Listening to Sounds of Swords, Guns, and Metals That Tune Like Musical Instruments
Fatwa No: 451417

Question

I would like to ask what kind of sounds are permissible. Is every sound that is pleasing to hear haram? Like the sound of sword or gun for example. They are pleasing to hear and sound like metallic or percussion musical instruments. But they are not in rhythm or tune like musical instruments. So are sounds like this allowed? Please give an explanation about what sounds are allowed to hear or make so that we have no doubt. JajakAllahu Khairan.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is not forbidden to hear good sounds, and the principle regarding this topic is the permissibility and not the prohibition.

The Prophet clarified the sounds that are forbidden as he said: “But I prohibited two foolish immoral voices: A voice with a tune of fun and play and flutes of the devil, and a voice when mourning a dead while clawing at one's face and tearing one's clothes.” [At-Tirmithi and Al-Haakim, and the wording is Al-Haakim’s, and it was authenticated by Al-Albaani]

Therefore, the sounds that are forbidden are the sounds of musical instruments and raising one’s voice when mourning a dead.

The view that we adopt here in Islamweb regarding the sounds of sound effects is that if they produce sounds like the sounds of musical instruments and have a strong resemblance to them, then they take their ruling regarding the prohibition, and if they do not resemble them, then they remain on the principle of permissibility.

For more benefit on the prohibition of musical instruments, please refer to Fatawa 81239, 81545 and 331786.

Allah knows best.

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