I say, and with God's success: Muslims in this time have distanced themselves from the rulings of their great religion, and have been influenced by Eastern and Western cultures that have invaded their lands. Their measure of the validity of things has become based on the state of the West and what they are upon. Among the calamities that have spread among people is the widespread of singing in its ugly and hideous forms in the lands, to the point that this abomination has become known among many. Nevertheless, there must be a clear truth in the following progression: First: The words used in anthems have two rulings: 1. Prohibited dislike, which applies to words of flirtation and idleness; this includes descriptions of women and boys, and the state of the lover with the beloved or with their rivals regarding connection, separation, longing, and passion, and so on. This description is not permissible if it involves describing living specific males and females, and the description of intoxicating wine and taverns, and the mockery of a Muslim or a dhimmi if the speaker intends to mock them, not if they intend to recite poetry for the purpose of citation or to demonstrate eloquence and rhetoric. It is disliked if one persists in it and makes it a craft until it dominates them, distracting them from the remembrance of God Almighty and from religious sciences; as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "It is better for a man's belly to be filled with pus than to be filled with poetry" (Sahih Muslim 4: 1769, Sahih Bukhari 5: 2279). A small amount of this is permissible if it is intended to show wit, charm, and exquisite comparisons and beautiful meanings, even if it involves descriptions of cheeks and figures, as the scholars of rhetoric have cited examples from the poetry of the modern poets and others for this purpose, as mentioned in Radd al-Muhtar 1: 47. 2. Permissible, which applies to words that have no frivolity in them, meaning there is no delicateness, lightness, or mockery of any Muslims in them, such as mentioning their private parts and attacking their honor, as in Al-Ashbah wa al-Nazair 4: 126, and Al-Durr al-Mukhtar 1: 45-48. It is permissible to describe a woman who is either unspecified or deceased, unlike if she is specifically alive, as in Al-Tahbiyyin 6: 14, and Fath al-Qadir 7: 9: 409, evidenced by what is in Al-Mustadrak 3: 671, and Sunan al-Bayhaqi al-Kabir 10: 243 from the saying of Ka'b ibn Zuhair (may Allah be pleased with him) in the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "And what is Sada' on the morning of separation when they departed, except a beautiful gazelle with lowered eyes, kohl-lined, that reveals the features of the unjust when she smiles, as if she were a fountain of wine, intoxicating." And similar instances are numerous from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them); because the woman in both cases is not specified, had it not been permissible to recite what includes a description of a woman, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would not have said it, as in Fath al-Qadir 7: 409. Second: Musical instruments, which have two rulings: 1. Prohibited, which includes musical instruments that are melodious without singing, such as the flute, whether made of wood or reed like the shababa, or others like the lute and tambourine; for the reasons that will follow from the hadiths; and because it is melodious and distracts from the remembrance of God Almighty. 2. Permissible; which is the tambourine in weddings, and similarly what is associated with an occasion of joy, and it is disliked in other contexts, as in Al-Bahr al-Ra'iq 7: 88. The jurists said: The tambourine refers to that which has no jingles, as in Fath al-Qadir 3: 184, and the margin of Al-Tahbiyyin 2: 96, and Al-Bahr al-Ra'iq 3: 86, and Radd al-Muhtar 3: 9, evidenced by: 1. From Al-Rabi' bint Mu'awidh (may Allah be pleased with her), she said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) entered upon me one morning and sat on my bed... and girls were beating the tambourine, lamenting those who were killed from their fathers on the day of Badr until one girl said: 'And among us is a Prophet who knows what will happen tomorrow.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Do not say this, but say what you used to say'" in Sahih Bukhari 4: 1469. 2. From Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she said: "A woman was married to a man from the Ansar, and the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'O Aisha, did you not have any entertainment? For the Ansar love entertainment'" in Sahih Bukhari 5: 1980. 3. From Amir ibn Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "I entered upon Qura'ah ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) and Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) at a wedding, and I saw girls singing, so I said: 'You are companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and from the people of Badr, and this is happening with you?' They said: 'Sit if you wish and listen with us, and if you wish, go away, for it has been permitted for us to enjoy at weddings'" in Al-Mujtaba 6: 135, and Al-Mustadrak 2: 201, and it was authenticated. The essence of the matter is that it is permissible to listen to anthems that mention Allah (the Exalted) and praise His Prophet (peace be upon him) and that include good and beautiful speech, as previously stated by the scholar Al-Zailai in Al-Tahbiyyin 6: 14: "Even if there is a ruling or lesson or jurisprudence in the poetry, it is not disliked, unlike what is in the voice of a woman, which is not permissible." Ibn al-Humam said in Fath al-Qadir 7: 409: "Yes, it is more disgraceful for a woman to raise her voice, and it is forbidden, nor is it permissible what involves a description of a living woman, or inciting desires, and increasing longing between the two genders, even if it is in the voice of a man. Likewise, what involves the use of various melodious instruments, even if through modern devices that produce those melodies or using computers, as evidenced by his saying (peace be upon him): 'There will be among my nation people who will consider illicit sexual relations, silk, wine, and musical instruments as lawful...' in Sahih Bukhari 5: 2123, and Sahih Ibn Hibban 15: 154. His saying (peace be upon him): 'There will be people among my nation who will drink wine, calling it by another name, and musical instruments will be played over their heads; Allah will cause the earth to swallow them and turn them into apes and pigs' in Sahih Ibn Hibban 15: 160, and Mawa'id al-Zam'an 1: 336, and Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 5: 68, and Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir 3: 283. His saying (peace be upon him): 'Indeed, Allah has sent me as a mercy to the worlds and guidance to the worlds, and my Lord has commanded me to eradicate musical instruments and flutes...' in Musnad Ahmad 5: 268, and Musnad al-Tayalisi 1: 154, and Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir 8: 196, and Sha'ab al-Iman 5: 243. And Allah knows best.