Music is an old matter of controversy and ikhtilaf among scholars.
It was and continues to be forbidden by many scholars, and while that seems to be the predominant position among all four madhhabs, many authoritative scholars have allowed it. I'm personally more inclined to agree with the arguments presented by the latter as they seem to make more sense to me, but it's important to keep in mind that all those who have allowed it also placed restrictions on what one can listen to. These restrictions pertain to time, place, company or associates, the nature of the content of the song, the risk of temptation and a number of other things.
Prominent jurists who are of this opinion include Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Sheikh al-Azhar Shaltut, Ibn Hazm and to some extent Imam al-Ghazali.
عن عائشة أن أبا بكر دخل عليها والنبي عندها يوم فطر أو أضحى وعندها قينتان تغنيان بما تقاذفت الأنصار يوم بعاث فقال أبو بكر مزمار الشيطان مرتين فقال النبي دعهما يا أبا بكر إن لكل قوم عيدا وإن عيدنا هذا اليوم
Narrates ‘A’ishah (rta): The Messenger (sws) of God came to my residence while two female singers were singing the songs of Bu‘ath.1 The Holy Prophet (sws) lay down and turned his face to the other side. Meanwhile Abu Bakr (rta) entered and [seeing the singers] rebuked me thus: ‘Satanic musical instruments in the presence of the Holy Prophet (sws)?’ On hearing this God’s Messenger (sws) turned towards him and said: ‘Let them [sing and rejoice]’. When Abu Bakr was engaged in some other business, I signaled to the girls [to go out] and they left. It was on the ‘Id day.2 (Bukhari, No: 907)
عن أم سلمة قالت دخلت علينا جارية لحسان بن ثابت يوم فطر ناشرة شعرها معها دف تغني فزجرتها أم سلمة فقال النبي دعيها يا أم سلمة فإن لكل قوم عيدا وهذا يوم عيدنا
Umm-i-Salamah narrates: A slave girl belonging to Hassan Ibn Thabit (rta) came to us on ‘Id al Fitr. Her hair was unkempt and she carried a tambourine and was singing [some song]. Umm-i-Salamah rebuked her. But the Holy Prophet (sws) said to her: ‘Ummi-i-Salamah, let her [sing and rejoice]. Certainly every nation has an ‘Id and this day is our ‘Id’. (Mu‘jam Al-Kabir, No: 558)
عن بن عباس قال أنكحت عائشة ذات قرابة لها من الأنصار فجاء رسول الله فقال أهديتم الفتاة قالوا نعم قال أرسلتم معها من يغني قالت لا فقال رسول الله إن الأنصار قوم فيهم غزل فلو بعثتم معها من يقول أتيناكم أتيناكم فحيانا وحياكم
Narrates Ibn ‘Abbas: ‘A’ishah (rta) arranged the marriage of a close Ansari girl. The Holy Prophet (sws) also came to attend the ceremony. He inquired from the people: ‘Have you sent forth the bride?’ ‘Yes’, they replied. ‘Did you send any singer with her?’ He asked. ‘A’ishah (rta) replied in the negative. The Holy Prophet (sws) then remarked: ‘The Ansar cherish singing. It would be better that you sent along with her a singer who would sing’4
عن عائشة قالت كان في حجري جارية من الأنصار فزوجتها قالت فدخل علي رسول الله يوم عرسها فلم يسمع غناء ولا لعبا فقال يا عائشة هل غنيتم عليها أو لا تغنون عليها ثم قال ان هذا الحي من الأنصار يحبون الغناء
‘A’ishah (rta) reports: An Ansari girl lived under my guardianship and I arranged her marriage. The Holy Prophet (sws) came to my house on the day she was married and did not hear any songs or any other joyful activities. [Observing this] he asked of me: ‘Did you people sing to her or not?’ ‘This is the tribe of the Ansar who like singing,’ he added. (Ibn Hibban, No: 5875)
