For my "music and beliefs" class we have been learning about Islam and the banning of music in some Islamic practices. I wrote this for a response to several reading which talked about the view of music in Islam:
This week in my personal study of the Bible I read 1 Chorinthians chapter 7. Here Paul is advising that while being married is good in Gods’ eyes, it is better to be unmarried. He states in verse 32 and 33, “An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs-how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world-how he can please his wife-and his interests are divided.” The best I can understand it is that Paul’s reason for discouraging marriage is to keep distraction away from mans connection and dedication to God.
Scott Marcus and Seyyed Hossein Nasr argue a similar point with music in Islam. According to Nasr, music is most forbidden when it “separates the listener from religion and is an obstacle to the remembrance of God”(230). Scott Marcus reiterates this by saying “For some, the issue is not one of condemning music per se, but rather of maintaining a separation between the sacred and the secular”(94).
It has been hard, in my study of Paul’s advice, to understand how marriage, a concept I have always dreamed of, could be anything but ideal. It wasn’t until I read about the Islam view of music that the pieces started coming together. How could music be considered unacceptable? I can accept the argument that it is better to eliminate distraction from your religion in order to gain the most from your practice. Music can become a religious experience in and of itself and I know from experience that it can consume your whole existence (much like a marriage where the family could take away from the spiritual time with God). Growing up with music as such a huge aspect of my life, it practically was my religion. Later I struggled, having to put religion back into it’s proper place. I agree that it is better to keep a balanced view of God as first priority or importance. If music, or similarly marriage, are tools used to enhance your spiritual life, then it is not haram and will be seen as good in the eyes of God.
