Short answer
No, singing itself is not haram. In the Hanafi school, singing or chanting without instruments is allowed when the words are clean and it does not lead to sin. Songs with sinful words, singing meant to stir desire, and a woman singing for non-mahram men are not allowed. Singing with instruments takes the ruling of music.
Singing without instruments with good words is mubah (permitted). Singing with sinful words, singing that arouses desire, making it a profession or a constant pastime, and a woman singing for non-mahram men are prohibited.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Singing without instruments is makruh (disliked) rather than haram, and so is listening to it, unless the words or the setting make it sinful.
- Hanbali
- Views in the school range from makruh to permitted for singing without instruments. Sinful songs are haram.
Explanation
Singing and music are two different questions. Music in the fiqh sense means instruments, and the Hanafi school forbids them (see why music is haram). Singing means the human voice with a tune. Its ruling depends on the words, the effect and the setting.
On an Eid day two young girls sang old Ansari songs in Aisha's home. Abu Bakr objected, and the Prophet ﷺ told him to leave them, because every people has its festival and this was the Muslims' Eid. He also praised good poetry and said that some poetry is wisdom. So a song with clean words, sung without instruments, is permitted.
Singing becomes haram when:
- the words praise sin, such as alcohol, zina or shirk, or mock the religion;
- it is sung to arouse desire, or in a setting with mixing and sin;
- it is accompanied by instruments;
- a woman sings for non-mahram men, which the Hanafi scholars forbid because of the fitnah it brings.
The Hanafi books also reject the testimony of a professional singer, which shows that making singing a career or a constant pastime is blameworthy even when each song is clean.
Everyday singing is fine: a mother singing to her baby, children singing about the prophets, a person humming while working, or a group chanting nasheeds. Reciting the Quran beautifully is better than all of it, and the time you give to songs should never crowd out the Quran.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Furqaan 25:72
وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ ٱلزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا۟ بِٱللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا۟ كِرَامًۭا ﴿٧٢﴾
And [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood, and when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity.
Believers keep away from useless and sinful talk, which includes sinful songs.
Sahih al-Bukhari 952
Sahih... يا أبا بكر إن لكل قوم عيدا وهذا عيدنا ...
"O Abu Bakr, every people has its festival, and this is our festival."
The Prophet ﷺ allowed girls to sing clean songs on Eid.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6145
Sahih... إن من الشعر حكمة ...
"Some poetry is wisdom."
Words set to rhythm are judged by their content.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Shahadat, chapter on whose testimony is accepted and whose is not. The testimony of a professional singer is not accepted.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hazr wa al-Ibaha. Details when singing is permitted and when it is forbidden.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.