عن ابن عائشة لما قدم رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم المدينة جعل النساء وصبيان يقلن: طلع البدر علينا من ثنيات الوداع وجب الشكر علينا ما دعا لله داع أيها المبعوث فينا جئت با لأمر المطاع
Ibn ‘A’ishah narrates: When the Holy Prophet (sws) came to Madinah, the women and the children started singing: ‘The Moon has risen upon us from the hillocks of Wida‘. We owe gratitude [to God] as long as those who call God continue doing so. O Prophet (sws) you have brought a religion that is worthy to be followed’.6
عن أنس بن مالك أن النبي مر ببعض المدينة فإذا هو بجوار يضربن بدفهن ويتغنين ويقلن: نحن جوار من بني النجار يا حبذا محمد من جار فقال النبي الله يعلم إني لأحبكن
Narrates Anas Ibn Malik: [Having entered the city], the Holy Prophet (sws) passed through a certain part of the town. Suddenly some slave girls appeared singing on the Daff the following ditty: ‘We are the slave girls of Bani Najjar.7 How lucky! This day the Holy Prophet (sws) has come to be our neighbor’. At this the Holy Prophet (sws) remarked: ‘God knows that I love you people’8 (Ibn Majah, No: 1899)
عن سلمة بن الأكوع رضي الله عنه قال خرجنا مع النبي إلى خيبر فسرنا ليلا فقال رجل من القوم لعامر يا عامر ألا تسمعنا من هنيهاتك وكان عامر رجلا شاعرا حداء فنزل يحدو بالقوم يقول: اللهم لولا أنت ما اهتدينا ولا تصدقنا ولا صلينا فاغفر فداء لك ما اتقينا وثبت الأقدام إن لاقينا وألقين سكينة علينا إنا إذا صيح بنا أبينا وبالصياح عولوا علينا فقال رسول الله من هذا السائق قالوا عامر بن الأكوع قال يرحمه الله
Narrates Salama Ibn Al-Akwa‘: ‘We set off for Khaybar in the company of the Holy Prophet (sws) at night. A man from the group said to ‘Amir: ‘O ‘Amir, would not you let us hear your poetry?’ ‘Amir who was a Hida poet got down and started reciting for the people [the following verses]: ‘O God, were not it for your guidance, we could not have been able to offer the Salah and pay the Zakah. So please forgive our sins that [we have committed] and the ones we may commit in future. We are ready to offer our lives for your cause. Grant us perseverance when faced [with the enemy] and pour down your mercy upon us. [We are the people] who refuse to surrender when the enemy challenges us to fight. And [we leave them] to cry for help against us’. The Holy Prophet asked: ‘Who is that signer?’ They replied: ‘‘Amir bin Al-Akwa‘’. ‘God bless him’, prayed the Holy Prophet (sws)9. (Bukhari, No: 3960)
كان للنبي حاد يقال له أنجشة وكان حسن الصوت فقال له النبي رويدك يا أنجشة لا تكسر القوارير قال قتادة يعني ضعفة النساء
The Holy Prophet had a Had, Anjashah. He had a very sweet sound. [During one of his journeys] the Holy Prophet (sws) said to him: ‘Slow down, Anjashah, lest you should break the delicate goblets. Qatadah explained that the Prophet (sws) was referring to delicate women. (Bukhari, No: 5857)
عن الربيع بنت معوذ قالت دخل علي النبي غداة بني علي فجلس على فراشي كمجلسك مني وجويريات يضربن بالدف يندبن من قتل من آبائهن يوم بدر حتى قالت جارية وفينا نبي يعلم ما في غد فقال النبي لا تقولي هكذا وقولي ما كنت تقولين
Narrates Rabi‘, daughter of Mu‘wwadh: On the occasion of my transfer to my husband’s home after marriage, the Holy Prophet (sws) came to visit us and sat down on my bed just as you [the next narrator] are sitting before me now. Some slave girls were beating the Daff and singing in lamentation of their forefathers who had been killed during the battle of Badr. Then one of the girls sang: ‘Among us is the Prophet (sws) who knows even what will happen in coming days’. At this, the Holy Prophet (sws) said: ‘Do not say this, but go on singing.13 (Bukhari, No: 3779)
