Islamic Ruling On Those Who Mock The
Signs Of Allaah And Sing Verses FromThe Qur'aan
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The newspaper al-Nakhbah al-Khaleejiyyah (issues
nos. 128 and 133) mentioned a group of artists who
start their songs with a mawwaal (poem in colloquial
language) which starts with the singing of some verses
from the Qur'aan. This has become common among many
artists and actors. What is the Islamic ruling on
singing the verses of the Qur'aan or giving them a
tune like singing?
Praise be to Allaah.
By the inherent nature (fitrah) with which he is born,
man instinctively recognizes the enormity of this
action and the seriousness of this sin, and the
ugliness of this crime. The sound human nature which
believes in pure Tawheed does not approve of these
satanic practices.
All the Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is
obligatory to respect and venerate the words of Allaah,
and to protect them from faults and shortcomings.
The Qur'aan is the word of Allaah and is one of His
attributes. Allaah still speaks whenever He wills.
This is what is indicated by the Qur'aan and Sunnah,
and this was the view of the imaams of Islam.
Mocking the words and Book of Allaah, or trying to
undermine their sanctity and respect, is blatant kufr
– no one would dispute that. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"If you ask them (about this), they declare: ‘We were
only talking idly and joking.' Say: ‘Was it at Allaah,
and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,
signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger that you
were mocking?'
Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had
believed…"
[al-Tawbah 9:65-66]
This aayah clearly states that those who mock Allaah,
His Signs or His Messenger are kaafirs, regardless of
whether they regard that as being permissible or not.
Simply making fun of them is apostasy from Islam (riddah),
according to the consensus of the Muslims, even if the
person did not really intend to mock them but was
"only" joking or trying to be funny.
Those people were guilty of kufr who said of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
and his companions, "We have never seen any people who
love their stomachs more or tell more lies or are more
cowardly in battle than these Qur'aan-readers." This
was narrated by Ibn Jareer in his Tafseer (10/172)
with a jayyid isnaad via Hishaam ibn Sa'd from Zayd
ibn Aslam from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar, who said:
"During the campaign of Tabook, a man said in a
gathering, ‘We have never seen any people who love
their stomachs more or tell more lies or are more
cowardly in battle than these Qur'aan-readers.'
Another man who was present said, ‘You are lying, and
you are a hypocrite. I will most certainly tell the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) about this. He conveyed that to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and
Qur'aan was revealed.'" Then ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar
said: "I saw him hanging on to the saddle-bag of the
camel of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), stumbling on the rocks and
saying, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, we were only talking
idly and joking!' and the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was saying, ‘Was
it at Allaah, and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences,
verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His
Messenger that you were mocking? Make no excuse; you
disbelieved after you had believed!'"
The apparent meaning of the aayah is that they were
believers prior to that, but then they became kaafirs
by mocking that which they knew that it was haraam to
mock, but they did not think that this was kufr.
The same is also true of those who begin their songs
with a mawwaal (poem in colloquial language) which
starts with the singing of some verses from the
Qur'aan. They have taken the verses of the Holy
Qur'aan for singing, entertainment and amusement. This
is one of the most serious forms of belittling the
Qur'aan and mocking its sanctity.
The ummah is agreed that the one who belittles or
mocks the Qur'aan or any part of it is a kaafir.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, this (the Qur'aan) is the Word that separates
(the truth from falsehood, and commands strict laws
for mankind to cut the roots of evil).
And it is not a thing for amusement"[al-Taariq
86:13-14]
Anyone who takes any part of the Qur'aan for
amusement, singing, dancing or entertainment has taken
it for amusement and play, and Allaah warn such people
of a humiliating torment:
"And when he learns something of Our Verses (this
Qur'aan), he makes them a jest. For such there will be
a humiliating torment
[al-Jaathiyah 45:9]
"And it will be said: ‘This Day We will forget you as
you forgot the Meeting of this Day of yours. And your
abode is the Fire, and there is none to help you.'
This, because you took the Revelations of Allaah (this
Qur'aan) in mockery, and the life of the world
deceived you. So this Day, they shall not be taken out
from there (Hell), nor shall they be returned to the
worldly life (so that they repent to Allaah, and beg
His Pardon for their sins)"
[al-Jaathiyah 45:34-35]
Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
Sharh al-Shifaa' (2/549): "Know that whoever belittles
the Qur'aan or the Mus-haf, or any part thereof, or
insults them, or denies it, or even one letter or
aayah thereof, or disbelieves in it or in any part
thereof or in anything that is clearly stated therein,
whether it be a ruling or a story, or he knowingly
affirms something that is denied therein, or denies
something that is affirmed therein, or he doubts any
of that, then he is a kaafir according to the
scholars, by consensus. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
‘And verily, it is an honourable well-fortified
respected Book (because it is Allaah's Speech, and He
has protected it from corruption).
Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind
it, (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all
praise (Allaah)'
[Fussilat 41:41-42]."
Shaykh al-‘Allaamah Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Husayni al-Husni
al-Shaafa'i said in his book Kifaayat al-Akhyaar
(494): "With regard to committing kufr by one's
actions, this may take the form of such things as
prostrating to idols or to the sun or moon; throwing
the mus-haf onto a rubbish-heap; practising magic
which involves worshipping the sun; offering
sacrifices to idols; or making fun of one of the names
of Allaah, or His command or His warning; or reciting
Qur'aan to the beat of the daff (hand-drum)…"
Using the verses of the Qur'aan for singing and
putting musical accompaniment to them is a worse act
of kufr and a greater sin than reciting the Qur'aan to
the beat of a daff.
The great scholar Shaykh al-Bahooti al-Hanbali (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Rawd al-Murabba'
Sharh Zaad al-Mustaqna' (p. 282), in the chapter on
the rulings concerning apostates: "… or he blatantly
says or does something to mock the religion, or shows
disrespect towards the Qur'aan, or does not regard it
as sacred…"
The great scholar Ibn Farhoon al-Maaliki (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said in his book Tabsirat al-Hukaam
(2/214): "Whoever belittles the Qur'aan or any part of
it, or denies it or one letter of it, or disbelieves
in any part of it, or knowingly affirms something that
it denies or denies something that it affirms, or
doubts any part of it, is a kaafir according to the
consensus of the scholars."
The person who approves of their kufr and their
belittling of the word of Allaah and His Book is a
kaafir like them. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And it has already been revealed to you in the Book
(this Qur'aan) that when you hear the Verses of Allaah
being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them,
until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if
you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would
be like them. Surely, Allaah will collect the
hypocrites and disbelievers all together in Hell"
[al-Nisaa' 4:140]
BEWARE of two very serious matters:
Firstly: the punishment and vengeance of Allaah for
those who mock or belittle His words. It was narrated
in Saheeh al-Bukhaari (3617) via ‘Abd al-Waarith, ‘Abd
al-‘Azeez told us from Anas (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that he said: "A man was a Christian, then
he became a Muslim. He read al-Baqarah and Aal
‘Imraan, and he used to write things down for the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Then he went back to Christianity and he used to say,
‘Muhammad does not know anything except that which I
wrote for him.' Then Allaah caused him to die, and
they buried him, but the following morning the earth
had thrown him out. They said, ‘This is the work of
Muhammad and his companions, because he left them, so
they dug him up.' So they dug a deep hole for him, but
in the morning the earth had thrown him out again.
They said, ‘This is the work of Muhammad and his
companions, because he left them, so they dug him up.'
So they dug another hole for him, making it as deep as
they could, but the following morning the earth had
throw him out again. Then they knew that it was not
people who were throwing him out, so they left him
where he was."
(Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, 2781, via Sulaymaan
ibn al-Mugheerah from Thaabit al-Banaani from Anas,
who said: "There was among us a man from Banu al-Najjaar…"
and he mentioned the same story, at the end of which
he said, "so they abandoned him."
Secondly: leaving this crime without punishment. For
the Qur'aan is the word of Allaah, and it has a
special status and a special place in the hearts of
the Muslims. So belittling its sanctity and making fun
of any part of it is a serious crime and a major sin.
If the most evil elements of humanity in the twentieth
century can come and mock the sanctity of the words of
Allaah or one of His attributes, and make them like
the words of any human beings or the words of the
dregs of humanity, and use it for singing, amusement
and entertainment, and they can get away with that and
not have any punishment or ruling of Allaah carried
out against them, then this will open the door for
people to mess about with the sharee'ah and to insult
the Divine Essence and the attributes of Allaah, and
to show disrespect towards the greatest things in
which the Muslims take pride.
If worldly punishments such as imprisonment etc. are
imposed upon those who slander rulers and governors
whether they deserve it or not, but those who make fun
of the Book of the Lord of the Worlds and any of His
Attributes are not taken to task, this is one of the
most serious and shameful of major sins.
I am afraid that by turning a blind eye these people
who mock the signs of Allaah, the modern governments
are sinking to the level described by the poet:
"When someone slanders the leader, he is taken to
prison,
but when someone slanders Allaah, we tell him that
people are free to speak as they wish."
In that case there can be no joy in a life lived under
the shadow of corruption, when things have gone out of
control.
Shaykh Sulaymaan ibn Naasir al-‘Alwaan
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