Is Islam Opposed to Dance and Music?

Does Islam show a positive attitude towards arts such as music, dance, and singing? The Quran asks women to cover their adornments. A beautiful voice is also considered one of the adornments of women in religious interpretations, and consequently, it has been requested to be hidden. In this context, some argue that Islam, in essence, does not oppose dance, music, joy, and even women's singing, and that such oppositions are a later development. The representative of this viewpoint in this week's taboo is Ali-Asghar Ramadanpour, the former Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Iran and the senior editor of International TV in London. Opposing him is Majid Mohammadi, a sociologist with religious studies background. He argues that Islam's opposition to these arts stems from the institution of Islam. Allow me to start the program with Mr. Ramadanpour. Mr. Ramadanpour, in this program, we want to specifically address the relationship between Islam and arts such as dance or music. How do you see this relationship? What is Islam's approach to arts like dance and music? Ali-Asghar Ramadanpour: Well, as it is clear, we do not have a shared interpretation of what is said to be Islam. Therefore, we have different Islams. The aspect I refer to is historical, and what has been studied from a cultural history perspective. From this perspective, I believe that this viewpoint opposing music, dance, and singing is specifically born from a thought that emerged centuries after Islam among a particular group of jurists, and historically, we have no reason to say that this opinion has been dominant in Islam; rather, it is a view that has gained prominence in certain jurisprudential factions since at least the fourth century AH. Therefore, I do not consider the hypothesis that Islam, in principle, opposes music or dance and singing—whether of men or women—to be a historically and culturally correct proposition, although I accept that there are groups of jurists who believe that Islam opposes dance, music, and joy in this sense. Mr. Ramadanpour, if people ask you that what you are stating contradicts what is observable, now in parts of the Islamic world or historical Islam, and perhaps differs from the hadiths left by the Prophet of Islam, what would you respond to this contradiction? Ramadanpour: I think historically, if we mean by Islam the Islamic community, we cannot say that a large part of the Islamic community has been opposed to music; the very clear reason is that if you go back to the fourth century, someone like Al-Farabi, regardless of his position, was a musician in the Islamic capital in the year 350 AH. We have multiple historical narratives that what he wrote about music and the musicians who accompanied him were performed in the place where the Islamic caliphate was, and even what we have in hadiths, the oldest of which, if we want to refer to, goes back to the second century among Sunnis. You encounter music in Iran, and you have had it while the people of Iran have been Muslim, whether Shia or Sunni, and it has spread significantly among Arabs and continues to do so, whether in its modern forms or in its folkloric and traditional forms. Therefore, I can say that historically, what prevails is that music has had more expansion in Islamic societies than the prohibition of music. Let us allow our other guest of this week's taboo, Mr. Mohammadi, to see what his opinion is. Mr. Mohammadi, historically, Mr. Ramadanpour believes that we have no reason to say that Islam opposes arts such as dance and singing and music. What is your opinion? Majid Mohammadi: The Islam of power and identity, alongside the Islam of Sharia, has clashed with art in its general form in some cases. The most conflict we see is between the Islam of Sharia and art and literature. The commonalities among different schools of Sharia show that the Islam of Sharia does not have much compatibility with art and literature. Mr. Ramadanpour's statement that jurists have largely constructed these oppositions and conflicts; jurisprudence fundamentally has roots in the Quran and hadith, and jurists believe that the instructions they present are derived from the Quran and hadith. A significant portion of their statements is indeed accurate. It is not the case that jurisprudence is a completely new phenomenon that has no relation to the Prophet's tradition or the Quran. Jurists from the third and fourth centuries onward did not come up with a completely new set of teachings that contradicted the teachings presented in the early Islam. They gradually expanded the existing set, which is why the teachings that exist in Sharia in various types and kinds of rulings, even if we go back to the past, to the Safavid era and earlier, and look at figures like Sheikh Mufid or Sheikh Tusi in their works, they also have hadiths. Of course, we cannot say that all these hadiths are credible. The hadiths mentioned correspond with many historical conditions of early Islam. When the Quran speaks of ignorance, it refers to specific phenomena. Mr. Mohammadi, let me explain to our listeners that there is a hadith from the Prophet of Islam that is also mentioned in 'Bihar al-Anwar,' which states, 'God sent me as a mercy for the worlds, and to destroy instruments and the affairs of ignorance.' This means that instruments are equated with ignorance in this hadith. Mohammadi: I also believe that it is a kind of fallacy to equate music with various other forms of entertainment mentioned in jurisprudential texts, such as drinking wine or using women, various types of women in gatherings. There is a kind of confusion or fallacy in that, but these realities exist. Ultimately, among Muslims, these confusions and fallacies have led to the issuance of instructions; in fact, part of the identity that Muslims attribute to themselves has been shaped by opposition to these phenomena, meaning various forms of art. Very well, Mr. Ramadanpour, you have heard Mr. Mohammadi's explanations, which were relatively detailed. However, I want to point out what exists regarding women's singing specifically. We see that women's singing is essentially eliminated, for