Question 514: I was a professional musician, and after seeing the hadiths on the unlawfulness of music, I quit, but I have expensive instruments. Can I sell them?
Answer
✅ Answer:
1 عن الصادق فی حدیث و أَمَّا وُجُوهُ الْحَرَامِ مِنَ الْبَيْعِ وَ الشِّرَاءِ فَكُلُّ أَمْرٍ يَكُونُ فِيه الْفَسَاد مِمَّا هُوَ مَنْهِيٌّ عَنْهُ مِنْ جِهَةِ أَكْلِهِ أَوْ شُرْبِهِ أَوْ كَسْبِه أَوْ نِكَاحِهِ أَوْ مِلْكِهِ أَوْ إِمْسَاكِهِ أَوْ هِبَتِهِ أَوْ عَارِيَّتِهِ أَوْ شَيْ ءٍ يَكُونُ فِيه وَجْهٌ مِنْ وُجُوهِ الْفَسَادِ نَظِيرِ الْبَيْعِ بِالرِّبَا أَوِ الْبَيْع لِلْمَيْتَةِ أَو الدَّمِ أَوْ لَحْم الْخِنْزِيرِ أَوْ لُحُوم السِّبَاعِ مِنْ صُنُوفِ سِبَاعِ الْوَحْشِ وَ الطَّيْرِ أَوْ جُلُودِهَا أَوِ الْخَمْرِ أَوْ شَيْ ءٍ مِنْ وُجُوهِ النَّجِسِ فَهَذَا كُلُّهُ حَرَامٌ وَ مُحَرَّمٌ لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ مَنْهِيٌّ عَنْ أَكْلِهِ وَ شُرْبِهِ وَ لُبْسِهِ وَ مِلْكِهِ وَ إِمْسَاكِهِ وَ التَّقَلُّبِ فِيهِ فَجَمِيعُ تَقَلُّبِهِ فِي ذَلِكَ حَرَامٌ وَ كَذَلِكَ كُلُّ بَيْعٍ مَلْهُوٍّ بِهِ و كُلُّ مَنْهِيٍّ عَنْهُ مِمَّا يُتَقَرَّبُ بِهِ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ أَوْ يُقَوَّى بِهِ الْكُفْرُ و الشِّرْك مِنْ جَمِيعِ وُجُوهِ الْمَعَاصِي أَوْ بَابٌ يُوهَنُ بِهِ الْحَقُّ فَهُوَ حَرَامٌ مُحَرَّمٌ بَيْعُهُ وَ شِرَاؤُهُ وَ إِمْسَاكُهُ و مِلْكُهُ وَ هِبَتُهُ وَ عَارِيَّتُهُ وَ جَمِيعُ التَّقَلُّبِ فِيه...
📚 Wasa'il al-Shi'ah Vol. 12, p. 55
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said in a hadith: As for the unlawful aspects of buying and selling, they are every item that is prohibited in terms of eating it, drinking it, earning from it, marrying it, possessing it, keeping it, giving it as a gift, lending it, or something in which there is an aspect of corruption, such as usurious sale, or the sale of carrion, or blood, or pork, or the flesh of all kinds of wild predatory animals and birds, or their skins, or intoxicants, or anything that is ritually impure, all of which are forbidden and prohibited, because all of them are prohibited in terms of eating, drinking, wearing, possessing, and using them, so all dealings in them are forbidden. Also, the buying and selling of any distracting instrument and anything prohibited that is used to get closer to other than God, or something that strengthens disbelief and polytheism through all aspects of sins, or a door by which the truth is weakened and humiliated. So its buying, selling, keeping, possessing, gifting, lending, and all dealings in it are forbidden and prohibited...
✅ In another part of this hadith, it is stated:
Indeed, Allah has forbidden the craft that is all forbidden, from which pure corruption comes, such as the barabits (a type of musical instrument) and the flutes and chess and every distracting thing with it and crosses and idols and what resembles that from the craft of forbidden drinks and what is from it and in it there is pure corruption and there is nothing from it and in it of any aspect of righteousness. So it is forbidden to teach it, to learn it, to work with it, to take a wage for it, and all dealings in it from all aspects of movements.
📚 Wasa'il al-Shi'ah Vol. 12, p. 57
Translation: Indeed, God has forbidden that craft that is all forbidden, from which pure corruption comes, such as: barabits (which is a type of musical instrument) and flutes and chess and every distracting thing with it and crosses and idols and what resembles that from the craft of forbidden drinks and what is from it and in it there is pure corruption and in it and from it there is no aspect of righteousness, so teaching it and learning it and working with it and taking a wage for it and all dealings in it from all movements are forbidden.
2 عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ قَالَ: بَائِعُ الْخَبِيثَاتِ وَ مُشْتَرِيهَا فِي الْإِثْمِ سَوَاءٌ
📚 Al-Ja'fariyat p. 172
Ali (peace be upon him) said: The seller of vile things and their buyer are equal in sin.
3 عن أَبِي عَبْداللَّه أَنَّ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ... وَ رُفِعَ إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ كَسَرَ بَرْبَطاً فَأَبْطَلَه
📚 Tahdhib Vol. 10, p. 309
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: A complaint was brought to Ali (peace be upon him) that a person had broken a barabit (which is a musical instrument), so Ali (peace be upon him) invalidated it (meaning he did not hold the breaker responsible).
4️⃣ Abu Rabi' said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked about wine; he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: Indeed, Allah Almighty has sent me as a mercy to the worlds and to destroy 'ma'azif' (drums and all percussive musical instruments like the oud and guitar and...) and 'mazamir' (all wind musical instruments like the flute and trumpet and...) and the matters of ignorance and idols!
📚 Al-Kafi Vol. 6, p. 39
✅ The buying and selling of musical instruments has no permissibility in Shia narrations, and this dear brother whom God has granted the success to abandon this great sin must destroy these instruments which are pure corruption, and his reward is preserved with the Lord of the worlds. Insha'Allah.