Our Mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
The Ansar enjoy entertainment.
Allah created the human soul,
and He is most knowledgeable of it and what is beneficial for it.
Thus, He revealed a legislation that suits its innate nature and brings balance to its life.
Whenever it strays from this legislation,
it wanders in the darkness of ignorance,
and its life turns into misery.
The search for happiness is a demand of all people,
yet some realize that the path to happiness
is following this great religion
which Allah has chosen for us,
so one finds happiness in the pleasure of their Lord.
Others think that religion is a source of misery and hardship in this worldly life,
so they seek happiness in the amusements of life,
drowning in them, only to find no happiness.
Islam came with a legislation that balances serious worship
with the human soul’s desires for permissible recreation.
It gave everything its due right.
Whoever implements this balance
attains the happiness of this world and the Hereafter.
It is part of the nature of women
that they enjoy recreation,
especially on beautiful occasions
such as the two Eids and wedding celebrations.
Therefore, Islam has taken this nature into account,
and permitted them the recreation that brings joy to their souls,
without crossing into the forbidden.
Anyone who follows the Prophetic biography of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
in his dealings with the nature of women,
will realize this well.
Among the examples of this
is what was narrated by ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
that a woman was being wedded to a man from the Ansar.
The Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
“O ‘Aishah, did you have any entertainment with you?
For the Ansar enjoy entertainment.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari.
The occasion here in this story
is the wedding.
The nature of a wedding is joy and happiness.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, added in this hadith
that it is in the nature of the women of the Ansar to love entertainment.
Thus, several factors converged on this occasion,
all of which invite the use of entertainment
and the expression of joy and happiness.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, guided
his wife ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
to the importance of having that which brings joy
and makes women happy on this occasion,
through permissible recreation.
The word "entertainment" in this hadith,
or the word "singing" in other hadiths,
should be understood according to the terminology of its time
in which it was spoken,
and how it was applied in that era.
As for our current time,
although the term carries the same word,
the meaning has changed completely,
and the means and applications have changed as well.
Therefore, no one should use such hadiths as an argument
to justify falsehood,
or to declare lawful what Allah, the Almighty, has forbidden.
Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"It was called singing
for a type of steady chanting and modulation.
Such a thing does not take one's nature out of moderation."
How can one use that which occurred in a sound time,
with pure hearts,
as an argument for these musical voices occurring in a corrupt time,
with souls possessed by whims?
This is nothing but a fallacy of understanding.
Has it not been authentically reported in the hadith
from ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said:
"If the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had seen
what women have introduced,
he would have forbidden them from the mosques."
A jurist must weigh the circumstances,
just as a doctor must weigh the time, age, and location,
and then prescribe accordingly.
And where is the singing that the Ansar spoke of on the day of Bu'ath
compared to the singing of a beardless youth, enhanced by pleasant instruments,
and a craft that draws the soul toward it,
with love poetry mentioning the gazelle and the beloved,
and the mole, the cheek, the stature, and the grace?
Can one's nature remain steady there?
Far from it!
Rather, one is stirred with longing for the pleasurable,
and no one would claim not to find that
except a liar or someone outside the bounds of humanity.
Furthermore, this recreation that the Prophet, peace be upon him, permitted,
and guided ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, to,
is only for the occasion of a wedding.
Therefore, the scholars agreed on its permissibility at a wedding feast.
Ibn Battal says:
"The scholars agreed on the permissibility of entertainment at a wedding feast,
such as beating the tambourine and the like,
as long as it is not forbidden."
The feast was specified for this so that the marriage becomes known and publicized,
thus establishing its rights and sanctity.
This type of entertainment is a characteristic of women
and is not in the nature of men.
Therefore, Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"The strong hadiths
contain permission for this for women,
so men should not be included with them,
due to the general prohibition against imitating them."
So where is this recreation
compared to what we see today of debauchery at all times,
and on every occasion, whether legitimate or innovated,
while including forbidden things like alcohol, unveiled women,
musical instruments, and free-mixing?
So, you who fasted Ramadan and stood in its nights,
do not ruin your Eid by committing what Allah has forbidden,
for then Allah will be displeased with you.
I ask Allah to accept righteous deeds from us all,
and to make our Eid blessed for us all.
It is enough for us to rejoice in the blessing Allah bestowed upon us by allowing us to reach Ramadan,
and granting us the success to fast and pray during it.
We will continue in a future meeting, if Allah wills.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Our Mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.