This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad-ul-Haq Asri's book Islam and Music: A Review of Ishraq's Objections.
In the same hadith of Hazrat Aisha (RA), the words of [وعندی جاريتان] are that I had two female slaves. The term "female slaves" here, according to the opinions of Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah (RA), Hafiz Ibn Jawzi (RA), Allama Nawawi (RA), Hafiz Ibn Qayyim (RA), etc., means young girls, implying that the singing activity was that of two young girls. However, the people of Ishraq say that they were maidservants, and in support of this, our kind Mr. Ammar Nasir also says the same. The summary of their statements is that Hafiz Ibn Hajar (RA) took the meaning to be maidservants. The phrase [ليستا بمغنيتين] in the narration is also an indication of this because if they were young girls, it is unlikely to assume that singing was their profession. The possibility of singing as a profession is not for young girls but can be for maidservants. The word [قینتنان] also appears, which is quite explicit in the meaning of maidservants, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar (RA) probably took the term "two female slaves" to mean maidservants based on these indications.
Reference: (Ishraq: p.36)
It is reported that we have already explained in previous articles how explicit the word [قینتنان] is regarding slave girls. Moreover, we have also presented an analysis of the ridicule this humble servant faced from the scholars of Ishraq on this matter, which does not need to be repeated. Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, based on these evidences, absolutely did not interpret "Jaritan" to mean slave girls. Rather, relying on weak and unreliable narrations from Tabarani and others, he took the meaning which we have already clarified. It is not wisdom to feed Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, with regurgitated arguments. Even when Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, took Jaritan to mean slave girls, he stated that they were not professional singers. From the same hadith, a group of early Sufis among the people of Ishraq also argued for the permissibility of singing, to which Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, responded:
[ويكفى فى رد ذلك تصريح عائشة فى الحديث الذى فى الباب بعده بقولها "وليستا بمغنيتين" فنفت عنهما من طريق المعنى ما أثبته لهما باللفظ، لأن الغناء يطلق على رفع الصوت وعلى الترنم الذى تسميه العرب النصب بفتح النون وسكون المهملة وعلى الحداء ولا يسمى فاعله مغنياً. الخ]
The denial by the Sufis is contradicted by the clarification of Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), which is in a later chapter, in which she stated that they were not singers. Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) negated in a meaningful way that which was evidenced by the word "ghina" (singing) attributed to them, because "ghina" refers to reciting poetry in a loud voice and melody, which the Arabs called nasb and hadi qira'ah, and those who did this were not called maghani, meaning professional singers or vocalists.
Reference: (Fath al-Bari: p.442 vol.2)
Rather, after that, they have also quoted Allama Qurtubi that [ليستا بمغنيتين] means that both of them did not know how to sing in the manner that professional singers sing well-known songs. This makes it clear that despite the meaning of جاريتان as maidservants, Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) did not consider them professional female singers. It is very regrettable that the respected Ammar Sahib attributes to Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) something which he explicitly denied, based solely on his own opinion. Accordingly, he says: The possibility of singing as a profession is not for little girls, but rather for maidservants, and Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) probably took Jaraytan to mean maidservants based on these indications. End.
Justice is a condition! Did Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, call the two Jariyat professional singers despite the meaning of Jariyat being slave girls? Certainly not, so what is the benefit of this lengthy explanation? Then if it is accepted that they were slave girls, what is the evidence that their act was after puberty? And is there any contradiction between slave girls and young girls? Slave girls can also be young girls; what is impossible about that?
Respected Ammar Sahib has stated in this that Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, in determining the two female slaves, has narrated traditions from Tabarani and others from which it is understood that they were young girls. The writer has declared them weak, but in
Reference: Tawzih al-Kalam (p. 277, vol. 2)
, while defending the argument of his respected teacher Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Gondalvi based on a weak tradition, he has admitted that using a weak tradition to determine the possibilities of an authentic hadith is not against principle. However, to reject the argument based on the three weak traditions of Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, he certainly must have reasonable grounds. If he can shed light on them, his explanations will be a source of benefit for us.
Reference: (Ishraq: pp. 36-37)
This is also a failed support used by those who issue a fatwa justifying professional music. Leaving aside the debate that Hazrat Al-Ustadh Muhaddith Gondalvi, may Allah have mercy on him, used a weak hadith for argument and that the writer responded to any critic pointing out its weakness, and also whether their argument depends on it or not, we accept that a weak narration can be used to determine [احد المحتملات], but the point to consider is that in the narration under discussion, regarding the term "jaritaan," Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, stated in view of the weak narrations that these were slave girls. Does this necessarily imply that they were not free girls? Due to this very ambiguity in "jaritaan," Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, clarified that they were not well-known singers, as Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, and others have stated. Even if it is accepted that they were slave girls, does it necessarily follow that they used to sing as a profession? Even today, on occasions like Eid and weddings, some families have the custom of singing, which involves a few girls. It is not the case that all women in the tribe or community engage in this work; still, they neither adopt this as a profession nor are they considered well-known singers. Among boys, those who recite naat and ghazal are also known, but none of them consider themselves professional singers nor are they recognized as such.
That is why Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, considered the two Jaraytan as slaves but still understood that they were not professional singers, as Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, stated. However, we have argued that fundamentally there is no contradiction between them being slaves of جاریتان and them being girls, and thus these two opinions are not mutually contradictory. Both agree that they were not professional singers, but the scholars of illumination do not agree with this simply because it would demolish the entire justification for music, and all the arguments for its permissibility would be torn apart like a spider's web.
You have read that all the hadith scholars agree on the authenticity of this hadith and also agree that the two women were not professional singers. The people of insight, in their "wisdom and enlightened conscience," have deviated from the agreed-upon issues and, by avoiding [سبیل المؤمنین], have taken a path that is in every way condemnable. It is surprising that even the beacon of a family of knowledge and practice sympathizes with this thought and is engaged in nurturing it with worn-out arguments. فوا اسفا
اللهم أرنا الحق حقاً وارزقنا اتباعه وارنا الباطل باطلاً وارزقنا اجتنابه
