become widespread, and alcohol is consumed.”

❖ Ḥadīth ㊱​

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ نَهَى عَنْ ثَمَنِ الْكَلْبِ، وَكَسْبِ الزَّمَّارَةِ
Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 8/23, Ḥadīth: 2038 | Sunan al-Kubrā al-Bayhaqī: 6/126


Translation:
Abū Hurayrah (RA) reported:
The Prophet ﷺ forbade the price of a dog and the earnings of a female singer.

❖ Ḥadīth ㊲​

عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ:
إِنَّ الْغِنَاءَ يُنْبِتُ النِّفَاقَ فِي الْقَلْبِ كَمَا يُنْبِتُ الْمَاءُ الزَّرْعَ
Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 4927 | Shuʿab al-Īmān: 4/279 | al-Mishkāh: 4810


Translation:
Jābir (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Singing causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart just like water grows crops.”

❖ Ḥadīth ㊳​

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ: بَيْنَا نَحْنُ نَسِيرُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ...
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 5895


Translation:
Abū Saʿīd (RA) narrated:
While we were walking with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at a place called al-ʿArj, a poet came and began reciting poetry. The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Catch this devil! Restrain this devil! For it is better that a man’s belly be filled with pus than be filled with poetry."

❖ Ḥadīth ㊴​

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ:
إِذَا رَكِبَ الرَّجُلُ الدَّابَّةَ وَلَمْ يُسَمِّ، رَدِفَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ، فَقَالَ: تَغَنَّ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يُحْسِنْ، قَالَ لَهُ: تَمَنَّ
Shuʿab al-Īmān: 4/1809 | Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 10/1481


Translation:
ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (RA) said:
When a person rides an animal and does not say the name of Allah, Shayṭān sits behind him and says: “Sing!” If the rider doesn’t know how to sing, Shayṭān says: “Then fantasize.”

❖ Ḥadīth ㊵​

عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ:
مَا رَفَعَ أَحَدٌ صَوْتَهُ بِغِنَاءٍ إِلَّا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ شَيْطَانَيْنِ، يَجْلِسَانِ عَلَى مَنْكِبَيْهِ، يَضْرِبَانِ بِأَعْقَابِهِمَا عَلَى صَدْرِهِ حَتَّى يَسْكُتَ
Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid: 2/120


Translation:
Abū Umāmah (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whenever someone raises his voice in song, Allah sends two devils who sit on his shoulders and strike his chest with their heels until he stops.”

Conclusion:​

These final hadiths emphasize the spiritual dangers of music, vulgar entertainment, and cruelty to animals, warning of their long-term impact on faith, character, and divine accountability.