“My judgment concerning the practitioners of speculative theology is that they should be beaten with palm branches and sandals, paraded among the clans and tribes, and have it proclaimed: ‘This is the recompense of those who abandon the Book and the Sunnah and turn to speculative theology.’” And his statement: “For a servant to be afflicted with any sin other than associating partners with Allah is better for him than to be afflicted with speculative theology.”

Nevertheless, some groups among the people of knowledge, religion, Sufism, and worship have fallen into some of these practices on the basis of an interpretive judgment.

For this reason, listening is discussed under two headings:

The first is listening for amusement and delight. Here, the question is whether it is disliked, forbidden, vain, or permitted in some of its forms.

The second is the newly introduced listening practised by people of religion as a means of drawing near to Allah. Of this it is said that it is an innovation and a deviation, contrary to the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the consensus of all the predecessors. It arose in the community only when something new was introduced into the community—when speculative theology was introduced. Speculative theology then became widespread among scholars, and this listening among worshippers.

For this reason, Yazīd ibn Hārūn al-Wāsitī, who belonged to the generation following the Successors and lived toward the end of