Re: Is music haram? Please provide exact references
Please do not get misguided by translation of Quran done by people like Mohsin Ali adding their own beliefs as part of Quran in translation (as Mohsin Ali did in above translation).
Music is allowed in Islam just like any good, pleasurable, or enjoyable things Allah has created and allowed his creation to enjoy. There is no place in Quran where poetry or Music is made haram … and that is obvious too, as to make Music, poetry or similar gifts of Allah, haram would have been illogical … and Allah do not command anything illogical … rather all commands of Allah has ‘hikmat’.
Quran itself had element of poetry and hearing the recitation of Quran is Music to the ears of most Believers. Music and poetry is neither ‘idol talk nor waste of time’. Only those who have no heart or mind to love the gifts of Allah (like Shaitan) do not like Music and Poetry.
As for above translation by Mohsin Ali, it is a translation full of putting own thoughts or beliefs and intermingling that with the words of Allah … and such people (like Mohsin Ali) who change the meaning of Quran by adding their own words to misguide people (even though their own misguiding words are in brackets) for Money (Petro-dollar), for their own desires, to promote their beliefs, or their whim … would surely burn in hell … and same goes for those who take translators (like Mohsin Ali) misguiding words as words of Allah.
Proper translation of above ayah (31:6) is:
*
Sahih International
*And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech to mislead [others] from the way of Allah without knowledge and who takes it in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment.
*
Pickthall
*And of mankind is he who payeth for mere pastime of discourse, that he may mislead from Allah’s way without knowledge, and maketh it the butt of mockery. For such there is a shameful doom.
*
Yusuf Ali
*But there are, among men, those who purchase idle tales, without knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path): for such there will be a Humiliating Penalty.
*
Shakir
*And of men is he who takes instead frivolous discourse to lead astray from Allah’s path without knowledge, and to take it for a mockery; these shall have an abasing chastisement.
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Dr. Ghali
*And of mankind are (they) who trade diverting discourse to lead into error away from the way of Allah without knowledge, and to take it to themselves in mockery; those will have a degrading torment.
In Quran the word used for tales or discourse is ‘Hadith’ … and hadith do not mean music or poetry … but it means ‘saying’ … and from above verse it is clear that here Allah tells people that do not buy (accept) those stories or tales (or sayings) that makes you astray and take you away from truth … that people concerned buy (accept) without understanding or knowing … and then use what they accept to mislead innocent people from path of Allah or to ridicule them:
And we see that happening ‘now a day’ a lot when we see people like Kharjees misguiding people and making fun of other Muslims (ridiculing them) due to their deviant and misguided untrue beliefs they buy from their so-called scholars (translation of Mohsin Ali is just one example) … and so on.