Thus, when al-Qāsim ibn Muhammad was asked about singing, he said to the questioner: “My nephew, tell me: when Allah distinguishes truth from falsehood on the Day of Resurrection, under which will He place singing?” He replied: “Under falsehood.” Al-Qāsim said: “Then what is there beyond truth except error?”

They all firmly understood that it belonged to falsehood, even though some of them nevertheless engaged in it. For the mere fact that an act is vain implies only that it brings no benefit; it does not imply that it is forbidden unless it entails harm.

Abū al-Qāsim said: “As for al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy on him, he does not prohibit it, but regards it as disliked for ordinary people. If someone takes up singing as a profession or habitually listens to it for amusement, his testimony is rejected on that account. He considers it something that undermines a person’s dignity, but does not classify it among forbidden acts.”

He said: “We are not discussing this kind of listening. The standing of this group is too exalted for them to listen for amusement, to sit down to listen heedlessly, to occupy their hearts with pondering the content of idle talk, or to listen in an unworthy manner.”