Praise be to Allah.

Musical instruments, referred to as “ma’azif,” are considered haram in Islam based on evidence from the Quran and Sunnah. The term “ma’azif” includes various musical instruments such as flutes, drums, and other instruments that produce music.

Evidence from the Quran:

• Allah says in Surah Luqman (interpretation of the meaning): “And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of Allah…” [Luqman 31:6]
• The scholar of the ummah, Ibn ‘Abbas, said this refers to singing and playing musical instruments.

Evidence from the Sunnah:

• The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Among my ummah there will certainly be people who permit zina, silk, alcohol, and musical instruments…” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, no. 5590)
• ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a gold ring on a man’s hand. He took it off and threw it aside, saying, “Would any of you take a burning coal and hold it in his hand?” When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had gone away, someone said to the man, “Take your ring and benefit from it (i.e., sell it).” He said, “No, by Allah, I will not take it after the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has thrown it away.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 2090)

Scholarly Consensus:

• The view of the four Imams (Abu Hanifah, Malik, Shafi’i, and Ahmad) is that all kinds of musical instruments are haram.
• Imam Nawawi and Ibn al-Qayyim stated that listening to musical instruments is haram and should be prevented.

Conclusion: The prohibition of musical instruments is supported by clear evidence from the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of scholars. Therefore, instrumental music is considered haram in Islam.

And Allah knows best.

Sources:

1. IslamQA: Ruling on musical instruments
2. Fath al-Bari
3. Tafsir Ibn Kathir