@Olabowale,
i have been reading your post and it makes a lot of sense the way u provide sensiable answers to questions. I am a great one and i need you to answer some questions 4 me
Is it a sin if a muslim lady is not on hijab
what is your position on singing circular song and at the same time sing islamic song
i love music and would love to go into singing,is it a sin to use ladies who are not on hijab but properly dressed in the video
expecting ur reply
thanks

Olabowale.

I too have to agree with this poster, you have a very nice and elegant way of answering and responsing to questions and ignorant attacks on is'am. I have really enjoyed reading your post. I look forward to reading more from you. Jarzak Allah Klair.

Only deluded mus'lims think Olabowale has an "elegant" way of answering questions. If that is elegance then we need to redefine the concept.

pls Olabowale i am still expecting it

4Him:

Only deluded mus'lims think Olabowale has an "elegant" way of answering questions. If that is elegance then we need to redefine the concept.

David, you wont kill me with laughter Wont you just leave this people alone. I thought this thread was for Olabowale . Alhaji Olabowale is now a scholar and will soon receive (inter)national award from his mullahs!

Let me give an insight before a more elaborate explanation would be provided by Olabowale.

router:

@Olabowale,
Is it a sin if a a great one lady is not on hijab

"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts etc)". [Surah 24:31]
"O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the woman of the believers to bring down over themselves (part) of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known (as free respectable women) and not be abused. And ever is Allaah Forgiving and Merciful." [Quran 33:59]

The hijab is way of protecting the decency, dignity and chastity of women. With the equipment of the female with an instinctive attraction and a strong natural passion that tend to attract mutual desire from both sex.   In an attempt to limit inmorality, Isl'am has filled in all the gaps and possibilities that could lead to any sinful act through the Hijab, thus providing protection for men and women from all factors of seduction and lust. Christian nuns cover their hair out of modesty. The hijab is all about modesty, Thus Isl'am, as do all other revealed religions, prohibits adultery as well as all forms of licentiousness and ways that tend to lead towards them.

router:

@Olabowale,
what is your position on singing circular song and at the same time sing great religious song
i love music and would love to go into singing,is it a sin to use ladies who are not on hijab but properly dressed in the video

All'ah's wisdom has also ordained that the physical and psychological construction of the woman should carry elements that enable her to attract and be attracted by the man. Women should avoid male gatherings except on the grounds of necessity. In your own case, a musical concept can not be term as a necessity, however, in such cases they are expected to  observes the limits of the Isl'amic code on social life.

Isl'am has set its codes for the woman as well as all the other relevant, instructions and rules to guard her femininity The real issue is not whether a woman is wearing a hijab or not  but a decent, unrevealing manner of dress. Note: The flexibility of Isl'am allows the woman the option of covering her face or not.

As regrad your second question, i don't seem to understand the concept "circular song".

MC Usman:

Let me give an insight before a more elaborate explanation would be provided by Olabowale.

"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts etc)". [Surah 24:31]
"O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the woman of the believers to bring down over themselves (part) of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known (as free respectable women) and not be abused. And ever is Allaah Forgiving and Merciful." [The Great Book 33:59]

The hijab is way of protecting the decency, dignity and chastity of women. With the equipment of the female with an instinctive attraction and a strong natural passion that tend to attract mutual desire from both sex. In an attempt to limit inmorality, Isl'am has filled in all the gaps and possibilities that could lead to any sinful act through the Hijab, thus providing protection for men and women from all factors of seduction and lust. Christian nuns cover their hair out of modesty. The hijab is all about modesty, Thus Isl'am, as do all other revealed religions, prohibits adultery as well as all forms of licentiousness and ways that tend to lead towards them.


All'ah's wisdom has also ordained that the physical and psychological construction of the woman should carry elements that enable her to attract and be attracted by the man. Women should avoid male gatherings except on the grounds of necessity. In your own case, a musical concept can not be term as a necessity, however, in such cases they are expected to observes the limits of the Isl'amic code on social life.