example, in a country like Iran where an Islamic government is in power. Ramadanpour: Let me first explain. We have two narratives from the history of Islam. One narrative that believers in Islam give, and specifically believers in jurisprudence, is based on jurisprudential narratives from Islam. The oldest of these among Sunnis starts from Sahih Bukhari, going back to the second century. That is, something around two hundred years after Islam. Among Shia, it is even later. Therefore, I am not speaking here based on a narrative of the history of Islam that is based on the belief in Islam or belief in jurisprudence. I am speaking based on the history of Islam according to what today is mainly based on recent studies, that is, studies of recent decades that have set aside the traditional assumptions of Islamic scholars and Orientalists and conduct historical studies. Regarding the existence of a stable version of the Quran at least 50 years after the Prophet's death, there is no historical evidence. Therefore, Mr. Mohammadi knows better that even at that time we did not have something called a single Quran, but rather what was later organized as the final Quran at least 70 years after Muhammad ibn Abdullah, and then whoever had another Quran, the ruling authorities and Islam power, according to Mr. Mohammadi, suppressed it, that is one basis. What I am talking about is based on historical evidence that states that at least until 100 years after Islam, various forms of dance and singing, including women's dance and singing, existed in Arab societies. The example of Al-Farabi I mentioned is because all those who have worked on Al-Farabi's music know that some of the melodies he refers to are melodies that are actually based on the voice of women. That is, you could not have the voice of women absent and have those melodies, and now what was later organized based on musical notation. Even in Iran, we had a book that collected studies in this area and published it, which later, of course, was collected. I am not saying that what the jurists say has no relation or root. But what is stated as a ruling in the prohibition of [music and dance] is fundamentally rulings that were constructed centuries after Islam, and I want to say that until these recent centuries, meaning, for example, Mr. Mohammadi referred to the Safavid era and then going back to Arabia, meaning from the 17th century onward, we faced a type of stricter and more Salafi Islam gaining power, which had no serious support. Therefore, I want to say that even this school of Islam of power and Sharia is a modern phenomenon in the prohibition of music. In this sense, it emerged historically after the 15th century, which we consider the early modern period. Mr. Mohammadi, perhaps you would like to provide an explanation regarding Mr. Ramadanpour's response, but my question will be that if we assume what Mr. Ramadanpour says is correct, why has such a thing emerged from that time onward if it was not like that in the past? Mohammadi: Look, there is a misunderstanding or—if we want to say it more strongly—a kind of fallacy in Mr. Ramadanpour's statements. That fallacy is the confusion between Muslims and Islam. The history he speaks of is the history of Muslims. If we want to delve into the history of Muslims in the first few centuries of the formation of countries that adopted Islam as a majority, well, among Muslims, drinking wine has always been prevalent, prostitution has been prevalent, many matters that are fundamentally in conflict with the teachings of Islam have always been prevalent among Muslims, and you will find few Muslims who have acted according to the entirety of Islamic rites. We cannot consider these as part of Islam. These have been prevalent among Muslims, and the fact that among the caliphs or afterward in small kingdoms that existed in various regions in Iran and elsewhere, music was prevalent, and other actions were taken, is completely explainable that they were not meant to act according to the entirety of Islamic instructions. We cannot say that because the majority of people were Muslims, whatever was prevalent in these societies can be attributed to historical Islam. These should be attributed to the ongoing life and existence of Muslims. The foundations of this type of opposition to various forms of art and literature are present in the Prophet's tradition, in the Quran, however it has evolved, and this form that has emerged—accepting that the Quran has evolved—has ultimately reached a specific text, and its foundations are there. It has three foundations. One issue is the issue of women. The fact that the female body is a taboo, that the voice and movements of women are taboo, and that women should be behind the curtain has been an ongoing matter. The second point is the issue of sexual relations, which is a significant part of art. It is drama. It is music. It involves kissing, embracing, temptation, love, flirtation, and romance; all of these are in fact... This sensitivity that you see among Muslims regarding the bedroom and the bed and the bedroom has always been present in the history of jurisprudence and in the history of religious teachings. And the third point is the demarcation of the religious and legal authorities from others and non-believers. If you remove these three foundations from Sharia, nothing will remain of Sharia, nor will there be any conflict between Sharia and art. Mr. Ramadanpour, now I would like to know your response to Mr. Mohammadi's points, especially where he states that if we remove these points from Islam, what we refer to as non-ritual Sharia will have nothing left. And considering what you have presented in this program, fundamentally, if I have summarized correctly, you do not see any opposition between Islam and arts such as dance and singing and music. Perhaps then the question will arise for you that what Islam states regarding singing and uses terms like entertainment and amusement, if it exists in dance or music, does opposition arise or not; while the goal of music, one of the goals of dance and music is indeed this joy and vitality and singing. What explanation do you provide in this regard?