sound beliefs and righteous worship—sometimes by directly opposing them and sometimes by distracting one from them, for the soul becomes preoccupied with one thing and finds in it enough to dispense with the other.

As for wickedness in worldly life, this is because listening may arouse impulses towards unlawful sexual intercourse, indecency, sin, and aggression against others.

In short, all categories of forbidden acts may arise through it. These are what Allah mentions in His words:

“Say, ‘My Lord has only forbidden indecencies, whether open or concealed, sin, unjust aggression, associating with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority, and saying about Allah what you do not know.’”

[Sūrah al-Aʿrāf 33]

Abū al-Qāsim said: “It is related that Ahmad ibn Abī al-Hawārī said: ‘I asked Abū Sulaymān about listening, and he replied: “Listening to two is dearer to me than listening to one.”’”

I say: He cited this statement without a connected chain of transmission, so it cannot be relied upon. If it refers to newly introduced listening, then its attribution to Abū Sulaymān is false. Abū Sulaymān, may Allah be pleased with him, was neither a practitioner of such listening nor known to attend its gatherings, just as al-Fudayl ibn ʿIyād and Maʿrūf al-Karkhī, may Allah have mercy on them, and others like them did not attend such listening.

Abū al-Qāsim said: “Abū al-Husayn al-Nūrī was asked about the Sufi, and he replied: ‘One who engages in listening and gives preference to worldly means.’”