Isl'am has set its codes for the woman as well as all the other relevant, instructions and rules to guard her femininity The real issue is not whether a woman is wearing a hijab or not but a decent, unrevealing manner of dress. Note: The flexibility of Isl'am allows the woman the option of covering her face or not.

As regrad your second question, i don't seem to understand the concept "circular song".

1.Great answer

Also,I will advise router to get Olabowale's email and phone no and have a better discussion with him off-nairaland as regards his choice of music as profession.

On the other issue,not wearing Hijab by a mature lady is a very serious sin.But Olabowale will be able to tell you more.
May God help you for your sincerity, and us too.

Also,I will advise router to get Olabowale's email and phone no and have a better discussion with him off-nairaland as regards his choice of music as profession.

Thanks for both ur reply, i will do just that

@Router: As Salaamualaykum war Rahmatullah. I thank you and all those who have contributed. May the Lord and God the Creator of all things, known and unknown guide us and have mercy on all of us. Amin. I also ask God the Almighty Lord the creator to soften the hearts of our brothers and sisters in mankind who are not believers, yet to accept guidance.

MayGod Almighty guide our tongue and heart in goodness. Whatever that I say that is good is from Al Alim and His Messenger (as). And whatever that I may say that is bad is from me and Shaitan. I seek refugee in the Most Powerful against Shaitan the rejected. And I ask the only One who can truly forgive to forgive me and all of you believers.

May our hearts be strengthened and made firm in His religion. Amin. And to the non Mus'lims, eg 4Him, no scholar of Islam will claim scholarship in from of his peers. But truly I am a very low level student of Is'lam. Having said that, the Messenger wax reported stating that whoever knows a verse of Qur'an or a single hadith shoiuld teach it. This is scholarship. And as to the question of Music in Is'lam as you have proposed it, my brothers and sisters who had responded to you have done a wonder job and have addressed the matter, properly. I just must add that truth is always known by a good heart and there is desire by that heart to practice it. Whereas, a diseased heart tries to suppress and deny the truth.

Progressive thinking in Is'lam

There is no legal code which aims to be applicable to all communities in all periods of time can give in advance a ruling for every situation human life may present. As human life develops, certain things or practices are discarded while new ones are adopted. Changing situations require different rulings. This is the reason the lawmaking authority in every country provides for the repeal of past laws and the enactment of new ones in their place. This cannot be done in Is'lam, because the authority to legislate belongs to Allah. No one can repeal Allah's law. How do we, then, deal with developing situations?

To answer this, I have two Hadiths to quote: The Prophet sent his companion, Moath ibn Jabal, to the Yemen as a governor. Before Moath left, the Prophet asked him, "How will you adjudicate in matters that will be put to you?" Moath answered, "According to Allah's Book (i.e. the Qur'an)." The Prophet then asked him, "What if you find nothing to guide you?" Moath answered, "Then according to the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger." The Prophet repeated his question. "What if you find nothing to help you?" Moath said, "I will use my discretion, making every effort to arrive at the right decision." The Prophet said: "Praise be to "Allah" who has guided Allah's messenger to implement what pleases "Allah" and His Messenger."

The Prophet is quoted to have said: "My nation will never agree on something which is wrong." These two Hadiths give us the basis on which analogy and consensus rely as legitimate sources of rulings. We note that in the first Hadith, the Prophet refers to the possibility that a ruler or a judge may find nothing in the Qur'an or the Sunnah to help him arrive at the right ruling in a certain case. The method of deduction explained by Moath is one of scholarly discretion. What this means is that he will consider what may be analogous to the case in hand of matters that have a clear judgment in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. This then is scholarly discretion. The Prophet was pleased with this method and stated that it was satisfactory to "Allah" and to himself.

The second Hadith is clear. It does not mean that every single person in the Muslim community should agree to something for the consensus to take place. What it means is that the scholars in a particular time may unanimously arrive at a certain decision. If they do, then that decision cannot be wrong. A clear case which explains both matters is the verdict on smoking. When the question whether tobacco smoking is permissible in Is'lam was put to scholars in the past, many of them did not object strongly to it, although some pointed out that it was reprehensible or discouraged, due to its smell and other factors. However, when more recently the question was put to a number of scholars together with the medical evidence about the damage tobacco can cause to health, a verdict of total prohibition was returned by an overwhelming majority of them.

