who sang “effeminates.” This is well known in their statements. Related to this is the report concerning ‘Ā’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her:

“When her father—may Allah be pleased with him—visited her during the days of Eid, two young girls from the Ansār were with her, singing verses that the Ansār had exchanged on the day of Bu‘āth. Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘The devil’s pipe in the house of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had turned away from them, his noble face towards the wall. He said, ‘Leave them, Abū Bakr, for every people has a festival, and this is our festival, the people of Islam.’”

This hadith makes clear that gathering for this was not the customary practice of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Companions. That is why al-Siddīq called it the devil’s pipe. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, allowed the young girls to continue, explaining that it was a day of Eid. Children are permitted to play during festivals, as stated in the hadith:

“So that the polytheists may know that there is room for enjoyment in our religion.”

‘Ā’ishah had dolls with which she played, and her young female friends would come and play with her. Nothing in the hadith about the two girls states that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, deliberately listened to this. Commands and prohibitions concern listening, not merely hearing. The same applies to seeing: they concern looking deliberately, not what one happens to see involuntarily. Likewise, regarding smelling perfume, a pilgrim in ritual consecration is forbidden only to smell it deliberately. If he smells something without intending to, no blame attaches to him. The same applies to direct contact with forbidden things, as with the senses