Attributing Qawwali and ‘Urs to Shah ‘Abd al-‘Aziz

Question

Zayd also says that the ulama of Deoband have prohibited qawwali (Sufi devotional singing with music) and sama‘ (listening to devotional singing) as well — how, then, did the aforementioned noble awliya ﵏ and others listen to sama‘, and why did they hold the ‘urs (an annual festival at a saint’s tomb on his death anniversary)? It is further said that Hazrat Shah ‘Abd al-‘Aziz declared sama‘ and ‘urs permissible in his books.

Answer

What has been prohibited in the noble hadith, the elders of religion have always abstained from. Then, if someone has attributed such a thing to the elders of religion, either that attribution is not correct — rather, a way to permissibility has been carved out for oneself by means of a false attribution, and this is what happens most often, as is known by observation and…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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