Obviously, there is no specific ruling in the Qur'an or the Sunnah to tell us that smoking tobacco, as such, is forbidden. Scholars, however, relied on the general rules which apply to Islamic law, such as the one which states that: "No damage may be caused, whether to self or to others." Since smoking causes serious health damage, it is considered forbidden. Some scholars also added that a smoker should not go to the mosque because of the bad smell of tobacco. In this, they have drawn on the analogy with garlic and onion. The Prophet says that a person who has just eaten garlic or onion should not attend congregational prayer in order not to annoy other worshippers. All this is a ruling based on analogy.

Deeds will be judged according to intentions, and everyone will get what he intended ,

Among the entertainments which may comfort the soul, please the heart, and refresh the ear is singing. Is'lam permits singing under the condition that it not be in any way obscene or harmful to Islamic morals. There is no harm in its being accompanied by music which is not exciting.In order to create an atmosphere of joy and happiness, singing is recommended on festive occasions such as the days of 'Eid, weddings and wedding feasts, births, 'aqiqat (the celebration of the birth of a baby by the slaughter of sheep), and on the return of a traveler.'Aishah narrated that when a woman was married to an Ansari man, the Prophet (peace be on him) said, " 'Aishah, did they have any entertainment? The Ansar are fond of entertainment.'' (Reported by al-Bukhari.)

Ibn 'Abbas said, " 'Aishah gave a girl relative of hers in marriage to a man of the Ansar. The Prophet (peace be on him) came and asked, 'Did you send a singer along with her?' 'No,' said 'Aishah. The Messenger of "Allah" (peace be on him) then said, The Ansar are a people who love poetry. You should have sent along someone who would sing, 'Here we come, to you we come, greet us as we greet you.' " (Reported by Ibn Majah.)'Aishah narrated that during the days of Mina, on the day of 'Eid al-Adha, two girls were with her, singing and playing on a hand drum. The Prophet (peace be on him) was present, listening to them with his head under a shawl. Abu Bakr then entered and scolded the girls. The Prophet (peace be on him), uncovering his face, told him, "Let them be, Abu Bakr. These are the days of 'Eid." (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

In his book, Ihya ulum al-deen, (In the quarter on "Habits", in the book Listening to Singing.), Imam al-Ghazzali mentions the ahadith about the singing girls, the Abyssinians playing with spears in the Prophet's Mosque, the Prophet's encouraging them by saying, "Carry on, O Bani Arfidah," his asking his wife, 'Aishah, "Would you like to watch?" and standing there with her until she herself became tired and went away, and 'Aishah's playing with dolls with her friends. He then says:All these ahadith are reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim in the two Sahihs, and they clearly prove that singing and playing are not haram. From them we may deduce the following:

First: The permissibility of playing; the Abyssinians were in the habit of dancing and playing.
Second: Doing this in the mosque.
Third: The Prophet's saying, 'Carry on, O Bani Arfidah,' was a command and a request that they should play; then how can their play be considered haram?
Fourth: The Prophet (peace be on him) prevented Abu Bakr and 'Umar from interrupting and scolding the players and singers. He told Abu Bakr that 'Eid was a joyous occasion and that singing was a means of enjoyment.
Fifth: On both occasions he stayed for a long time with 'Aishah, letting her watch the show of the Abyssinians and listening with her to the singing of the girls. This proves that it is far better to be good-humored in pleasing women and children with games than to express such disapproval of such amusements out of a sense of harsh piety and asceticism.

