between a man and his wife. Yet they harm no one through it except by Allah’s permission. They learn what harms them and does not benefit them. They certainly knew that whoever purchased it would have no share in the Hereafter. Wretched indeed is that for which they sold themselves, if only they knew.”

Such an experience may also be caused by listening to musical instruments. This is like what is related from ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:

“Beware of wine, for it is the mother of all evils. A man propositioned a woman, and she said, ‘I will not agree until you prostrate before this idol.’ He replied, ‘I will not associate partners with Allah.’ She said, ‘Then will you kill this boy?’ He replied, ‘I will not take a life that Allah has forbidden.’ She said, ‘Then will you drink this cup?’ He replied, ‘This is less serious.’ But when he drank the wine, he killed the boy, prostrated before the idol, and committed fornication with the woman.”

Musical instruments are the wine of souls: they affect souls more powerfully than potent wine does. When people become intoxicated by sounds, associating partners with Allah takes hold of them, and they incline toward sexual immorality and injustice. Thus they associate partners with Allah, take lives that Allah has forbidden them to take, and commit fornication. These three things are common among those who listen to musical instruments—to whistling and clapping. As for associating partners with Allah, it predominates among them: they love their shaykh or someone else as they love Allah, and become ecstatic in their love for him.