Is there a hadith "Allah ... commanded me to do away with musical instruments, flutes, strings, crucifixes ..." and is it reliable?
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*The Reliance of the Traveller*, by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri (translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller) in Section r40.1 quotes a fatwa (كفُّ الرَّعَاع عن محرَّمات اللهو والسَّمَاع Kaff al-ra'a' 'an muharramat al-Iahw wa al-sama' (y49), 2.269-70) by Ibn Hajar Haytami , which concludes that "musical instruments of all types are unlawful". One hadith he uses for evidence is:
> Allah Mighty and Majestic sent me as a guidance and mercy to believers and commanded me to do away with musical instruments, flutes, strings, crucifixes, and the affair of the pre-Islamic period of ignorance.
(The section is quoted in full e.g. at Muhammadanism.com .)
**Question**: Does this hadith exist, and is it reliable?
Searching the Internet, I did not find a reference for this hadith. A forum post lists it as in "Abu Dawud", but searching for
site:sunnah.com/abudawud instruments
(and variants) didn't help me find a source. Other listed hadith in the Ibn Hajar Haytami snippet are classed as weak by others (IslamWeb and FatwaIslam ), which makes me question its reliability.
Asked by Rebecca J. Stones
(20998 rep)
Mar 19, 2018, 06:59 AM
Last activity: Apr 28, 2025, 03:09 PM
Last activity: Apr 28, 2025, 03:09 PM