Protect Your Hearing

Culled from Nourishment of the Soul

Allah Almighty has bestowed upon humankind the gifts of intellect, sight, and hearing, and has honored the believers with the blessings of Islam, faith, and excellence. Among the greatest blessings is the gift of hearing, for through it, a person distinguishes between what is harmful and what is beneficial. As a child, one learns from parents; as a youth, from teachers. Through hearing, a person acquires vast knowledge and understanding, making it easier to interact with others.ong the greatest blessings is the gift of hearing, for through it, a person distinguishes between what is harmful and what is beneficial. As a child, one learns from parents; as a youth, from teachers. Through hearing, a person acquires vast knowledge and understanding, making it easier to interact with others.

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ ,نَحْمَدُهُ ,وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ , وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا ,مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ , وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ , وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of our selves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.

يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – آل عمران:102

Al Imran 102 : O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.

Oh people:

Allah Almighty has bestowed upon humankind the gifts of intellect, sight, and hearing, and has honored the believers with the blessings of Islam, faith, and excellence.

Among the greatest blessings is the gift of hearing, for through it, a person distinguishes between what is harmful and what is beneficial. As a child, one learns from parents; as a youth, from teachers. Through hearing, a person acquires vast knowledge and understanding, making it easier to interact with others.

وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُمْ مِنْ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

An-Nahl (16) 78: And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.

A person will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection about what they heard. Was it permissible or forbidden? Did they devote the blessing of hearing to the obedience of Allah the Almighty or to His disobedience?

إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا

Al-Isra (17) 36: Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned.

People today have been tested and flooded with many forms of listening. Some forms of listening are forbidden, some are disliked, and some are mere idle talk that brings the listener no benefit.

Among forbidden types of listening is listening to mockery of Islam, criticism of its rulings, delving into religious matters without knowledge, justifying the forbidden, or dismissing obligatory duties. This is because a listener who remains silent, even if only out of social politeness, is considered content with what they are hearing. One who is content with such speech is like the one who utters it. Allah the Almighty says:

وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ أَنْ إِذَا ‌سَمِعْتُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلَا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَيْذِي يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَامِعُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ جَمِيعًا

An-Nisa (4) 140: And it has already come down to you in the Book that when you hear the verses of Allah being denied and ridiculed, do not sit with them until they enter into another conversation. Indeed, you would then be like them. Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers in Hell all together.

Another forbidden type is listening to misconceptions and doubts cast by the opponents of Islam and the opponents of the Prophetic Sunnah. Whether these are sowing doubts, misconceptions regarding Islam, or introducing innovations, listening to them poses a grave danger, especially for those with limited knowledge of the Sharia. Misconceptions are like hooks that snatch away hearts. The predecessors spoke extensively in warning against this. Consider the remarkable conduct of the great Tabi’i, Muhammad ibn Sirin:

A man came to him and asked about Divine Decree (Qadar), so Muhammad recited: “Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.” The man tried to speak again, so Muhammad put his fingers in his ears and said: “Either he must leave me, or I shall leave him.” The man left, and Muhammad said: “My heart is not in my own hands; I did not feel safe from him casting something into my heart that I would be unable to remove. It was more beloved to me not to hear his words at all.

If this great scholar feared for himself the effect of hearing a misconception, what then of those less knowledgeable than him? What of the unlearned who listen to those casting doubts on their religion until these doubts take root in their hearts and never leave?

Also forbidden is listening to music and singing, which deadens the heart and stirs base desires. This is included in the “falsehood” mentioned in the words of Allah the Almighty:

وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ ‌الزُّورَ

Al-Furqan (25) 72: And [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood.

Ibn Mas’ud—may Allah be pleased with him—said, Singing causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart just as water causes crops to grow, while the remembrance of Allah causes faith to grow in the heart just as water causes crops to grow.

Furthermore, it is forbidden to listen to backbiting, slander, and false accusations, all of which are major sins. These are frequently spoken in people’s social gatherings today. One who hears these evils either participates with the speakers and falls into the same sin, or remains silent despite their dislike. If a person is able to speak out against it but remains silent out of shyness, they are sinful because they heard an evil they could have prevented but did not. The third type of person, the rarest among people, is the one who speaks out against it. This person remains safe and is rewarded. Whoever lends an ear to a gossiper allows that person to ruin their relationships with those closest to them, potentially severing family ties, harming their family, and destroying their home. The gossiper intends nothing but evil, even if they pretend to give sincere advice.

Also forbidden is listening to lies while knowing they are lies. This is common among storytellers and those who recount anecdotes merely to entertain or make people laugh. They may designate certain people for this purpose or encourage those who have become accustomed to lying by pretending to believe them and reacting to them. There is a stern warning against making people laugh through lies, as the Prophet ﷺ said:

وَيْلٌ لِلَّذِي يُحَدِّثُ فَيَكْذِبُ لِيُضْحِكَ بِهِ الْقَوْمَ، ‌وَيْلٌ ‌لَهُ، ‌وَيْلٌ ‌لَهُ

Woe to him who speaks and lies to make the people laugh; woe to him, woe to him. [Ahmad 20045, Grade: Hasan (Al-Arna’ut)]

The one who encourages a liar is a participant in the lie. Those who grow addicted to such gatherings become addicted to hearing lies, and their lives become characterized more by frivolity than by seriousness. This is not the role of a believer in this world. The believer’s life is not one of idle amusement and play. The Prophet ﷺ said:

يَا أُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ، لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ، ‌لَضَحِكْتُمْ ‌قَلِيلًا وَلَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا

O community of Muhammad, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much. [Bukhari 1044 and Muslim 2359]

Finally, it is forbidden to eavesdrop on those having private conversations who wish to keep their talk hidden. Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

مَنْ تَسَمَّعَ إِلَى ‌حَدِيثِ ‌قَوْمٍ ‌وَهُمْ ‌لَهُ ‌كَارِهُونَ، صُبَّ فِي أُذُنِهِ الْآنُكُ

Whoever listens to the talk of people who are averse to him [doing so] will have molten lead poured into his ears on the Day of Resurrection. [Ahmad 2213, Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)]

Some people are afflicted with the habit of straining their ears to hear what others are saying in every public place, whether they know them or not. This is a forbidden and blameworthy intrusiveness that damages one’s honor. Such a person is disliked by others, and people avoid meeting them or speaking around them.

أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

I say what you have heard and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you from every sin. So seek forgives from Him, Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful

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