the Ansār. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came and asked, “Did you escort the bride to her husband?” They replied, “Yes.” He asked, “Did you send someone with her to sing?” She replied, “No.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) then said, “The Ansār are a people with a fondness for love songs. If only you had sent someone with her to sing:
‘We have come to you, we have come to you;
may Allah preserve us and you.’” Narrated by Ibn Mājah.) p. 292
Good. It is traced in al-Irwā’ (2055).
399 — (Ā’ishah narrated that Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) entered upon her while two girls were with her during the days of Minā (during Eid al-Adha), singing and beating out a rhythm. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was enveloped in his garment. Abū Bakr rebuked them, whereupon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) uncovered his face and said, “Leave them alone, Abū Bakr, for these are days of Eid.” Agreed upon.) p. 292
Authentic. It was narrated by al-Bukhārī (1/242, 251), Muslim (3/22), al-Nasā’ī (1/236), and Ahmad (6/33, 84, 99, 127, 134).
(Note) The author—may Allah preserve him—quoted al-Ghazālī as saying that this hadith is an explicit text establishing that singing is not forbidden. He endorsed this and even reinforced it by saying (p. 293): “It has been narrated from many of the Companions and Followers—may Allah be pleased with them—that they listened to singing and saw nothing wrong with hearing it. As for the prophetic hadiths reported concerning it, they have all been gravely impugned; not one of them escaped criticism in the judgment of hadith jurists and scholars. Judge Abū Bakr ibn al-Arabī said: ‘Nothing concerning the prohibition of singing is authentic.’ Ibn Hazm said: ‘Everything narrated concerning it is false and fabricated.’”
I say: Rather, it is this statement of Ibn Hazm that is false. There are several authentic, firmly established hadiths prohibiting the frame drum and musical instruments. Among them is the hadith: “There will surely be people from my nation who deem lawful . . . .”