HRMARS - Listening to songs and musical instruments forms part of the cultural heritage of the Malay community, passed down through generations, especially during festive occasions such as weddings, communal feasts, and traditional celebrations. In the Sh?fi?? school of thought, based on the authoritative (mu?tamad) opinion, the ruling on music and singing is that they are prohibited (?ar?m) if they involve elements of distraction, lead to immoral acts (maksiat), or cause neglect of religious obligations. The key question addressed in this study is: what is the stance of the Malay community regarding listening to singing and music? This study aims to analyse the practices of the Malay community in relation to singing and music based on the mu’tamad opinion of the Sh?fi?? school of thought. This research adopts a qualitative methodology, with data obtained through document analysis involving tafs?r literature, ?ad?th compilations, classical and contemporary fiqh sources, online resources, books, and papers on Malay customs and culture. The data were analysed using inductive, deductive, and comparative methods. The findings reveal that the position of the Malay community on singing and music does not fully reflect the mu?tamad opinion but instead aligns with non-authoritative (ghayr mu?tamad) views — opinions that permit listening to singing and musical instruments provided they do not contain prohibited elements and do not lead to neglect of religious duties. These non-authoritative views are not impermissible to follow, as they represent the ijtih?d of certain Sh?fi?? scholars as well as scholars such as Ibn ?azm. The Malay community’s preference for such views is influenced by several factors: official authorisation from JAKIM, an inclination towards the opinions of Ibn ?azm and certain Sh?fi?? scholars, the influence of national broadcasting (RTM), and the desire to preserve cultural heritage and artistic expression in daily life. The study concludes that there is a conscious effort within the Malay community to reconcile religious rulings with traditional practices regarding music and singing, thereby avoiding conflict between the two.
Ibrahim et al. (Thu,) studied this question.