Seadet-i Ebediyye - Endless Bliss Second Fascicle

into playing and amusement [by singing and playing music]. They
shall go to Hell.”
As is understood from what is said above, he who approves
things that are certainly harâm becomes a disbeliever. He is not a
Muslim. He has turned into a renegade. [But those who do the
harâms with regret and knowing that they are foul though they
may taste sweet, do not become disbelievers.] Then, only imagine
the case of those who value the harâms and who consider them as
acts of worship. May infinite gratitude be to Allâhu ta’âlâ, because
our superiors, who educated us, did not smear themselves with this
filth. And because we obeyed them, they protected us from doing
such disgraceful things. I hear that the worthy sons of my master
have been listening to music, making it a habit to assemble
together on Friday nights and to recite ilâhîs and qasîdas; and most
of our acquaintances being there have been following them, and
attending the gatherings. I am surprised, very much surprised to
hear this. The disciples of others do as their masters did on the
pretext that their masters did so. They hush up the prohibitions of
Islam by saying that their masters did so. Wrong as they are, they
take shelter behind their masters. But I wonder what idle pretext
our friends could put forward to cover their guilt? Not only does
Islam prohibit it but also our superiors avoided it. Both Islam and
Tasawwuf disapprove this act. Even if Islam did not prohibit it, it
would still be very disgraceful to do something which has no place
on the path of our superiors. Since Islam also prohibits it, we
should think of how grave the disgrace is. I send my salâm to you
all.
[In the seventy-second letter of the third volume Hadrat
Imam-i Rabbânî says to Khwâja Husâmaddîn Ahmad:
“It is permissible to recite (or read) the Qur’ân al-kerîm,
qasîdas, mawlids with a mellifluous voice. What is harâm is to
tune up the voice to musical pitches, in which case the letters are
changed and the meaning is defiled. It is permissible to read these
without tunes but with a beautiful voice, provided that it is done
for Allah’s sake. However, since those who do not spare their
faith will not observe these conditions, it seems more suitable to
this faqîr not to permit this either.” Another condition is that men
and women should not be in the same place together.]
– 58 –