Singing and Music at a Wedding

Question

Are singing and playing the daf at weddings permissible or not? If not, what is the meaning of this hadith: [ar]عن عائشة ﵂ قالت: قال رسول الله ﷺ: أعلنوا عند النكاح، واجعلوه في المساجد، واخبروا عليه بالدفوف، رواه الترمذي[/ar] From ‘A’isha ﵂: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Make announcement at the nikah, hold it in the mosques, and proclaim it with the dafs.’” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (“Mishkat”, p. 272). [ar]يا عائشة، ألا تغنين؟ فإن هذا الحي من الأنصار يحبون الغناء[/ar] “O ‘A’isha, will you not sing?

Answer

Little girls used to sing some songs at times of joy which were not according to the rules of music; there was no fitna in them, and their content was not bad either; and whatever content was bad, he ﷺ would forbid it, as he forbade the words: [ar]وفينا نبي يعلم ما في غد[/ar] “And among us is a Prophet who knows what is in tomorrow.” So it is in the commentary on al-Bukhari.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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