قال رسول الله فصل بين الحلال والحرام الدف والصوت في النكاح
The Holy Prophet (sws) said: ‘the only thing that distinguishes the allowable act (i.e. Nikah) from the forbidden one (fornication) is the beat of the tambourine and open declaration of the Nikah.14 (Ibn Majah, No: 1896)
عن السائب بن يزيد أن امرأة جاءت إلى رسول الله فقال يا عائشة تعرفين هذه قالت لا يا نبي الله قال هذه قينة بني فلان تحبين أن تغنيك فغنتها
Narrates Sa’ib Ibn Yazid: A woman came to the Holy Prophet (sws). He asked ‘A’ishah (rta): ‘Do you know her?’ ‘No, O Prophet (sws) of God’ she replied. ‘This is the female professional singer of such and such tribe. Do you want her to sing to you?’ So the woman sang for her. 17 (Bayhaqi, No: 8940)
عن عائشة قالت كان رسول الله جالسا فسمعنا لغطا وصوت صبيان فقام رسول الله فإذا حبشية تزفن والصبيان حولها فقال يا عائشة تعالي فانظري فجئت فوضعت لحيي على منكب رسول الله فجعلت أنظر إليها ما بين المنكب إلى رأسه فقال لي أما شبعت أما شبعت قالت فجعلت أقول لا لأنظر منزلتي عنده إذ طلع عمر قال فارفض الناس عنها قالت فقال رسول الله إني لأنظر إلى شياطين الإنس والجن قد فروا من عمر
Narrates ‘A’ishah (rta): The Holy Prophet (sws) was present among us when suddenly we heard children creating noise. The Holy Prophet (sws) stood up. [We found out] that a black slave woman was dancing encircled by children. The Holy Prophet (sws) [called me] saying: ‘‘A’ishah (rta), come and watch’. I came [to him] placed my chin over the Prophet’s shoulders and watched through the space between his shoulders and head. The Holy Prophet (sws) asked many times: ‘Have you not got enough of it?’ In order to know how he cares for me I continued replying in the negative. Meanwhile ‘Umar (rta) came and the gathering disbursed [seeing him]. At this the Holy Prophet commented: ‘I see that the devils from among the Jinn and the humans have fled at ‘Umar arrival.’ 19 (Tirmidhi, No: 3691)
حدثنا عبد الله بن بريدة عن أبيه أن النبي قدم من بعض مغازيه فأتته جارية سوداء فقالت يا رسول الله إني كنت نذرت إن ردك الله سالما أن أضرب بين يديك بالدف فقال إن كنت نذرت فاضربي قال فجعلت تضرب فدخل أبو بكر رضي الله عنه وهي تضرب ثم دخل عمر رضي الله عنه فألقت الدف تحتها وقعدت عليه فقال رسول الله إن الشيطان يخاف منك يا عمر
Abdullah Ibn Buridah narrates on the authority of his father: The Holy Prophet (sws) returned from some of his military expeditions. A black slave girl approached him and said: ‘I had vowed to beat the Daff before you if God brought you back unhurt’. The Holy Prophet replied: ‘If you have, then proceed’. She started beating the Daff. Meanwhile Abu Bakr (rta) came and she continued beating it. Later when ‘Umar (rta) came she covered her instrument under herself as soon as she saw him. At this the Holy Prophet (sws) commented: ‘‘Umar, even Satan fears you’. (Bayhaqi, No: 19888) viii.
The Prophet’s Praise for a Melodious Voice
عن أبي موسى رضي الله عنه عن النبي قال له يا أبا موسى لقد أوتيت مزمارا من مزامير آل داود
Narrates Abu Musa: The Holy Prophet (sws) [heard him recite the Holy Qur’an] and commented: ‘O Abu Musa, you have been given one of the musical wind-instruments of the nation of David’.
I think we can clearly see from the above that the Prophet (PBUH) had no issue with singing and music, and he seems to have enjoyed it on some occasions. That said, I'm no scholar or expert and God knows best, may He forgive me if I'm in error.