Sixth: The Prophet (peace be on him) himself encouraged 'Aishah by asking her, "Would you like to watch?" (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
Seventh: The permissibility of singing and playing on the drum,
It is reported that many Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) as well as second generation Muslim scholars used to listen to singing and did not see anything wrong with it. As for the ahadith which have been reported against singing, they are all weak and have been shown by researchers to be unsound. The jurist Abu Bakr al-'Arabi says, "No sound hadith is available concerning the prohibition of singing," while Ibn Hazm says, "All that is reported on this subject is false and fabricated. "

However, since singing is in many cases is associated with drinking parties and night clubs, many scholars have declared it to be haram or at least makruh. They state that singing constitutes that kind of idle talk which is mentioned in the ayah,
And among the people is the one who buys idle talk (at the expense of his soul) in order to lead (people) astray from the path of Allah without knowledge, holding it in mockery; for such there will be a humiliating punishment. (Quran 31:6)

Ibn Hazm says :

This verse condemns a particular behavior, that of doing something to mock the path of "Allah". Anyone who does this is an unbeliever; if he even should buy a copy of the Qur'an, doing so in order to make it the object of his mockery and thereby leading people astray, he would be an unbeliever. It is this type of behavior which is condemned by Allah and not the idle talk in which one may indulge for mere relaxation, without intending to lead people astray from the path of "Allah".
Ibn Hazm also refutes the argument of those who say that since singing is not of "the truth" it must be of "error," referring to the verse, "And what is beyond the truth except error?" (Quran 10:32). He comments,

The Messenger of "Allah" (peace be on him) said, 'Deeds will be judged according to intentions, and everyone will get what he intended.' (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.). Accordingly, the one who listens to singing with the intention of using it in support of a sin is a sinner, and this holds true of anything other than singing (as well), while one who listens to singing with the intention of refreshing his soul in order to gain strength to do his duty toward "Allah" Ta'ala and to do good deeds, is a good and obedient servant of "Allah", and his action is of the truth. And he who listens to singing intending neither obedience nor disobedience is doing something neutral and harmless, which is similar to going to the park and walking around, standing by a window and looking at the sky, wearing blue or green cloths, and so on.

However, there are some limitations to be observed in the matter of singing:
1. The subject matter of songs should not be against the teachings of Islam. For example, if the song is in praise of wine, and it invites people to drink, singing or listening to it is haram.
2. Although the subject matter itself may not be against the Islamic teachings, the manner of singing may render it haram; this would be the case, for example, if the singing were accompanied by suggestive sexual movement.
3. Is'lam fights against excess and extravagance in anything, even in worship; how, then, can it tolerate excessive involvement with entertainment? Too much time should not be wasted in such activities; after all, what is time but life itself? One cannot dispute the fact that spending time in permissible activities consumes time which ought to be resaved for carrying out religious obligations and doing good deeds. It is aptly said, "There is no excess except at the expense of a neglected duty."

4. Each individual is the best judge of himself. If a certain type of singing arouses one's passions, leads him towards sin, excites the animal instincts, and dulls spirituality, he must avoid it, thus closing the door to temptations.
5. There is unanimous agreement that if singing is done in conjunction with haram activities - for example, at a drinking party, or if it is mixed with obscenity and sin - it is haram. The Prophet (peace be on him) warned of a severe punishment for people who sing or listen to singing in such a situation when he said,
Some people of my ummah will drink wine, calling it by another name, while they listen to singers accompanied by musical instruments. Allah will cause the earth to swallow them and will turn some of them into monkeys and swine. (Reported by Ibn Majah.)

This does not mean that they will be physically transformed into the bodies and outward form of monkeys and swine but rather in heart and soul, carrying the heart of a monkey and the soul of a pig in their human bodies."
Excerpted from the book "The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam" by Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. (Photos, not part of the original article.)

I believe that the fact that women are required to cover in a specified manner in Surah Mumiin and Azhab, are enough evidence to caution all of us, otherwise, one will transgress the boundary set by "Allah". Afterall, if the women are not Mus'lims, they will be a means of trial for the Mus'lims, male and female who are in their company or attend the Musical stagings.

Asalaam Alaekun, , Olabowale hope everything is well with you? Islam is a guided religion and no error can be found in Islam. Thank God you are Muslim. Ma Salaam