Music and Ghinā’: Are Approved Cassettes and Instruments Like the Violin and Flute Permissible?

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Music and Ghinā’: Are Approved Cassettes and Instruments Like the Violin and Flute Permissible?

English:

Question #1122:

What is the ruling on the issue of listening to cassettes sanctioned by the organization of Islamic propagation or other Islamic institutions? What is the ruling on the matter of using musical instruments, such as a violin, or flute?

Answer #1122:

The permissibility of listening to a cassette depends on mukallaf’s view. If he maintains that it does not contain ghinā’ and lahwī music — which deviate people from the way of Allah — or untrue speech, then there is no objection to listening to it. Therefore, its sanction by the Islamic Propagation Organisation or any other Islamic institute does not serve by itself as a shar‘ī proof of being permissible. It is not allowed to use musical instruments to produce ḥarām lahwī music which deviates people from the way of Allah. However, it is ḥalāl to use them for rational purposes. To distinguish the instances rests with the mukallaf.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Music and Ghinā’