ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Greater Sins Volume 2 The Sixteenth Greater Sin: Singing The sixteenth Greater sin is singing songs. Traditions have graded it amongst the mortal sins. This fact is clear from the narration of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) as quoted by Amash.

Muhammad Ibn Muslim relates that Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) said, “Singing is that sin which has been promised a penalty of fire (Hell) by Allah.” It is evident from numerous reports, that whichever sin incurs Hell as its punishment, is a Greater Sin. Singing too falls in that category. What is Singing? Sayyid Murtadha, in his book, Wasīla writes, “Singing is Harām. It is also Harām to listen to a song or to sing for money. However every melodious sound is not a ‘song’.

Singing denotes a special way of prolonging the voice and rotating it in the throat. These features are common in sensuous parties. Such type of singing is usually accompanied by music.” Most of the Shia Mujtahids and the experts of Arabic language opine that ‘singing’ means the turning and rotating of one’s voice in the throat. These types of strains are invariably found in classical music and Qawwalis. A prolonged tune of a-a-a is produced.

In the dictionary, ‘Sihah’ it is mentioned that singing is a sound which produces a strange type of sorrow or pleasure in the listener. The other dictionaries almost agree to this definition. In brief, singing or song is a sound that makes a man unusually sad or joyful.

The book Zakhīratul Ebad says: “Every sound that is produced for entertainment and is capable of exciting passion is known as ‘singing.’ It could be produced by making it emanate from the throat like in classical music or by any other means. In brief whatever is understood by common sense as a song is Harām. Consequently it is sinful even to recite the Holy Qur’an, Nauha or Marsiya in the tune of songs.

In fact this is more sinful than singing songs for it tantamounts to insulting and degrading the Qur’an and Nauha or Marsiya. It is for this reason that this type of sin deserves double the punishment.