Muslim Brotherhood’s Antagonism to Art (2)

• The Brotherhood’s Double Aversion to Women and Singing

In issue No. 12, May 1977, a question was asked about the view of Islam on women singing. The answer was as follows:

“The voice of women has always been—and still is—one of the charms that attracts and seduces men as well stimulates their instincts. Hearing a woman sings might garner fans of lust who will get lost in mazes of imagination and misguidance even deeper than seeing her body and her beauty features.  You know what they say: “Sometimes the ear falls in love before the eye.” Therefore, we find God enjoining the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Qur’an by saying: “O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women, if you observe piety. So do not speak too softly, lest the sick at heart lusts after you, but speak in an appropriate manner. (Chapter 33, V. 32)

The man continues: “Every action that leads to lust is considered “haraam act” in order to shut down the door of major sins that might ensue, such as fornication and adultery. Even if that action is an act of worship, it will still be haraam. For instance, it is haraam for a woman to pray before a foreign man and to travel for Hajj if she does not find a non-marriageable relative (Muhram) to keep her company.

There is no room for those saying that women’s voice is not an ‘Awrah (suggestive or alluring body part). All scholars have agreed on its prohibition if it leads to lustful thinking or sexual insinuations.

The audience of this type of lustful voice is not aware that God enjoins on women “ that […] they should not strike their feet to draw attention to their hidden beauty… […].” So which is more seducing to men the strike of legs, the sounds of singing voice? Of course, it is the latter.

As we can see the answer is extremely hostile towards women and singing altogether. The Mufti does not hesitate to use exaggerative and extreme vocabulary as if his only goal is to charge the souls of readers with rejection and disgust. It is such a relentless war where there is no room for moderation or facilitation.

Is it inconceivable that the sound is more tempting and dangerous than the body? If this is the case with a few of the perverts who are closest to sickness, is it permissible to take that perversion as measurement to set the general rule in jurisprudence? Is this the basis on which a jurist will be reasoning his general ruling and making them binding till the Day of Judgment? In actuality, the deliberate confusion between artistic and lyrical creativity—that God has endowed some people with—and temptations and seductions is deliberately designed to play with feelings and arouse lusts. Such a devilish voice does not necessarily have to be musical.

Now for the concept of Sadd al-zara’i (i.e. blocking the means)—which has become an empty religious platitude nowadays. The word al-zara’i is plural; its singular Zari’ah means excuse, cause or device. This is the easiest way that cost no effort, and requires no knowledge. Belittling divergent voices is no more based on cogent arguments or logic more than on the idea of disparaging and deriding opposing views. In the figment of his imagination, the Mufti thinks that the scholars have a unanimous agreement on prohibition of music and signing; and whoever says otherwise is at least an ignorant person, not to mention how much criticism and defamation he/she might be subject to.

Thus, the Sheikh rules that women singers are downright evil as though famous singers who came down the centuries, did not even exist, or as if the caliphs, scholars, jurists, and mainstream Muslims had not been aware of this ruling.

Undoubtedly, millions of Muslims in Egypt, and the Arab and Muslim world, have listened to and enjoyed the fine art and singing of famous women singers such Umm Kulthum and Fairuz, and many others, will feel torn and confused by the fatwa that forbids them from enjoying that beautiful art that inspires human emotions. In fact, this pattern of logical thinking has always been rejected by the Brotherhood’s jurists.

Two issues later, July 1977, the same question was asked, but that time, not being limited to women only. Mohammed Abdul Raouf, reader from Zagazig, Ash-sharqiyya Province, asks the Mufti as saying: Is it possible to know your position on singing?

The answer comes as follows: Listening to songs is not agreed upon whether it is permissible or not. However, they (I do not know exactly to whom the pronoun ‘they’ refer to) have agreed on several rules, among which is if the song lyrics move from what is ‘allowed’ to what is ‘disallowed’ such as obscene language, explicit or implicit sexual innuendoes …etc, then it is haraam.   Similarly, if the song is performed in bi/sexually seductive and erotic manner that (sexually) excites and arouses the beholder or the listener, then it is strictly forbidden, too. Lastly, if the song is suggestive of sexual behavior, lewdness or containing naked intimate imageries and phrases, it is also strictly forbidden.

If singing is devoid of all of these characteristics, then it might be allowed on the following conditions: Singing must not distract the person from his religious, work and family duties or distracts him/her from their general commitments that would affect their future or have negative impacts on their jobs, whether performed on behalf of others or to themselves.

Islam actively discourages us from staying up late at night after performing the Night Prayer (al-‘Isha) because it might prevent us from waking up early for the Dawn Prayer (al-Fajr) at its stated times. An all-nighter person would wake up in the morning unable to perform his/her job duties, either by falling into fatigue and lassitude if he/she wakes up early and does not sleep well, or falling into deep sleep and missing work timing.  For more on this position, I would refer you to Fatwa Section of Al-Da’wa Magazine to see by yourself that this has always been their mainstream position on music, singing and woman’s voice since inception.

1. Critique of the fatwa:

The introductory statement of this Fatwa suggests that the issue of singing has not been settled yet; therefore, it is a misleading start. Moreover, the strict conditions stipulated place tougher restrictions on singing, making it forbidden in every sense of the word. A few questions pose themselves here: Who is to determine what kind of words or meanings is forbidden in terms of vulgarity, obscenity or smuttiness? How to determine that, and according to what criteria? Is it possible to set an unambiguous, comprehensive definition of ‘bisexual performance’ and ‘forbidden (sexual) arousal’? What is meant by ‘explicit phrases’ in the Fatwa?

The stipulated conditions of the Fatwa are akin to the loose phrases which could be deceptively used to declare all kinds of songs as forbidden without any trouble. This can be evidenced by this ingenious, flimsy Fatwa issued by a novice Mufti who maintains that the so-called song “I Hate Israel” is prohibited, guess why? He says that Israel is a name given to one of God’s Prophets whom Muslims are commanded to hold in love and esteem. In reality, this Fatwa case suggests to us at least two possibilities about that self-proclaimed Mufti as follows:  Either he does not know that Israel is an illegal state against which we have had long political and cultural conflicts as it continues to occupy an important part of the Arab land, or that the war against Israel – according to his fallacious logic – is also haram; because “Israel” is a prophet whom Muslims should never fight!

In fact, the path of rigidity and narrow-mindedness has no end. Do not be fooled by the phrase “Singing may be permissible” which the Mufti says with diffidence, is later abrogated by the ambiguous content of the fatwa. The fatwa then adduces a litany of conditions and restrictions on playing and listening to music and songs. It is fully understandable and justifiable that listening to songs should not distract a Muslim from worship and work, however what is not understood is how avoiding songs spare him/her the negative impacts on their future! No one knows from where that self-styled Mufti came up with the ruling that the Islam urges us not to stay up at night.

Certainly, this orientation means that a Muslim does not have a need to music, singing and art in general. In a nutshell, the lifestyle sought by the Muslim Brotherhood is all worship and work, and no time to entertain him in spite of the explicit prophetic command of enjoying and giving rest to oneself.